The Yale expositor., 1895-02-01


great building" pointing to the parlia-
ment house of London. The missionary
asked, "Was his name Mr. Gladstone?"
"Oh. yes" said the boy, "that is
his name; Mr.. Gladstone" Do you
tell me a man can see religion like that
and not like il? There is an old
fashioned mother in a farm house.
Perhaps she is somewhere in the
seventies; perhaps rs or 10. 1t is the
early evening hour. Through spec
tacles No. she is reading n news
paper until toward bedtime, when she
takes up a well worn book, called the
Bible. L know from the illumination
in her face she is reading one of the
thanksgiving Psalms, or in Revelation
the story of the twelve pearly gates.
After awhile she closes the book, and
folds her hands, and thinks over the
past, and seems whispering the names
of her children, some Of them on
earth and some OF them in heaven.
Now smile is on her face, and now a
tear, and sometimes the smile catches
the tear. The scenes of a long life
NOihO OdSo W AiSls OhC Blu
sees all the children smiling around
her, with their toys, and sports, and
strange questionings. Then she remem-
bers several of them down sick with
infantile disorders. Then she sees a
short grave, but over it cut in marble:
suffer them to come to Me-" Then
there is the wedding hour, and the
neighbors in, and the promise of II
will, and the departure from the old
homestead. Then scene of hard times,
and scant bread, and struggle. Then
she thinks of a few years with gush of
sunshine, and fittings of dark shadows,
and vicissitudes. Then she kneels
down slowly, for many years have
stiffened the joints, and the illnesses Of
lifetime have made her less supple.
Her prayer is a mixture of thanks for
sustaining grace during all those years;
and thanks for children good, and
Christian, and kind; and prayer for
the wandering boy, whom she hopes
to see come home before her departure.
And then trembling lips speak
of the land of reunion where
APNNNo w lONCo
ones already Translates; and after
telling the Lord in very simple
language how much she loves him, and
trusts him, and hopes to see him soon,
hear her pronounce the quiet "Amen,"
and she rises up-a little more difficult
effort than lneeling down. And then
she puts her head on the pillow for the
night, and the angels of safety and
peace stand sentinel about that couch
in the farm house; and her face ever
and anon shows signs Of dreams about
the heaven she read of before retiring.
In the morning the days work has
begun downstairs, and seated at the
table the remark is made, Mother
must have oversight herself" And the
grandchildren also notice that grand
mother is absent from her usual place
at the table. One of the grandchildren
goes to the foot of the stairs and
cries, Grandmother" But there is no
answer. Fearing something is the
matter, they go up TO see, and all
seems right The spectacles and Bible
on the stand, and the covers of the bed
are smooth, and the face is calm, her
white hair on the white pillow case
like snow on snow already fallen. But
her soul has gone up to look upon
the things that the night before she
had been reading of in the scriptures
What transporting look on her dear
old wrinkled face! She has seen the
king in his beauty" She has been
Il l.. ~
slain" And her two eldest sons hav-
ing hurried up stairs, look and whisper,
Henry to George, THAT is religionlF
and George to Henry, Yes, that is re
ligionl"