The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1895-09-13
WINDOWS WIDE OPEN
REV. Or. TALMAee's WORDS OF COM.
FORT AND CHEER.

W. ANN"l ihNNs DAs ioAAhhHN N"' NAN'Ni
u theme OVERLOOKING with Christian
chcerfulness and encouragement The
subject is "Open Windows" and the
text selected was Daniel vi, 10, "His
windows being open in his chamber
toward Jerusalem"
Tho scoundrelly princes of Persia,
urged on by political jealousy against
Daniel, have succeeded in getting law
passed that whosoeyer prays to God
shall be put under the paws and teeth
of tho lions who are lashing themselves
in rage and hunger up and down the
stone cage or putting their lower jaws
on the ground, believing till the earth
trombles. But the leonine threat did
not hinder the devotions of Daniel, the
Cmur de Lion of the ages, His enemies
might as we'll have law that the sun
should not draw water, or that the south
wind should not sweep across garden
of magnolias, or that God should be
abolished. They could not scare him
with the redhot furnaces, and they can
not now scare him with the lions As
soon as Daniel hears of this enactment
he leaves his Office of secretary of state,
with its upholstery Of crimson and gold,
and comes down the white marble steps
and goes to his own house. He opens his
window and puts the shutters back and
pulls the curtain aside so that he can
look toward the sacred city of Jerusalem
and then prays.
A Picture Yor an Artist.
l suppose the people in the street
gathered under and before his window
and said "JuSt see that man defying
the law he ought to be arrested.
And the constabulary of the city rush
to the police headquarters and report
that Daniel is ON his knees at the wide
open window. lyon are my prisoner"
says the officer Of the law, dropping a
heavy hand on the shoulder Of tho kneel-
ing Daniel. As the constables open the
door of the cavern to- thrust in their
prisoner they see the glaring eyes Of
the monsters. But Daniel becomes the
first lion tanner, and they lick his hand
and fawn at his feet, and that night he
sleeps with the shaggy name Of wild
beast for his pillow, while the king that
night, sleepless in the palace, has on
him the paw and teeth of a lion he can
science.
What picture it would be for some
artist! Darius in the early dusk Of
morning not waiting for footmen or
chariot, Fastening to the den, all flushed
and nervous and in dishabille, and look
ing through the crevices of the cage to
see what had become Of his prime min
lister. ''What, no soundl" he says.
Daniel is surely devoured, and the
lions are sleeping after their horrid
meal, the bones of the poor man scat
tered across the floor of the cavern. +"
With trembling voice Darius calls out,
"Daniel" No answer, for the prophet
is yet in profound slumber But lion,
more easily awakened, advances, and
with hot breath blown through the crew
ice seems angrily to demand the cause
of this interruption, and then another
wild beast lifts his name from under
Daniels head, and the prophet, waking
up, comes forth to report himself all
unhurt and well.
But our text stands us at Daniels
window, open toward Jerusalem. Why
in that direction open? Jerusalem was
his native land, and all the pomp Of his
Babylonish successes could not make
him forget it. He came there from
Jerusalem at IS years Of age, and he
never visited it, though he lived to be
So years Yet when he wanted to
arouse the deepest emotions and grand
est aspirations of his heart he had his
window open toward his native Jerusa-
lem. There are many Of you today who
understand that without any exposition.
This is getting to be nation of foreign
ers. They have come into all occupa-
tons and professions. They sit in all
churches. 1t may be 20 years ago since
you got your naturalization papers, and
you may be thoroughly Americanized,
but you can't forget the land of your
birth, and your warmest sympathies go
out toward it. Your windows are open
toward Jerusalem. Your father and
mother are buried there. 1t may have
been very humble home in which you
were born, but your memory often plays
around it, and you hope some day to go
and see 1.-THE hill, the tree, the brook,
the house, the place so sacred, the door
from which you started off with parental
blessing to make your own way in the
world-and God only knows how some-
times you have longed to see the famil-
lar places of your childhood, and how
in awful crises of life you would like to
have caught glimpse of the old,
wrinkled face that bent over you as you
lay on the gentle lap 90 Or 40 or so
years ago You may have on this side
of the sea risen in fortune, and like
Daniel have become great and may
have come into properties which you
never could have reached if you had
staid there, and you may have many
windows to your house-bay windows
and skylight windows and windows of
conservatory and windows ON all sides
but you have at least one window open
toward Jerusalem.
Life's Struggle.
When the foreign steamer comes to
the wharf, you see the long line Of sail
ors, with shouldered mailbags, coming
down the planks, carrying as many let
tiers as you might suppose to be enough
for a years correspondence, and this re-
peated again and again during the week.
Multitudes of them are letters from
home, and at all the postoffices of TIE
land people will go to the window ard
anXioIsly ask for them. hundreds of
thousands of persons finding that win
dow of foreign mails the open window
toward Jerusalem. Messages that say:
"When are you coming home to see us'
Brother has gone into the army. Sister
is dead Father and mother are getting
very feeble. We are having great
Struggle to get on here Would you adj
wise US to come to you, or will you como
to us? All join in love and hope to meet
you, if not in this world, then in bet
ter. Goodby."
Yes, yes. In all these cities and amid
the Towering western prairies and on
-, II. = Al. 1 II