The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1894-02-24


The way 70 study the continent Is 70
cross II, OF 70 70 the heart Of it Our
standpoint in this world Is detective.
We arc ct the wrong end Of the tell
escope. The best way to study piece
of machinery is not to stand on the
doorstep and try to look in, but to go
in with the engineer and take our
place right amid the saws and the cyl
inders We wear our eyes out and our
brain out from the fact that we are
studying under such great disadvan-
tages.
Does not our common sense teach us
that it is better to be at the center
than to be clear out on the rim of the
wheel. holding nervously fast to the
tire lest we be suddenly hurled into
light and internal felicity? Through
all kinds of optical instruments trying
to peer in through the cracks and the
keyholes of Heaven-afraid that both
doors of the celestial mansion will be
swung wide open before our enhancing
vision rushing about the apothecary
shops of this world, wondering If this
is good for rheumatism, and that is
good for neuralgia, and something else
is good for bad cough. lest we be sud-
denly ushered intoa land of everlasting
health, where the inhabitants never
say: 81 am sick.
We stick to the world as though we
preferred cold drizzle to warm habita-
ton. discord to cantata, sackcloth to
royal purple-as though we preferred a
piano with four or five keys out of tune
to an instrument fully attuned-as
though earth and Heaven had ex-
changed apparel and earth had taken
on bridal array and Heaven had gone
into deep mourning, all its waters stag
nant, all its harps broken. all chalices
cracked at the dry wells, all the lawns
1sloping to the river plowed with
graves, with dead angels under the fur
row. Oh. want to break up my own
infatuation, and want to break up
your infatuation for this world. l tell
you if we are ready, and if our work is
done, the sooner we go the better, and
If there are blessings in longevity.
want you to know right well there are
also blessings in an abbreviated earthly
existence.
If the spirit of this sermon is true,
how consoled you ought to feel about
members of your families that went
early. Taken from the evil to come"
this book says. What fortunate es-
cape they had! How glad we ought TO
feel that they will never have to go
through the struggles which we have
had to go through. They had just time
enough to get out of the cradle and
run up the springtime hills of this
world and see how it looked, and then
they started for better stopping
place. They were like ships that put
in at St Helena, staying there long
enough to let passengers go up and see
the barracks of Napoleon's captivity
and then hoist sail for the port of their
own native land. They only took this
world lin transitu." 1t is hard for us,
but it is blessed for them.
And if the spirit of this sermon is
true, then we ought not to go around
signing and grooming because another
year has gone. But we ought to go
down on one knee by the milestone
and see the letters and thank God that
we are three hundred and sixty-five
miles nearer home. We ought not to
go around with morbid feelings about
our health or about anticipated de-
mise. We ought to be living, not ac-
cording to that old maxim which I
used to hear in my boyhood, that you
must live as though every day were the
last; you must live as though you were
to live forever. for you will. Do not
be nervous lest you have to move out
of shanty into an Alhambra.
One Christmas morning one of my
neighbors, and old sea captain, died.
After life had departed, his face was
illuminated as though he were just GO
ing into harbor. The fact was, he had
already got through the sNarrows."
In the adjoining room were the Christ
mas presents waiting for his distribu-
tion. Long ago, one night, when he
had narrowly escaped with his ship
from being run down by a great ocean
steamer, he had made his peace with
God, and kinder neighbor or better
man You would not find this side of
Heaven. Without moments warning
the pilot of the heavenly harbor had
met him just off the lightship.
The captain often talked to me of the
goodness of God, and especially of
time when he was about to go in New
York harbor with his ship from Liver
pool. and he was suddenly impressed
that he ought to put back to sea.
Under the protest of the crew and un-
der their very threat, he put back to
sea, fearing at the same time he was
losing his mind, for it did seem SO un-
reasonable that when they could get
into harbor that night they should
put back to sea- But they put back to
sea, and the captain said to his mate,
You will call me at 10 o'clock at
night"
At IL o'clock at night the captain was
aroused and said: "What does this
mean? / thought told you to call me
at 10 o'clock, and here it is H. why"
said the mate, II did call you at 10
o'clock, and you got up, looked around
and told me to keep right on this same
course for two hours, and then to
call you at II o'clock" Said the cap
tain: rs it possible? / have no re-
membrance of that"
At twelve o'clock the captain went
on deck, and through the rift of the
cloud the moonlight fell upon the sea
and showed him shipwreck with one
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