Semi-weekly independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1895-1897, 1896-01-25

prayer, the rain came just In time 70 save
the crop; if all parents who prayed for a
wandering son TO come home would tell
how, not long after. they heard the boys
hand on the latch of the front door.
Samuel Hick. an English Methodist
preacher, solicited aid for West India mis-
sions from a rich miser and failed. Then
the minister dropped on his knees, and the
miser said, Il will give thee a guinea if
thou wilt give over" But the minister
continued to pray, until the miser said.
Il will give thee two guineas if thou wilt
give over" Then the money was taken
to the missionary meeting. Oh, the pow
er of prayer. Melanchthon, utterly dis
couraged, was passing along a place where
children were heard praying. and he came
back, saying: Brethren, take courage.
The children are praying for us" Moth
ing can stand before prayer. An intldel
came into a Bible class to ask puzzlins
questions. Many of the neishbors came
in TO hear the discussion. The infdel
arose ana said to the leader of the Bible
class, Il hear you allow questions asked:'
'Oh, yes" said the leader. but at the
start let us kneel down and ask God To
guide us!' "Oh. no." said the infidel, Il
did not come to pray! / came TO discuss
But" said the leader. "yOu Will of course
submit to our rule, and that is always
TO begin with prayer" The leader knelt
in prayer. and then arose and said to the
infdel. Now you pray The inide re-
piled: Il cannot pray. / have no God TO
pray to. Let me go. Let me go" The
spectators, who expected fun, found moth
ing but overpowering Solemnity. and Il re-
vival started. and among the first who
We're brought in was the intidel. That
prayer did it. In all our lives there have
been times when we felt that prayer was
answered. Then let us say so.
The Value of Kind Words.
Let the same outspokenness be employ
ed toward those by whom we nave been
personally advantaged. We wait until
they are dead before we say so. Your
parents have planned for your best inter
ests all these years. They may sometimes,
their nervous system used up by the
cares, the losses, the Disappointment, the
worriments of life, be more irritable than
they ought to be, and they probably have
faults which have become oppressive as
the years go by. But those eyes. long
before they took on spectacles. We're
watching for your welfare, and their
hands, not as smooth and much more
deeply lined than once, have done for you
many a good days work. Life has been
to them more of 4 struggle than you will
ever know about, and much OF the struggle
has been for you. and how much they are
wrapped up in your welfare you will never
appreciate.
Have you by word or gift or behavior
expressed your thanks? Or if you annot
quite get up to say it face to face, nave
you written it in'some holiday salutation:
The time will soon pass and they will be
one out of your sight, and their ears will
not hear, and their eyes will not see. If
you owe them any kindness of deed or
any words of appreciation, why do You
not say so! low much we might all of
us save ourselves in the matter of regrets
if we did not delay until too late an ex-
preston of obligation that would have
made the last years of earthly life more
attractive. The grave is deaf. and cpl
taphs on cold marble cannot make rcpara-
ton.
In conjugal life the honeymoon is soon
past, and the twain take it for granted
that each is thoroughly understood. How
w vi tath III nv NV
the years go by, and perhaps nothing is
said TO make the other fully understand
that sense of dependence. Impatient words
sometimes come forth. and motives are
m~isinterpreted. and it is taken rs a mat
ter of course that the two will walk the
path of life side by side until about the
same time their journey shall he ended.
but some sudden and appalling illness un-
looScns the right hands that were clasped
years before at the altar of orange bios
sons. the parting takes place, and among
the worst of all the SORROW is that Won
did not %oftencr, If you ever did at all. tell
her or tell him how indispensable she was.
or how Indispensable ne was TO your hap
pinesS, and that in some plain, square talk
long ago YOU did not ask for forgiveness
for nfirmitie and ncglccts. and by some
unlimited utterance make it understood
that you fully appreciated the fidelity and
reinforcement of many years. Alas.
how many such have TO lament the rest of
their lives, "Oh, if l had only said so.'
The Christian Ideal.
My subject takes a wider range. The
Lord has hundreds of thousands of people
among those who have never joined his
army because of some high ideal Of what Il
Christian should be. or because of Il fear
that they may not hold out, or because of
4 spirit of procrastination. They have
never publicly professed Christ. They
have rs much right 10 the sacramcnts and
as much right 10 all the privileges of the
| church as thousands who have for years
been enrolled in church membership. and
yet they have made no positive utterance
by which the world may know they love
God and are on the road TO heaven. They
are redeemed of the Lord. and yet do not
say SO. Oh. what IN augmentation j;
would be if by some divine impulse all
those outsiders should become insiders, |
tell you what would bring them To their
right places, and perhaps n~otaing else will.
Days of persecution. If they were com
PEELED to take sides IS between Christ and
his enemies, they would take the side of
Christ, and the faggots. and the instru-
ments OF torture. and the anathcmas of
all earth and hell would not make them
blanch. Martyrs are made out of such
stuff as they are. But let them not wait
| f.. .,..I $50. a., ...- 4, -