Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-01-02

ago you. IL every cashier should abscond,
and every bank suspend payment, and ov-
cry insurance company fail, 1t would not
affect you. Oh, how insignificant is bust
ness this side the grave with business on
tho othor side tho gravel Have you made
any purchases for eternity? Have you any
securities that will last forever? Arc you
jobbing for time when you might be
wholcsaling for eternity Is there any
question so broad at tho base, SO altitu-
dinous, so overshadowing as the question:
what must do to be savcd?' Or is 1t u
domestic question? Is il something about
father or mother or husband or w,fo or
son or daughter that Is the more important
question: You know by universal and
memorable law that relation will soon be
broken up. Father will DO gone, mother
will DO gone, children will be gone, you
will be gone, but after that tho question
of tho text will begin to harvest its chief
gains, or dcplore its worst losses, or roll
up its mghtiost magnitudcs, or sweep its
vaster circles.
Oh, what question: what an impor-
tant question Is there any question that
compares with 1t in Importance? What Is
1t now to Napoleon III whether he tri-
umphcd or surrendered at Sedan, whether
he died at the Tuilerics or Chisclhurst,
whether no was emperor or exile? DO
cause he was laid out in the coffin in tho
dress of a field marshal did that give him
any better chance for tho future than II
he had been laid out in plain shroud?
What difference will it soon make to you
or to mo whether in this world We walked
or rode, whether we were bowed to or
maltreatod, whether we were applaudcd or
A "a
While laying hold of every moment Of the
future and burning In every splendor or
every grief and ovcrarching or undergrad
ing all time and all eternity will be the
plain startling, infinite, stupcndous qucs-
tion of the text, What must 1 do TO be
savedg"
The Philippian Jailer.
Again. characterize this question Of
the agitated jail keeper rs one crushed out
by his nisfortunes, pressed out by his mis-
fortunes. Tho falling of the penitcntiary,
his occupation was gone. Besides that tho
night of prisoner was ordinarily tho
death of the iallor. Ho was held respon-
sihlc. If all had gone vol; If the prison
walls had not been shaken of tho earth
quake; If the prisoners had all staid quiet
in the stocks; IL tho morning sunlight had
calmly dropped on the jailors pillow, do
Won think he would have hurled this rcd
hot oucstinn from his sorl into tho ear of
his ,nostolic nrisonerse An M, Yo,,
know ms VOL as I do Il was the oartbouako
that reused him mn And H. il trouble
thnt starts "A great many peoplc to asking
,bc so,no ouestion. II has becn so with n
multitude of Won. Your npnnrcl IL mt nc
bright a. IL once was Why have vou
changed the parb9 Do Won not like softer
inc and crimson and nurple ns we'll nc
onccy Yes but Won say. "Wbile I WINS
nrosnernd and hanpv those colors xvoro mr.
oordapt with nv feelinos Now they
would bo discard TO NV soul And sc
Won have plajted I'M the shadows into vour
nppnrel The world is n very difrcrent
| placc from what IL wos once for Won ;
| Once Won said. "Ob. IL I couId only bove
II ouiet n rttle whiler, II is too on;ct
Some people saw that they wo,,Id NOT
hiring bnck their denorted fr,onds from
/ heaven oven IL they had tbe onnortunitv
| hut If Won had the opportunity Won would
bring back your loved ones, and soon their
feet would be sounding In tho hall, and
soon their voices would DO heard in tho
family, and the old times would come back
just as tho fcstal days OF Christmas and
| Thanksgiving-days gone forever. Oh, 1t
Is the earthquake that startled you to ask
ing this question-tho earthquake Of do
mestic misfortune. Death Is so cruel, so
devouring, so relentless, that when 1t swal-
lows up our loved ones we must have some
one to- whom we can carry our torn and
bleeding hearts We need balsam better
1 than anything that over cxudcd from
earthly troc to heal tho pang of the soul.
/ IL is pleasant To have our friends gather