Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1895-03-08

clover sheet spread over 1t. Do ye moo think
50, too, sir2" Cheer up all, disconsolates.
The best work for God and humanity has
Deen done on the snowy day. At gloomy
Marine Terrace, island Of Jersey, the exile,
victor Hugo, wrought the mightiest
achievements Of his pen. Ezekiel, banished
and oereft and an invalid at Corn
hill, on the banks Of Chebar, had his
momentous vision of the cherubim and
wheels within wheels. By the dim light OF
dungeon window at Bedford, John BunyaD
sketches the 'Delectable Mountains" Mil
ton writes the greatest poem OF all time
without eyes. Michael Angelo carved
statue out OF snow, and all Florence gazed In
raptures at its exquisiteness, and many OF
Gods servants have out of the cold cut their
immortality. Prosecutions were the dark
background that made more impressive the
courage and conservation OF Sayonarola,
who, when threatened With denial OF burial,
said 'Throw me into the Arno If You choose
the resurrection day will find me, and tnat Is
enough. Benaiah on cold damp, cutting,
snowy day gained leonine triumph. HARD
ship and trouble have again and again eX-
allied and inspired and gloriaed their SUD-
jects.
The bush itself has mounted higher
And fiourished unconsumed in fire.
Well. we have had many snowy days within
the past month"; and added to the chill OF the
weather was the chilling dismay at the
nonarrival of the ocean steamer Gascognc
Overdue for eight days, many had given hef
up as lost, and the most hopeful were
very anxious. The cyclones, whose play
Is shipwrecks had been reported neinS ID
widest romp all up and down the AT
lantic. The ocean few days before hao
swallowed the Elbe, and with unap
60 Gfve
us more of the best shipping" The Norman
die came In on the same track the Gascogne
was to travel, and it had not seen her. The
Teutonic, saved almost by the superhuman
efforts of captain and crew, came In and had
heard no gun of distress from that missing
steamer. There were pale faces and wiring
ing hands on both continents, and tears
rolled down cold cheeks on those snowy
days. We all feared that the worst had
happened and talked of the City oil
Boston as never heard OF after sailing, and
the steamship President, on which the brill
liant Goodman sailed, never reported and
never to be heard OF again until the time
when the sea gives up its dead. But at last,
under most powerful glass at Fire Island,
ship was seen limping this way over the
waters Then we all began to hope that 1t
might be the missing French liner. Three
hours of tedious and agonizing waiting and
eyeglasses at Fire Island make revelation OF
this awful mystery of the sea? There it is!
Ha. ha! The Gascogne! Quick! Wire the
news to the city! Swing the flags out on the
towers! Ring the bells Sound the whistles
of the shipping all the way up from Sandy
Hook to New York Batteryl "Shes safe!
She's safel" are the words caught up and
passed on from street to street at is
the Gascognev' is the cry sounding
Ill Ha1irhfod hnr1ac and fh-ill-
ing ali the telegraphic wires of the continent
and all the cables under the sea, and the
huzza on the wharf as the gangplanks were
swung out for Decentralization was small
part of the huzza tina. lifted both hemi-
spheres into exultation. The flakes OF snow
fell on the "extra" as we opened it on the
street to get the latest particulars.
Well. it will be better than that when some
of YOU are seen entering the harDor OF
heaven. You have had rough voyage. NC
mistake about that. Snowy day after snowy
day. Again and again the machinery OF
health and courage broke down, and tue
waves of temptation have swept clear overthe
hurricane deck, so that you we're often COM
PEELED to say, "Al Thy waves and Thy pillows
have cove over me-" and you were down I'D
the trough of that sea and down In the trough
of the other sea. and many despaired OF your
safe arrival. But the great Pilot, not one
who must come off from some other craft,
but the one who walked storm swept Galilee
and now walks the wintry Atlantic, Gomez
on board and heads you for the maven
when no sooner have you passed the
narrows of death than you find all the banks
lined with immortals celebrating your arrival
and while some break off palm branches
from the banks and wave them those stand
ing on one side will chant, "There shall be
no more sea-" and those standing on the
other side will chant, "These are they which
came out of great tribulation and had their
robes washed ard made white in the
blood of the Lamb" Of of the stormy
sea into the smooth harbor. Out Of leonine
struggle in the pit to guidance by the Lamb.
who Shall lead you TO living fountains OF
seventies into the gardens Of everlasting
fora and into orchards of eternal fruitage,
the fall of their white blossoms tho only
| snow in heaven.