The Bossier banner., 1894-01-18

| Gov CJ Go AL hcdFcu WILL Dc IlAOSC Cid Y
never saw on earth. The ears most
alert in Heaven will be those that in
this world heard neither voice of
friend, nor thrum of harp, nor carol OF
bird, nor doxology of congregations.
A lad who had been blind from in
fancy was cured. The oculist operated
upon the lad, and then put very
heavy bandage over the eyes, and after
few weeks had gone by, the bandage
was removed, and the mother said to
her child; willie, can you see?" He
said: "Oh! mamma, is this Heaven?''
The contrast between the darkness
before and the brightness after
ward was overwhelming. And l tell
you the glories of Heaven will be a
thousandfold brighter for those who
never saw anything on earth. While
many with good vision closed their
eyes in eternal night, and many who
had good, artistic and cultured ear
went down into eternal discord, these
afflicted ones cried unto the Lord in
their trouble, and He made their sor-
rows their advantage, and SO 'the lame
took the prey"
In the seventh century there was a
legend Of st. Modobert. It was said
that his mother was blind. and one
day while looking at his mother he felt
so sympathetic for her blindness that
he rushed forward and kissed her
blind eyes, and, the legend says, her
vision came Immediately. That was
only legend, but it is the truth. a
glorious truth, that the kiss of Gods
eteral love has brought to many a
blind eye eternal illumination.
step farther; There are those in
all communities who toll nightly for
a livelihood. They have scant wages.
Perhaps they are diseased, or have
physical infrmities, SO they are him
dered from doing continuous days
work. A city missionary finds them
up the dark alley, with no fire, with
thin clothing, with very coarse bread.
They never rode in the street car; they
can not afford the five cents. They
never see any pictures save those in
the sbow-window in the street, from
looked at by some one who seems to
say in the look: "Move on! What are
you doing here looking at pictures?"
Yet many of them live on mountains
of transformations. At their rough
table He who fed the five thousand
breaks the bread They talk often of
the good times that are coming. This
world has no charm for them, but
Heaven entrances their spirit. They
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some forlorn wretch who knocks at
their door at night, and on the blast of
the night wind, as the door opens to
let them in, is heard the voice of him
who said: 81 was hungry and He
fed me-" No cohort of Heaven will be
too bright to transport them. By Gods
help they have vanquished the AS
syrian host. They have divided among
them the spoils. Lame, lame, yet they
took the prey.
was riding along the country road
one day and | saw a man on crutches.
| overlook him. He was very old. He
was going very slowly. At that rate
it would have taken him two hours to
go a mile. l said: Wouldn't Won
| like to ride?" He said: THANK
you, l would, God bless you"
When he sat beside me he said: "You
see am very lame and very old, but
the Lord has been a good Lord to me.
l have buried all my children. The
LORD gave them and the Lord had a
right to take them away. Blessed be
His name! Twas very sick, and l had
no money, and my neighbors came in
and took care of me, and I wanted
nothing. l suffer a great deal with
pain, but then l have so MANY
mercies left. The Lord has been
good Lord to me-" And before we
had got far I was in doubt whether I
was giving him ride or he was Civ
ing me ride. He said: Now, if you
please, I'll get out here. Just help me
down on my crutches, if you please.
God bless you. Thank you, sir. Good
morning. Good morning. You have
been feet to the lame, sir, you have.
Good morning"
Swarty men had gone the road that
day. do not know where they came
out, but every hobble of that old man
was toward the shining gate. With
his 'old.crutch he had struck down many
Sennacherib of temptation which
has mastered you and me- Lame, so
fearfully lame, SO awfully lame; but he
took the prey.
| A step farther: There are in all COM
munities many orphans. During our
last war and in the years immediately
following, how many children at the
north and south we heard say: "Oh.
my father was killed in the war;"
Have you ever noticed-I fear YOU
have not-how we'll those children have
turned out? Starting under the great
est disadvantage, no orphan asylum
could do for them what their father
would have done had he lived. The
skirmisher sat one night by the light
of faggots, in the swamp, writing a
letter home, when a sharpshooter's
bullet ended the letter which was
never folded, never posted and never
read. Those children came up under
great disadvantage. No father to fight
their way for them. Perhaps there
was in the old family Bible an old
yellow letter pasted fast, which told
the story of that fathers long march,