The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1895-06-29

Wednesday, or Easter, or Good Friday,
or Whitsuntide. or Palm Sunday, IL
these symbols have be hind them gen.
uine repentance. and holy remini-
scence, and Christian conservation.
But ceremony is only the sheath to the
sword, it is only the shell to the kerr
mel, it is only the lamp to the flame. it
is only the body to the spirit The
outward must be sym1olical of the in
ward. Wash the hands by all means,
but, more than all, wash the heart
Behold, also, as you see Gov. Pom
titus Plate thrust his hand into this
wash basin. the power of conscience.
He had an idea there was blood on his
hand-the blood of an innocent per-
son, whom he might have acquitted if
he only had the courage. Poor Plate!
his conscience was after him, and he
knew the stain would never be washed
from the right hand or the left hand,
and until the day of his death, though
he might wash in all the LAYERS of the
Roman empire, there would be still
eight fingers and two thumbs red at
the tips.
Oh, the powers of conscience when it
is fully aroused? With whip of scor-
pions over bed of spikes in pitch of
midnight it chases guilt Are there
ghosts? Yes, not of the grave yard,
but of ones mind not at rest.
And thus. Brutus, amid his slumbering host,
Startled with Csesar's stalwart ghost.
Macbeth looked at his hand after
the midnight assassination, and he
says:
will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand? No; this my hand will
rather
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making the green one red.
For every sin. great or small, con-
science, which is the voice of God, has
reproof more or less emphatic.
Charles TX, responsible for st. Bar
tholomew massacre, was chased by the
bitter memories, and in his dying mo-
ment said to his doctor. Ambrose Par
nv: doctor, i don't know what's the
matter with me; am in a fever of body
| and mind, and have been for long
| while. Oh, if l had only spared the
| innocent, and the imbecile, and the
| cripple!' Rousseau declared in his old
age that a sin he committed in his
youth still gave him sleepless nights.
| Charles ii. of Spain could not sleep
| unless he had in his room confessor
and two friars. Catiline had such
| bitter memories he was startled at the
least sound. Cardinal Beaufort, hav-
ing slain the duke of Gloucester, often
IN the night would say: Away! away!
why do you look at me?" Richard I'LL,
having slain his two nephews, would
sometimes in the night shout from his
| apparitions. DIR. Webster, having slain
Parkman in Boston, and while waiting
for his doom. complained to the jailer
| that the prisoners on the other side of
the wall all night long kept charging
him with his crime. when there were
no prisoners on the other side of the
wall 1t was the voice of his own con-
science.
From what did Adam and Eve try to
hide when they had all the world to
themselves? From their own con-
science. What made Gains punish
ment greater than he could bear? His
conscience. What made Ahab cry out
| to the prophet: "Hast thou found me,
o mine enemy?" What made the great
Felix tremble before the little mission
ary? Conscience. What made Belshaz-
zar's teeth chatter with chill when
| he saw finger come out of the black
sleeve of the midnight and write on
the plastering? Conscience, con
i SCIENCE!
Why is il that that man in this audi
ence, with all the marks of worldly
prosperity upon him, is agitated while
/ speak, and is now flushed and is now
pale, and then the breath is uneven
and then beads of perspiration on
the forehead. and then the look OF
unrest comes to a look of horror and
despair? know not But he knows
and God knows. 1t may be that he de
spoiled fair young life and turned
| innocence into waif, and the smile
of hope into the brazen laughter
of despair. Or it may be that he
has in his possession the prop
erty of others, and by some
strategem he keeps it accord
ing to law, yet he knows it is not hi
own, and that If his heart should stoI
beating this moment he would be il
hell forever. Or it may be he is re
sponsible for great mystery, thu
disappearance of some one who wa
never heard of, and the detectives wer,
baffied, and the tracks were all covered
up, and the swift horse or the rail trail
took him out of reach. and there ar,
only two persons in the universe wh'
know of it-God and himself. Coz
present at the time of the TRACE
dy and present at the retro
spection, and OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
with stings, conscience with pinch
ers, conscience with fails, con
science with furnaces, is upon him
and until a mans conscience rouse
him he does not repent. What mad
that farmer converted to God go to hi
infidel neighbor and say: "Neighbor
have four of your sheep. They cam
over into my fold six years ago. The.
had your mark upon them, and
changed it to my mark. / want yol
to have those sheep. and want you t.
!; have the interest on the money, and
want you to have the increase of tn
fold; if you want to send me to prison
l shall make no complaint" The in
. fidel heard of the mans conversion
, and he said: Now, now, If you hav
| got them sheep you are welcome t.
/ them. don't want nothing of thos