Democratic messenger., 1893-04-15

u tIdCt Ou tlc Dill VI tishntiHS. ECJoACC DC~
fore God that never are sympathetic words
uttered, never prayer offered, never n
Christian almsgiving indulgcd in but it is
blessed
There is place in Switzerland, hare
been told, where the utterance of one word
will bring hack score Of echoes and /
have to tell you this morning that a SYM
pathetic word, kind word, generous
word. a helpful word, uttered in the dark
places of the town, will bring back ten
thousand echoes from all the thrones of
heaven.
Are there i'm this asscmblage this morn
ing those who know by experience the trag
edies Of midnight in town! l am not here
to thrust you back with one hard word.
Take the bandage from your Lruised soul
and put ON it the soothing salve of Christ's
gospel and Of Gods compassion. Many
have come. ! see Others coming TO God
this morning tired of the sinful life. Cry
up the news to heaven. Set all the bells
ringing. Spread the banquet under the
arches. Let the crowned heads come down
and sit 70 the jubilee.
! tell you there is more delight in heaven
over one man that gets reformed by the
grace of God than over ninety and nine that
never got off the track. l could give you
the history in minute of one of the best
aicnds | ever had Outside of my own
family, never had n better friend. He well
coined me to my home mt the west. lie was
of splendid personal appearance. and he had
an ardor of SOIL and a warmth of affection
that made me love him like brother.
saw men coming out of the saloons and
gambling he,ls, and they surrounded my
friend, III / they took him at the weak
point, his social nature. and saw him go
ing down. and had a fair talk with him
for never yet saw Il man you could not
talk with ON the subject of his habits if
you talked with him in the right way. /
said TO him, why don't you give up your
bad habits and become n Christian" | re-
member now just how he looked, leaning
over his courier, rs he replied: Il wish i
could. Oh, sir. | should like To he Chris
tian, hut | have gone so far astray can't
get back.
his MOTHERS MISSION
So the time went on. After awhile the
day Of sickness came. | was summoned to
his sick bed. FASTENED. It took me but
a very few moments to get there. was
surprised as went i'm. | saw him in his
ordinary clothes, fully dressed. lying on the
top of the bed. gave him my hand, and
he seized it convulsively and said: ''Oh.
how glad am to see you. Sit down there"
| sat down. and he said: Mr. Taln,age,
just where you sit now my mother sat last
right. She has been dead ~ years. Now,
don't want you to think am out of my
mind, or that am superstitious: but. sir,
she sat there last night just as certainly as
you sit there now-the same cap and apron
and spectacles-it was my old mother-she
sat there
Then he turned TO his wife and said: II
wish you wo,:ld take these strings of the
bed. Somebody iswrappng strings around
me all the time. wish you would stop
that annoyanc She said, There is moth
ing here" Then saw it was delirium.
lie said: Jus, where You sit now my moth
er sat, and she said. Roswell. | wish you
would do bettcr-l wish you would do bet
ter said: Mother, wish could do bet
ter. | try To do better. but | can't. Moth
er. you used to help me; why can't you help
me now And. sir. got out Of bed, for il
was reality. and ! went to her and threw
my arms around her neck, and ! said.
Mother, / will do better, but you must help
Il can't do this alone" | knelt down
and prayed That night his soul went to-
the Lord that made il.
Arrangements were made for the OBJ
sequies. The question was raised whether
they should bring him To church. Some
body said. You can't bring such n dissolute
man rs that into the church" ] said, You
will bring him in the church; he stood by
me when he was alive, and will stand by
him when he is dead: bring him." AS
stood in the pulpit and saw them carrying
the body up the aisle. felt rs il l could
weep tears of blood.
On one side of the pulpit sat his little
child Of 8 years. n sweet, beautiful little girl
that had seen him hug convulsively in his
better moments lie put on her all jewels,
all diamonds. and gave her all pictures and
toys, and then he would 90 away, as il
bounded by an evil spirit, To his cups and
house Of shame, IA fool to the correction of
the stocks. She looked up wonderingly. She
knew not what il all meant. She was not
old enough to understand the sorrow of an
!, orphan child.
J On the oihcr side the pulpit sat the men
who had ruined him; they were the men
!, who had poured wormwood into the or
Jphan's cup; they We're the men who had
bound him hand and foot. | knew them.
. How did they seem To feel: Did they weep
; No Did they say, What pity that such
a generous man should he destroyed No.
Did they sigh repentingly over what they
had done, No. They sat there, looking rs
vultures look Mt the carcass of the lamb
whose heart they haveripped out. So they
sat and looked at the coffin lid, and told
them the judgment Of God upon those who
! had destroyed their fellows. Did they re
form. was told they were in the places
of iniquity that night after my friend was
laid in Oakwood cemetery, and they bias
phemc,l. and they drank. oh. how merci-
less men are. especially after they have de
stroyed you. Do not look tn men for com
Sfort or help. Look to God.
AN AWFUL TRAGEDY.
But there is II man who will not return.
Tile SAYS. Il won't reform Well, then,
how many acts are there to n tragedy. ]
believe five.
: Act the First of the Tragetly-A young
: man starting Off from home. Parents and
sisters weeping to have him go Wagon
rising over the hill Farewell kiss flung
back Rim. the bell and let the curtain
fall.
Act the Sccon,!-The marriage altar.
Full organ. Bright lights. Long white
veil trailing through the aisle Prayer and
congratulation AMI exclamation of How
well she looks
Act the Thirl-A woman waiting for
staggering steps. Old garments stuck into
the broken window pane. Marks of hard
ship On The face. The biting of the nails Of
bluo,llrsS fingers. Neglect and cruelty and
despair Ring the bell and let the curtain
drop.
Act the Fourth Three graves in "A dark
place-grave of the child that died for lack
of medicine. grave of the wife that died of
n broken heart, grave of the man that died
of dissipation. Oh. what a blasting heath
OF three graves. Plenty of weeds, hut no
flowers. Ring the bell and let the curtain
drop.
Act the FifIh-A destroyed souls eierni-
~ No light. Nomusic. Nohopc. Anguish
coilnS its svrrcnts around the heart. Black
ness Of darkness forever But cannot
look any longer Woe, woe, | close my
eyes to this last act Of the tragedy. Quick.
Quick. I:ing the bell ard let the curtain
drop. "Hgj"icr. @ Young man. in thy
youth and ict thy heart rejoice in the days
If thy youth. hut know thou that for all
these things tod will bring you into judg
mcnt' There is a WAY that scemeth right