Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-10-02


the skerriss, and were never heard OF, or dis
appeared with tho City OF Boston, or the
Vile de Havrc, or the Cyinbria, or were run
down IN fishing smnck that put out from
Newfoundland But dismiss your previ-
Qua gloom about the horrors of ocean en-
tombment.
When Sevastopoi was besieged In the
Anglo-French war, Prince Mentchikof.
commanding the Rus,ihn navy, saw that
the only way TO keep the English out OF
the harbor was to sink all of the Russian
ships of war in the roadstead, and so 100
vessels sank. When, after tho war was
over, our American engineer, Gowan, de
scended TO the depths in q diving bell, 1t
was an impressive spectacle.
SUBLIME BURIAL
One hundred buried shipsl But 1t Is that
why nearly all across the Atlantic ocean.
Ships sunk not by command OF admirals,
but by the command Of cyclones. But they
all had sublime burial, and the surround
ings amid which they sleep the last sleep
are more imposing than the Tai Mahal,
the mausolenm with walls incrusted with
precious stones and built by the great mo
gul Of India over his empress. Your de
parted ones were buried in the gardens of
the sen, fenced OF by hedges Of coralline.
The greatest obscquies ever known on
tho land were those Of Moses, where no one
but God was present. The sublime report
of that entonbment is in the book Of Deu-
tcronomy, which says that the Lord buried
him, and of those who have gone down 10
slumber in the deep the same may be
said-"Thc Lord buried them" As Christ
was buried in a garden, so your shipwreck-
ed friends aud those who could not survive
till they reached port We're put down amid
iridescenee-''ln the midst of the garden
there was a sepulcher."
II has always been mystery what was
the particular mode by which George G.
Goldman, the pulpit orator of the Metho-
dist church and the chaplain Of the Ameri-
can congress, left this life after embarking
for England on the steamship President
March II. 1S41. That ship never arrived in
port. No one ever signaled her and oil
both sides of the ocean 1t has for 30 years
been questioned what became Of her But
this | know about Cookman-that whether
It was iceberg or connagration midsea or
collision he Ind more garlands on his ocean
tomb than IL. expiring ON land, each OF his
million friends had put a bouquet on his
caskct. In the midst of the garden WIS his
sepulcher.
JosAH's MISTAKES.
But that brings me TO notice the misno-
MGR in this Jonahitic expression Of the
text The prophet not only made mis-
take by trying to so to Tlrshish when God
told him to go 10 Nineyeh, but he made u
mistake when he styled as weeds these
growths that enwrapped him on tho day
he sank. A weed is something that il use
less. Il is something you throw out from
tho garden. 1t is something that chok tho
wheat 1t is something to be grubbed ouT
from among the cotton. 1t Is somethip Z.
unsightly to tho eye. 1t Is an invader Of
the vegetable or floral world. But this
growth which sprang up from the depth OF
the Mediterranean or hoated on its sur
face WINS among the most beautiful things
that God ever makes.
1t was water plant known as the red
colorod alga. and no weed Mt all. II COMES
from the loom of infinite beauty. 1t Ia
planted by heavenly love 1t Is the star Of u
sunken armament. 1t Is lamp which tho
Lord kindled. It is u cord by which to bind
whole sheaves Of practical suggestion. II
Is poem all whose cantos are rung by
divine goodness, Yet we all make the mis-
take that Jonah nude in regard to it and
call lit a weed. 1.-THE weeds were wrapped
about my head,n ALL that is the trouble
on the land AS on the sea. We call those
weeds that are flowers.
Picked up on tho beach of society arc
children without home, withouts oppor-
tunity for anything but sin, seemingly
without God They are washed up help
less They are called rsgamufIins They
are spoken of as tho rilkings OF the world.
They are waits. They arc street arabs
They Rrn hotsnm and jetsam of the social
sea- They are something TO be left alone,
or something to be trod on, or something to
give up to decay. Nothing but weeds
They are up the riokety stairs of that gar
ret They arc down in the cellar of thst
tenement house. They swelter IN summers
when they see not one blade OF green grass,
and SILVER in winters that allow them not
one warm coat or shawl or shoe.
Such the city missionary found in one OF
our city rookeries, and when the poor wom-
en- was asked IL she sent her children to
school she replied; mo, sir, / never DID
send 'em to school. know it, they ought
TO learn, but 1 couldn't. / try to shame
him sometimes Ut is my husband, sir, but
he drinks and then beats me--look at that
bruise on my fnce--and / tell him 10 see
what is comm TO his children. There's
Peggy, goes sellin fruit every night In thoee
cellars in Water street, and they're bells,
sir She's lenrnin all sorts Of bad words
there and don't get back TIL 10 o'clock at
night Ifit wasn't for her earnin shillin
or two in them places, / should starve. Oh,
| wish they was out OF the city. Yes, 1t ia
the truth. would rather have all my
children dead than on the street, but
can't help it."
SAVED by DEATH.
Another one of those poor women, found
By u reformatory association, recited her
story OF want and woo aud looked up and
said, ~ felt so hard to lose the children
when thcy died, but now I'm glad they're
gone" Ask any one Of thousand such
children ON the streets, "Where do you
liveW aud they Will answer. ~ don't live
nowhere They viii sleep tonight in ash
barrels, or under outdoor stairs, or on the
wharf, kicked and bruised and hungry
| Who cares for themi Once in awhile a
city missionary or tract distributor or 4
teacher Of ragged schools will rescue ono Of
them, but for most people they are only
weeds.
Yet Jonah did not more completely mis-
represent the red algn about his head in
the Mediterranean than most people mis-
| Judge these poor and forlorn and dying
children OF the street. They are not weeds
They are immortal howers-down In the
deep sea Of woe. but flowers When soci-
ETY. aud the church Of God come to appre
cate their eternal value, there will be mort