The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-11-27

Io me The plain was the more ab
scriblng because Of the desperate bat
tie here and in regions round in which
the Holy Cross, the very two pieces of
wood on which Jesus was supposed t0
have been crucified was carried as a
standard ut the head of the Christian
most, and that night closing my eyes in
my tent on the plain of lisdraelon-for
there are some things we can see bet
ter with eyes shut than open-the
scenes OF that ancient war come before
me: The twelfth century was closing
ana Saladln at the head of eighty thou
Sand mounted troops was crying "IIo
1or Jerusalem! l1o for all I'aleStincw
and before them every thing went
uoWn put not without unparalleled re-
Slstance, In one place one hundred and
thirty Christians were surrounded bv
many thousands Of furious Moham
medans. For one whole day the one
hundred and thirty held out against
these thousands. Tennyson's "siX hun
dred' when "some one has blundcred," :"
were ecllpsed by these one hundred and
thirty lighting for the Holy Cross.
Ihey took hold Of the lances whicl had
pierced them with death wounds, and
pulling them out Of their own breasts
ana sides hurled them back again at the
enemy. On went the fight until all
but one Christian had fallen and he
mounted on the last horse. welded his
Dattle axe right and left till his horse
lell under the plunge of the javelins
ana the rider, making the sign of the
cross toward the sky, gave up his life
soon after, the last battle came. Ills
tory portrays it, poetry chants it, paint
ing colors it, and all ages admire that
lasC struggle to keep in possession the
wooden cross on which Jesus was said
to have expired. 1t was battle in
which mingled the fury of devlns and
the grandeur of angels. Thousands of
dead Christians on this side. Thous-
andS OF dead MOhammedans on the
other side. The battle was hottest
close around the wooden cross upheld
by the bishop of ptolemais, himself
Wounded and dying. And when the
i}ishop OF Ptolemais dropped dead, the
BISHOP of LYDIA seized the cross and
again lifted it carrying it onward into
wilder and tiercer fight, ard sword
against Javelin, and battlc-axe UPON
hcimet, ana piercing spear against
Spllntcrlng shield. Horses and men
tumblcd into Heterogeneous death. Now
the wooden cross on which the armies
OF Christians had kept their eve, io-
gins to waver, begins to descend. It
falls. and the wailing or the Christian
host at its disappearance browns the
huZZah OF the victorious Moslcms,
But that standard of the cross only
seemed to fall. 1t rides the sky TO-DAY
IN triumph. 500,OOO,OOO souls. the
mlghtiest army Of the ages, are follow
ing it and where that goes they will 90
across the earth and up the mighty
sleeps Of the heavens. In the twelftI
century 1T seemed to go down, but in
the nineteenth century it Is the might,
lest symbol Of glory and triumph. anj
means more than any other standnr,
whether inscribed with eagle, or lion
or bear, or star, or crescent. MA
which Saladin trampled on the plaiI
OF Esdrnlon | lift to-day for YOU
marshalling. The cross. The cross
The foot Of it planted in the earth il
saves. the top of it pointing to the
heavens to which it VIII take YOU. ant
the outsprcad beam OF it like out
stretched arms Of invitation to all na
tions. knecl at its foot Lift YOUR eve
to its victim. Swear eternal allegianct
to It's power. And rs that might,
symbol of pain and triumph is kept be-
fore us we will realize how jnsirni(i
cant are the little crosses we are called
to bear. and will more cheerfully carry
them.