Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-04-15

rounded by such as l the Judge OF Heaven
and Earth will at last descend, for "Behold
He cometh with clou1sp
Oh. my friends, if anything in the inan-
innate world be useful let US immortal men
and women be usefu, and in that respect be
like the palm tree. But l must not be
tempted by what David says Of that green
shaft of Palestine, that living and glorious
pillar of the eastern gardens, as seen IN olden
iimes-the palm tree; must not be tempted
by what the Old Testament says OF 1t, to
lessen my emphasis OF what John, the evan
gelst, says of it in my text.
Notice that it was n beautiful and lawful
robbery of the palm tree that helped make
I'D Christs triumph on the road TO Jerusalem
that Palm Sunday. The long, broad, green
leaves that were strewn under the feet OF the
colt and in the way OF Christ were torn on
from the trees. What pity, some one
might say, that those stately and grace III
trees should be despole1. The sap oozed out
at the places where the branches broke.
The glory Of the palm tree was appropriately
sacrificed for the Saviours triumphal pro-
cession. So it always was, so it always VIII
be in this world--no worthy triumph OF any
sort without the tearing down OF something
else
Brooklyn Bridge, the glory OF our conti-
nent, must have two architects Frustrated,
I
lifetime invalidel The greatest pictures OF
The world had, in their Acdest coioring, the
blood OF the artists who made them. The
miphtiest oratories that ever rolled through
the churches had in their pathos, the signs
and groans of the composers, VINO wore their
lives out in writing the harmony. American
independence was triumphant, but 1T moved
on over the lifeless forms OF tens OF thou
sands of men who fell at Bunker Hill and
Yorktown and the battles between which
were the hemorrhages of the nation.
The kingdom of God advances in all the
earth. but it must be over the lives of mis-
sionaries who die of malaria in the JungeS
or Christian workers who preach and pray
and toll and die in the service. The Saviour
triumphs in all directions-but beauty and
strength must be torn down from the palm
trees of Christian heroism and conservation
and thrown in His pathway.
70 what better use could those palm trees
on the southern shoulder of Mount Olivet
end clear down into the Valley OF Geth-
semane put their branches than to surrender
them for the making OF Carists journey
toward Jerusalem the more picturesque, the
mora memorable and the more triumphant?
And TO what better use could we put our
lives than into the sacrifice for Christ and
His cause add the happiness OF
our fellow creatures! Shall we not be
willing to be torn down that right
eousness shall have triumphant way? Christ
was torn down for us. Can we not afford
10 be torn down for Him. II Christ could
suffer so much for us, can we not suffer
little for Christ? II He can afford on Palm
SUNDAY TO travel - Jerusalem to carry
cross can we not afford a few leaves from
our branches 10 make emerald His wayg
The process is going on every moment IN
all directions. What makes that Iatner
e, E,,l hmm n
dav9 He puts on his spectaces and holds
fine book close up, and then holds 1t far OIL.
and is not quite sure whether the number OF
| the HYMN is $50 or 100. and the fingers with
which he turns the leaves are very clumsy.
He stoops n good deal, although once he was
STRAIGHT as an arrow, and his eyes were Keen
as hawks. and the hani he offered to his
bride on the marriage day was OF goodly
shape andas God madeit.
will tell you what is the matter. Forty
,,ears oero he resolved his family should have
yyoreaj and his children should be well edu-
Gated and suffer none OF the disadvantages
of lacy of schooling from which he had
suffered for a lifetime, and that the wolf oil
hunger should never put its paw on his door
sill and for forty or fifty years be has been
tearine, of from the palm tree OF his physi-
cal strength and manly form branches 70
throw in the pathway Of his housenoid ~
I has cost him muscle and brain ana hsaltn
and evesipht and there have been twisted
Of moro wears from bis lite than any man
in the crowd on the famous Palm Sunday
twisted off branches from the palm trees on
Tho road from BethDage 70 Jerusalem.
VVbot makes that mother LOOK 50 muc1
Older than she really is? You say she ought
NOT vet to have one gray line In her hair.
The truth is the fimly was not always as
well Off as now The married pair had
hard struggle Mt the start. Examine the
fins of the forefnger and thumb OF her right
hand. and they will tell you the story OF the
needle that was piled day in and day out;
Yea. look at both her hands, and they VIII
tell the story of the time when she did her
own work, her own mendinS aud scruooing
and washing
Yea look into the face and read the story
of scarlet fevers and Groups AMI midnight
yvatcbines then none but God and herself IN
that house were awake and then the burlals
end the loneliness afterward, which was
more exhausting than the preceding watcn-
ing had been, and no one now to put 70 oe1'
How fair she once was, au1 as lar as tne
palm tree hut all the branches OF her
strength and beauty were long ago TORN Oh
and thrown into the pathway OF her house.
hold. -,...
Alas that sons and daughters, themselves
= straight and graceful and educated
should ever forget that they are walking 10
day over the fallen strength OF an lndu5-
trious and honored parentage. A niue
ashamed, are you, at their ungramulatica.
utterances2 1t was through their sacrlhcSs
that YOU learned accuracy OF speech. ~
you lose patience with them because 'ne'
are q little queru'ous and complaining.
| guess you have forgotten how querulou'
and complaining you were when you wers
getting oyer that whooping cough or thaS
Intermittent fever A little annoyed, arc
Won because her hearing is poor and you
have TO tell he,. something twlcey She was
not always hard of hearing. when you
were two years old your first can Iof
drink at midnight woke her from SCUM
sleep as quick as any one VIII WaHeh aV 'Ns
trulnpet call oil the resurrection.
Oh. nv Young lady. what is that under
the sole of your fine shoes2 1t is palm leaf
which was torn of the tree OF maternal
fidelity. Young merchant, young lawyer,
young journalist, young mechanic, with
good salary AMI fine clothes and refined sur
roun1ings. have YOU forgotten what time
vour father had that winter after the sum-
mer's crops had failed through droughts or
floods or locust. AMI how ne wore his old
coat too long AMI made his old hat do, tnat
he might keep you at school or college?
What is that, my young man, under your
4 !,
your foot such a boot as your father could
never afford to wear;
Il must be a leaf from the palm tree OF
vour fathers self-sacrifices. Do not be
ashamed Of him wnen he comes to town, and
because his manners are little old fashioned
try to smuggle him in aud smuggle him out,
but call in your best friends aud take him to
the house o. God and introduce him to your
n1stor. and sa-; This is my father" If he
had kept for himself the advantages which
he gave you be would be as well educated
and as well gotten up as you. When in the
Engli Parliament a member was making
a grea speech that was unanswerable "A
I Lord derisivsly erie our, Il remember you
when you blackenad my fathers boots"
Eyes, 4" renisi the man, 'dnd did not do 1t
welly7 Never be ashamed OF your early
surroundings. Yes, yes, all the green leaves
we walk over were torn OH some palm tree.
have cultivated the habit OF forgetting
the unpleasant things Of life, AMI chiefly
remember the smooth things, and as far as
| remember now my life ms for the most
part moved over a road soft with green
leaves. They were torn of two palm trees
/ that stood at the start OF the road. The
PRAYERS, the Christian example, the good
advice, the hard work Of my father and
mother. How they toiled Their fingers
were knotted with hard WORK. Their fore
I -fr,trf .H wit