Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-12-28

cascades falling from invisible height to in
visible depth. Stalagmtes rising up from
the f1or Of the cave; stalactites descend
ing from the roof of the cave, joining each
other and making pillars of the Almighty's
sculpturing. There are rosettes of amethyst
in halls of gypsum. As the guide carries
his lantern ahead Of you the shadows bave
an appearance supernatural and spectral.
The darkness is fearful.
Two people, getting lost from their guide
only for few hours years ago, were de
mented and for years sat in their insanity.
You feel like holding your breath as you
walk across the bridges that seem to span
the bottomlcss abyss. The guide throws
his calcium light down into the cavcrns,
and the light rolls and losses from rock to
rock and from depth TO depth, making at
every plunge new revelation of the awful
power that could have made such n place
as that. A sense Of suffocation comes upon
you as YOU think that you are 210 feet in u
straight line from the suIlit surface of the
earth
The guide after awhile takes you into
what is called the star Chamber,' and
then he SAYS TO you, "Sit here" and then
he takes the lantern and goes down under
the rocks aud it gets darker and darker
until the night is SO thick that the hand an
inch from the eye is undesirable. And
then, by l;ndlinE one Of the lanterns and
placing it in n cleft in the rocks, there is n
reflection cast on the dome of the cave, and
there are stars coming ont in consultations
IA brilliant night Aeavens-aud You in
voluntarily cXclaim: Beautiful, Bcaut-
far
Then be takes he lontern down in other
depths Of the cavern, and wanders on, and
ha Il
the rocks gradually and il seems like tine
dawn Of the morning and il gets brighter
and brighter. The guide is "a skilled ven
trilouuiat, and he initiates the voices OF the
morning, and soon the gloom is all gone,
and you stand congratulating yourself over
the wonderful spectacle
THE DGVGNE GUIDE.
Well, there are a great many people who
look down ,atO the grave as q greet cavern.
They think it is a thousand miles subter-
raueou~. and all the echoes seem to he the
voices of despair, ana the cascades seem 20
be the falling tears that always fall, and
the gloom of earth seems coming up in
stalagmltc, and the gloom Of the eternal
world seems descending in the stalactitc,
making pillars OF inuescribu bic horror The
grave is 10 such place as that t. me, thank
God,
Our divine guide takes us down into the
great caverns. aud We have the lamp to our
feet and the light in our path. and all the
echoes in the riffs Of the rock are anthems,
and all the falling waters are fountains Of
salvation. and after awhile we look up and
bchold-thc cavern Of the tomb has become
a kings star chUmbcrI And while we are
looking at the pomp of it an everlasting
morning begins to rise and all the tears Of
each crystalline into staisUmite, rising MP in
a pillar ON the one side and all the glories
of heaven seem to be descending in stalac-
title, making 2 pillar Oh the other sid, and
yea push against the gate that swings he
tween the two pillars, and as the gate flashes
open you find il is one Of the y gate, which
are - pearls. Blessed be God that through
this gospel the mammoth cave of the sepul-
cher has become the illumined star cham
Der Of the king.
! would God thai ii my sermon today
does not Iced you to Christ that before
morning, looking out of the window. Che
astronomy Il the night heavens might lead
you to the feet of Jesus
Hark hari., TO God the chorus breaks
From every host, from every gem;
But ono alone, the saviour speaks
l. the star of ButhleLcm.