The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-12-19

city OF silence! OF all its million million
hands not one Of them IL lifted. OF all it,
million million eyes not one OF tnem
sparkles. or all its million million hearts
not ons pulsates. The living are In smah
minority.
II, in the movement OF time, some great
question tetween the living and the dead
should be put, and God called up all the
dead and the living to decide it, as we iilte1
our hands, and from all the resting places OF
the dead they lifted their hands, the dead
would outvote us. Why, the muititute OF
the dying and dead are as these autumnal
leaves drifting under our feet to-day. we
Of 100, or regiments OF 1000, or brlgades OF
10, 900, but / 900 ,000, goo abreast! Marching
on: Marching on!
Again, as with variety OF appearance Inc
leaves depart, 50 do We. Iou rave aoticet
that some trees at the first touch OF the frost
lose all their beauty. They STAND witnersu
and unconely ana ragged waiting ior tne
northeast storm to drive them INTO rue
mire. The sun shining at MONDAY giiis
them with no beauty. Ragged leaves. Dead
leaves. No one stands to study them. Ihey
are gathered in no vase. They are hang on
no wall. SO death smites many. There Is
no beauty in their departure. Ons
sharp frost OF sickness or ono piase
OF the cold waters end they ara gone;
No tings OF hope. No propnecy OF
heaven. Their spring was all aoloon win
bright prospects. Their summer thick
foljagsd with opportunities. But October
came. aud their glory went out Frosted! In
early autumn the frosts coma, but do not
seem to damage vegetation. They are light
frosts. But soms morning you look out or
the window and say, "rhers wa black
frost last night, and you know that from
that day everything will wither. 50 msn
seem to get along without religion amid the
annoyauces and vexstions Of lie that nip
them slightly here and nip them there. But
after awhile death comes. 1t is piacx iros-
and all Is ended.
Oh, what whitening and scattering death
makes among those not prepared to meet It!
They leave everything pleasant bshini them
their house, their families, their friends,
their books, their pictures, and step our o.
the sunshine into the shadow. They quit
the presence of bird and bloom and wave to
go unbeckoned and uuwelcomed. The bower
In which they stood and sang and wove
chaplets aud Rma1e themselves merry mas
gone down under al awful equinoctica'. NO
bell can toll one-haIf the 6olefulne5s OF thelr
condition. Frosted
But, thank God, that is not the way PEG.
pie always die Tell me on what day OF all
the year tho leaves OF the woodblhe are as
bright as they are today So Christian
ing hour. Such go into the grave, not ss
dog, with frown and harsh voice, driven In
to kennel. but they pass away calmly,
brightly, sweetly, grandly. As tho leat As
the leaf!
Lastly, as the leaves fade an l fall onlyto
rise, 80 do we. All this golden shower OF the
woods Ia making the ground richer, AMI in
the Juice and sap and life Of the tree the
leaves will come up again. Next May the
south wind will blow the resurrection
trumpet, and they will rise. SO we fall III
the dust only to rise again. 1.-The hour
coming when ali who are in their graves
shall hear His vo CO and como forth" 1t
would be horrible consideration TO think
that our bodies were always to lie 10 the
ground. However beautiful the flowers you
plant there, we do not want to make our
everlasting residence in such place.
have with these eyes seen 50 many Of
the alories of the natural world aud the
radialt faces OF my friends, that l do not
want to think that when close them in
death l shall never open them again. 1t Is
sad enough to have a hand or foot ampu-
tated. in hospital, after q soldier had ha I
his hand taken off he said, "Goodby, dear
old hand, you had done mo great deal OF
good SERVICE" and burst into telrS. 1t Is a
more awful thing to think OF having the
whole body amputated from the soul for
ever I must have my body az iin, to SEQ
with, to hear with, to walk with. Win TINS
hand must claspthe hand OF my loved ones
when have passed clean over jordan and
with il wave the iriumphs OF my King. Ana,
we shall rise again. We shall rise again! As
the leaf! As the leaf!
Crossing the Atlantic the ship may found
er ami our bodies be eaten by the sharks, but
God tameth leviathan, and We shall come
again. In awful explosion OF factory boiler
our bodies may be shattered into hundred
fragments in the air. but God watches the
disaster, and we shall come again. He will
drag the deep, and ransack the tomb. and
upturn the wilderness, and torture the noun
tain, but He will find US and fetcn us our ana
up 10 judgment and to vi tory.
We shall come up with perfect eye, with
perfect hand, with perfect foot aud with per-
feet body. All our weaknesses left behind.
We fall, but we rise; we die. but we livs
again! We moulder away. but we come TO
higher unfolding! As the leaf! As the leaf!