The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-11-25

sic, and poetry, and religion have been
made to men in Lanishlnent- and
Milton banished into blindness; Bee
thoven banished into deafness; Dante
writing his Divina Commedia during
the nineteen years Of baniShment from
his native land; Victor Hugo writing
his Les Miserables exiled from home
and country on the island Of Guernsey,
and the brightest visions Of the future
have been given to those who by sick.
ness or sorrow were exiled from the
outer world into rooms of suffering.
Only those who have been imprisoned
by very hard surroundings have had
great revelations made to them. So
Patmos wild, chill and bleak and ter.
rible, was the best island in all the
archipelago, the best place in all tho
earth for divine revelations. Before
panorama can be successfully seen
the room in which you sit must be-
darkened; and in the presence of John
was to pass such panorama as no man
ever saw before or will ever see in this
world, and hence the gloom OF his sur.
roundings was help rather than him
derance.
All the surroundings of the place at
fected ST. Johns imagery when he
speaks of Heaven. ST. John, hungry
from enforced abstinence. or having no
food except that at which his appetite
revolted, think of Heaven; and as the
famished man is apt to dream of boun-
tiful tables, covered with luxuries, so
St. John says of the inhabitants of
Heaven, "They shall hunger no more. ="
Scarcity of fresh water on Patmos and
the hot tongue of st Johns thirst leads
him to admire Heaven as he says,
"They shall thirst no more"
st. John hears the waves of the sea
wildly dashing against the rock and
each wave has voice, and all the
waves together make a chorus, and
they remind him of the multitudinous
anthems of Heaven and he says: "They
are like the voice of many waters"
One day as he looked off upon the sea,
the waters were very smooth as it is
to-day while we sail them in the Miner
va, and they were like glass and the
sunlight seemed to set them on fire,
and there was mingling of white
light and intense flame, and as St.
John looked out from his cavern home
upon that brilliant sea, he thought OF
the splendors of Heaven and described
them ''as sea of glass mingled with
fire." Yes. seated in the dark cavern
of Patmos, though homesick and hun
cry and loaded with Domitian's anathe-
mas, st. John was the most fortunate
man on earth because of the panorama
that passed before the mouth Of the
cavern.
Turn down all the lights that we
may better see it. The panorama
passes, and 10! the conquering Christ
robed girdled, armed, the flash of gol
den candlesticlSs and seven stars in His
right hand, candlesticks and stars
meaning light held up, and light scat
tered. And there passes throne anG
Christ on it, and the seals broken, anG
the woes sounded, and dragon slain
and seven last plaques swoon an6
seven last are poured out, ani
the vision vanishes. And we halt
a moment to rest from the exciting
spectacle. Again the panorama moves
on before the cavern of Patmos, and
John the exile sees great city repre-
senting all denominations. Babylon
tewered, palaced, tempted, fountained
foliaged, sculptured, hanging-gardens
suddenly going crash! crash! and the
pipers cease to pipe, and the trumpets
cease to trumpet, and the dust and the
smoke and the horror fill the canvas
while from above and beneath are
voices announcing Babylon is fallen
is fallen" And we halt again to rest
from the spectacle.
Again the panorama passes befor,
the cavern of Patmos, and John the ex
lie sees a mounted Christ on a snow
white charger leading forth cav
airy of heaven, the long line of white
chargers galloping through the scene
the Gathering of hoofs, the clink
ing of bridle-bits, and the flash O.
spears, all the earth conquered ant
all heaven in doxology. And we hal
again to rest from the spectacle. Agar
the panorama passes before the cav
ern of Patmos, and John the exile sees
great thrones lifted, thrones of mar
tyrs, thrones of apostles, thrones o
prophets. and throne higher than al
on which Jesus sits, and ponderou
books are opened, their leaves turned
over, revealing the names of all tina
have ever lived, the good and the bad
the renowned and the humble, the
mighty and the weak, and at the turn
of every leaf the universe is in rapture
or fright, and the sea empties its sarco
phagus of all the dead of the sunker
shipping, and the earth gives way and
the heavens vanish. Again we rest a
moment from the spectacle, The pano
rama moves On before the cavern OF
Patmos, and John the exile beholds d
city of gold. and a,rivcr more beautiful
than the Rhine and the Hudson roll.
through it, and fruit trees bend theil
burdens on either bank, and all is
surrounded by walls in which the up
holstery OF autumnal forests, and the
sunrises and sunsets of all the
ages. and the glory Of burning worlds
seem to be commingled. And
the inhabitants never breathe sigh
or utter n groan, or discuss differ
ence, or frown dislike, or weep q tear
The fashion they wear is pure white
and their foreheads are encircled by
garlands, and they who were sick are
well, and they who were old are young
and they who were bereft are reunited
All nc 4ho La ST fcr,,ro Of th at M norm m .