The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1891-01-22

had to put his hands over his head in
order to get through and then he fast
tainted away, and lay at the bottom of
the we'll as though dead, until hours
after recovery, he came to the surface.
1t is not like other wells digged down
to fountain that fills it, but reser-
voir to catch the falling rains, and to
that Christ refers when speaking to the
| Samaritan woman about spiritual sup
ply, He said that He would, if asked,
have given her living water;" that is,
water from flowing spring in distinc-
ton from the water of that we'll which
was rain water. But why did Jacob
make reservoir there when there is
plenty of water all around and abun-
dance of springs and fountains and
seemingly. no need of that reservoir.
Why did Jacob go to the vast expense
OF boring and digging well perhaps
two hundred feet deep as first COM
pleted, when, by going a little way off
he could have water from other fount-
aims at little or no expense? All, Jacob
was wise. He wanted his own we'll
| Quarrels and wars might arise with
other tribes and the supply of water
might be cut off, so the shovels and
pick-axes and boring instruments were
ordered and the we'll of nearly four
thousand years ago was sunk through
| the solid rock.
When Jacob thus wisely insisted on
having his own well he taught us not
to be unnecessarily dependent on 9TH
ers. independence of business charac-
ter. Independence of moral character.
Independence of religious character.
Have your own well of grace, your own
well of courage, your own we'll of Di-
vine supply. If you are an invalid you
have a right to be dependent on others.
But if God has given you good health,
| common sense, and two eyes, and two
ears, and two hands, and two feet, He
equipped you for independence of all
the universe except Himself If He
had meant you to be dependent on
others you would have been built with
cord around your waist to tie fast to
somebody else. No; you are built with
common sense to fashion your own
opinions, with eyes to find your own
way, with ears to select your own
music, with hands to fight your own
battles. There is only one being in the
universe whose advice you need and
tina is God. Have your own well and
the Lord will fill it. Dig it if need
be through two hundred feet of solid
rock. Dig it with your pen. or dig it
with your yard stick, or dig it with
your shovel, or dig it with your Bible
Young man, drop cigars and cigar
cites and wine cups, and the Sunday ex-
cursions and build your own house and
have your own wardrobe and be your
own capitalist why, 1 have only
five hundred dollars income a year!'
says some one. Then spend four hun
dred of it in living and ten per cent. of
it, or fifty dollars, in benevolence and
the other fifty in beginning to dig your
own we'll. Or, if you have a thousand
dollars year, spend eight hundred of
it in living, ten per cent, or one hun
dred dollars, in benevolence, and the
remaining one hundred dollars in be-
ginning to dig your own we'll The
largest bird that ever flew through the
air was Matched out of one egg. and the
greatest estate was brooded out of one
dollar.
Much is said about good luck" but
people who are Industrious and self
denying almost always have good luck.
You can afford to be laughed at because
of your application and economy, for
when you get your we'll dug, and filled,
it will be your turn to laugh.
But look up from this famous we'll,
and see two mountains and the plain
between them on which was gath
cred the largest religious audience
that ever assembled on earth. about
five hundred thousand people, Mount
Gerizim, about eight hundred feet high
on enc side, and on the other, Mount
Ebal, the former called the Mount
OF Blessing and the latter called the
Mount of Cursing. At Joshua's COM
mand six tribes stood on Mount Gerizim
and read the blessings for keeping the
law. and six tribes stood on Mount Ebal
reading the curses for breaking the law,
while five hundred thousand people on
the plain cried amen, with an emphasis
that must have made the earth trem-
BILE. 81 do not believe that" SAYS some
one. 'for those mountain tops are two
miles apart, and how could a voice be
heard from top to top?" My answer is
that while the tops are two miles apart,
the bases of the mountains are only half
mile apart, and the tribes stood on the
sides of the mountains and the air is so
clear, and the acoustic qualities of this
great natural amphitheater so perfect
that voices can be distinctly heard from
mountain to mountain, as has been
demonstrated by travellers fifty times in
the last fifty years.
On and on we ride until now we have
come to Shiloh, dead city on a hill
surrounded by rocks, sheep, goats, olive
gardens and vineyards. Here good Eli
fell backward and broke his neck, and
lay dead at the news from his bad bows.
Phineas and Hophni; and life is not
worth living after ones children have
turned out badly, and more fortunate
was Eli, instantly expiring under such
tidings, than those parents who, their
children recreant and profigate, live
on with broken hearts to see them going