Democratic messenger., 1892-05-21


was found CRYING, and an officer asked
him what was the matter. oh" he
said, Il had dream last night. Ny
sister died ten years ago, and my moth
er never was herself again and she died
soon after. Last night drcamt was
killed in battle. and that mother and
sister came down 10 meet me" After
the next battle was over, some one
crossing the field heard voice that he
recognized rs the voice of Tom, the
drummer boy singing ".Iesus. Lover Of
My Soul" But ut the end of the first
verse the voice became very feeble.
and at the end of the second verse ii
stopped. and they went up and found
Tom. the drummer boy. leaning against
a stump and dead.
That hymn, "Oh, for Thousand
Tongues to Sing" was suggested to
Charles Wesley by Peter Boiler. who.
after his conversion, said, Il had bet
ter 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
~ HiiuioS! ptiitH tilc NOtuS'
Oh, for "a thousand tongues To sing
Ny dear Rcdcencr's praise.
The glorieS of my God and king.
The trumphs OF his grace.
Jesus. the name that calms our fears,
That Lids our sorruws cease;
TiS music in the sinners ears.
'fis life and health and peace.
While nuch Of the modern music is
a religious doggerel. il cousecrated non
sense. sacred tomfoulery. ! would like
10 see some great musician of ouI TIME
lift the baton and marshal Luther.
Judgment Hymn Yarmouth Dundee
Ariel. Brattlc Street. [ xlri,lge I'lcyel'-
Hymn, HarweIl Antioch Mouni I'is
gah and Coronation. with a tcw rc-i
menls Of mighty tunes made III our own
time, and storm Asia. Africa and Amer
ica for the Kingdom of God. Elt the
first thing 10 do is to drive out the dumb
devil of the text from all our churches.
\ PERSONAL MATTER.
Do not however, lei Us lose ourselves
in gcneralilirs. Not one of Us bul has
had our lives sometimes touched hy the
evil spirit Of the text-this awful damh
devil. We had just one opportunity of
saying Christian word that might have
led man or woman into Christian
life. The opportunity was fairly put
before us. The word Of invitation or
consolation or warming came to the IN
side gate of the mouth. hut there il
halted Some hindcring power locked
the Jaws together So that they did not
open. The tongue lay fiat and still in
the bottom of the mouth rs though
struck with paralysis. We We're mute,
Though God had given US the physio-
logical apparatus for speech, and our
lungs We're filled with air which. by the
command Of our will. could have made
the laryngeal muscles move and the vocal
organs vibrate. we We're wickedlv and
fatally silent. For all time ana eternity
we missed our chance.
Or it was a PRAYER meeting. and the
Eervice was thrown open for pra, cr and
remarks, and there was Il dead halt-cv-
erything silent as Il graveyard ut mid
night ladecd it WAS Il 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 rs though they were praying
i'll silence. but they We're not PRAYING al
all They were busy hoping somebody
else would do his duty. The women
flushed under the awful pause and made
their fans more rapidly flutter. Some
brother with no cold coughed, by that
sound trying TO fill up the time. and the
meeting was slain. But what killed it:
the dumb devil.
This is the way | account for the fact
that the stupidest places on earth are
some prayer meetings. do not see how
a man keeps any grace if he regularly
attends them They are spiritual re-
frigerators. Religion kept on ice. How
many of us have lost occasions of use
fulncss: In "a sculptor's studio stood a
figure OF the god Opportunity. The
sculptor had made the hair fall down
over the face Of the statue 50 rs 10 com
pletely cover ii. and there were wings to
the feet. When asked why lie so repre-
sented Opportunity, the sculptor an
swered, The face of the statue is thus
covered up because we do not recognize
Opportunity when it comes. and the
wings 10 the feet show tnat Opportunity
is swiftly gone"
THE DUNE DEVIL ~ POLITICS.
But do not let the world deridc the
church because of all this, for the dumb
devil is just as conspicuous in the world
The tNe, great political parties Will soon
assemble to build platforms for the pres
idential candidates 10 stand on. \ com
mittee of each party will be appointed
to make the platform. After proper de-
liberation tine committees will come in
with a ringing report, Whereas" and
Whereas and Whereas. Pronun-
ciamentoes all shaped with the one idea
of getting the most votes. All express
sion i'll regard to the great moral evils
of the country ignored. No expression
about the liquor traffic. for that would
lose the rum vote. No expression in re-
gard 10 the universal attempt at the
demolition OF the Lord day. No recog-
milton Of God in the history 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 Re
publican platform and the other wing
over the Democratic platform. There is
nothing involved in the next election ex-
cept offices. The great conventions will
be- opened with prayer by their chap
lains If they avoid platitudcs and tell
the honest truth in their prayers they
viii say: 20 Lord we want 10 be post
masters and consuls and foreign minis
ters and United States district attorneys
For that we are here. and for that we
will strive till the election next Novcm-
her Give ms office or we die. forever
and ever. Amen"
The world. to say the least, is no better
than the church on this subject of silence
nj the wrong time. Ia other words. is
it not time for Christianity 10 become