The Opelousas courier., 1890-07-19

throne on which the French Kings reigneds
Were / called TO sketch misery in its
worst form, I Tsouid not go up the dark alley
of the poor, but UP the highway over which
prancing Bucephaii strike the sparks with
their hoofs and between the statstary and
parks Of stalking deer. Wretchedness is
more bitter when swallowed from gemmed
goblet than from earthern pitcher or pew
ter mug. If there are young people here
who are looking for this position and
that circumstances, thinking that worldly
success will bring peace OF the soul. let
them shatter the delusion. 1t is not what
we get, it is what we are. Daniel among
the lions is happier than N~ebuchadnezzar
on his 6hfonei And when life is closing,
brilliancy Of worldly surroundings will be
no solace. Death is blind, and sees no diff
ference between the King and his clown,
between the Nazarine u the Athenlan,
between q bookless nut and a national
library. The frivolities of life cannot, with
their giddy laugh, ecloing from heart TO
heart, entirely drown the voice of a TIRE
mendous conscience which says: Il am I'M
mortal. The stars shall die, but / am immor-
tai. One wave of eternity shall drown time
in its depths, but l am immortal. The earth
shall have a shroud of fame and the heavens
fee at the CLAN, e of the Lord, but | am i'm
mortal. From all the heights inc depths of
nv nature rings down, and rings up, AMI
r.ngs out the world immortal" A good
conscience, and assurance Of life eternal
through the Lord Jesus Christ are the only
securities.
The souls happiness is too large a craft to
sail up the stream of worldly pleasure. As
shin carpenters say, it draws too nnuca water.
This earth is a bubble. and it Will burst.
This life is a vision, and it will soon pass
away. Timel It is only a ripple, and it
breaketh against the throne of Judgment.
Our days! They fly swifter than q shuttle,
weaving for US a robe of triumph or a gar
ment of shame. Begin your life with re-
ligiona and for it's greatest trial you will be
ready. Every day will be q triumph, and
death will be only a Kings servant calling
you to q royal banquet.
In olden tine the man who was to receive
the honors of knighthood was required to
spend the previous night fully armed, and
with shield and lance to walk up and down
among the tombs of the dead. Through all
the hours of that night his steady step was
heard, aud when morning dawned, amid
grant parade and the sound of comets, the
honors of knighthood were bestowed. Thus
it shalt be with the good mans soai in the
night before heaven. Fully armed with
shield and sword and helmet, he shall watch
and wait until the darkness fly and the
morning break, ami amid the sound OF
celestial harpings the soul shall take the
honors of heaven amid the innumerable
throng with robes snowy white streaming
over seas of sapphire.
Mordecai Tgill only nave to wait for hia
day of triumph. It took all the preceding
trials to make a proper background for HE
after success. The scaffold built for him
makes all tho more imposing and picturesque
the horse into whose long white name he
twisted his fingers at the mounting. You
want at least two m~isfortunes, hard as flint,
to strike fire. Heavy and long continued
SHOWS in the winter are signs OF good crops
next summer. So many have yielded wor'
derful harvests OF benevolence and energg
because they were a long while snowet
under. We must have q good many
hard falls before we learn to walk
straight. 1t is on the black anvil oil
trouble that men hammer out their fortunes
Sorrows take up men on their shoulders and
entnrone them. TONES are nearly always
bitter. Men, like fruit trees, are barren, un-
less trimmed with sharp knives. They are
like wheat-all the better for the failing. II
required the prison darkness and chill tc
make John Bunyan dream. It took Della
ware ice and cold feet at Valley Forge, anf
the whizz of bullets, to make a Washington
Paul when he climbed up on the beach 81
Melita, shisering in his wet clot' es, wa
! NOR of a Christian than when the shiF
strtr;s the breakers. Prescott, the historian
| saw .e.ttss without his Eyes than he coui
ever have seen with them. Mordecai de
splsel at the gate,is only predecessor OF Nor
decai grandiy mounted.