Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-05-16


him what was the matter. Sch y he
said, II had dream last night. MY
sister died ten years ago, and my mother
never was herself again, and she died
soon after. Last night | dremt l was
killed in battle, and that mother and
sister came down to meet me-" After
the next battle was over, some one,
crossing the field heard a voice that he
recognized as the voice OF Tom, the
drummerboy, singing Jesus, lover OF
my SOUL" But at the end OF the first
verse, the voice became very feeble,
and, at the end of the second verse 1t
stopped, and they went up and found
Tom, the drummerboy, leaning against
stump, and dead.
That hymn, 20 for a thousand tongues
to sing" was suggested to Charles Wes-
ley by Peter Bother, who, after his
conversion, said; 81 had better keep
silent about it,"
NO." SAID WESLEY,
''if YOU had ten thousand tongues you
had better use them for Christ" And
then that angel of hymnology penned
the words:
D for a thousand tongues 10 sing
Ny dear Keteemers praise,
The glorieS OF my God and King,
The tfiumphs Of his grace
Jesus. the name that Gains our fears,
That bids our SORROWS cease:
'ris music in the sinners ears,
IT'S life and health and peace
While much of the modern music Is a
religious doggerel, consecrated nom
sense, a sacred imbecility, would like
to see some great musician of our time
lift the baton and marshal Luther's
Judgment hymn, Yarmouth, Dundee,
Ariel, Brattle-street, UXbride, PleyePs
HYMN, Harwell, Antioch, Mount Pisgah;
and Coronation, with q few regiments
of mighty tunes made in our time,
and storm Asia, Africa and America for
the Kingdom OF God. But the first
thing TO do is to drive out the dumb
devil of the text from all our churches.
Do not, however, let US loose our
selves in generaities. Not one Of us
but has had our lives sometimes
touched by the text-this awful dumb
devil. We had just one opportunity OF
saving q Christian word that might have
led a man or woman into a Christian
life. The opportunity was fairly put
before US. The word OF invitation or
consolation or warning came TO the in
side gate Of the mouth, but there 1t
halted. Some hindering power locked
the laws together so that they did not
open. The tongue lay fat and still in
the bottom Of the mouth as though
struck with paralysis. We were mute.
Though God had given us the
physiological apparatus for speech, and
our lungs were filled with air, which,
by the command of our will, could have
made the laryngeal muscles move and
the vocal organs vibrate, we were
wickedly and fatally silent.
FOR ALL TINE AND ETERNITY.
We missed our chance. Or il was a
prayer-meeting, and the service was
thrown open for prayer and remarks,
and there was dead halt-everything
silent as a graveyard at midnight. In
deed il was graveyard and midnight.
An embarrassing pause took place that
put wet blanket on all the meeting.
Men, bold enough on business exchange
or in worldly circles, shut their eyes as
though they were praying in silence,
but they were not praying at all. Ihey
were busy hoping somebody else would
do his duty, The women flushed under
the awful pause aud made their fans
more rapidly flutter. Some brother,
with no cold, coughed, by that sound
trying to fill up the time, and the meet
ing was slain. But what killed it?-
the dumb devil: Thit is the way l
account for the fact that the stupidest
places Oh earth are some prayer meet
ings. do not see how man keep.
any grace if he regularly attends them.
They are spiritual refrigerators. Re-
ligion kept on ice. How many OF us
have lost occasions of usefulness. In
Sculptor's studio stood figure of the
god Opportunity. The, sculptor had
made the hair fall down over the face
of the statue so as TO completely cover
il, and there were wings to the feet.
When asked why he so represented Op-
portunity, the sculptor answered: The
face OF the statue is thus covered up be-
cause we do not recognize opportunity
when it comes, and the wings TO the
feet show that Opportunity is swiftly
gone"
But do not let the world derde the
church because of all this, for the dumb
devil is just as conspicuous in the
world. The two great political parties
will soon assemble to build platforms
for the presidential candidates to stand
on. A committee OF each party will be
appointed to make the platform. After
proper deliberation, the commit
tees win come in with ring
ing report: "Whereas," and
WHEREAS" AND ''wHEREAs."
Pronunci&mentoes all shaped with the
one idea of getting the most votes. All
expression in regard to the great moral
evils of the country ignored. No ex-
preston about the liquor traffic, for
that would lose the rum vote. No eX-
preston in regard to the universal at
tempt at the demolition OF the Lords
Day. No recognition Of God in the his
tory of this nation for that would lose
the vote of atheists. But Whereas"
and "Whereas," and Whereas" Nine
cheers will be given for the platform
The dumb devil Of the text will put
one wing over the Republican platform
and the other wing over the Democratic
platform. There is nothing involved in
the next election except offices. The
great conventions will be opened with
prayer by their Chaplains. If they
avoid platitudes and tell the honest
truth in their prayers, they will say: 30