The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1897-01-16
What an awful thlnsit

would be Tor your
o dying century, to bequeath to the com.
ing century. as VET innocent aud unsecured
with single sin or burdenei with single
sorrow, the blasphemy, the lawlessness, the
atheism. the proiigacy and the woe, OF great
cities still unevange!izsd. What we ought TO
see, o dying century, is revival OF religion
that would wrap the continents in eonnagra.
lions OF religious awakening, anil thar would |
make legislation asd merchandise and all
styles OF worldly business wait awhile at the
telegraph Offices aud the telephone offices
because they are occupied with telling the |
story of cities and Nations BORN in day.
Nearly all the centuries closed with some-
thing tremendous. Why may not this century
close in the salvation OF America? l do not |
know whether our Theological friends, who |
have studied the subject mora than have,
ara right or wrong when they say Christ
will come in person to setup His kingdom
In tn s world; but though We wou q be over
whe.mei with our unworthiness would ike
to seq Christ descend from heaven in one OF
the clouds OF this morning. AID planting HIS
iest on this earth, which he came centuries
ago TO save, declare His reign OF love and
mercy and salvation on earth begun. And
what more appropriate place. say it rev.
erentially-for such divine landing than
the capital of a continent never cursed ny
the tyrannies and supers.itions OF the Old
World? j
What has this dying nineteenth century to
tell us before he goes? We all 1--we to hear
sep:uagenarians. ociogenarans, nonagenar-
| ians and centenarians talk. We gather
around the armchair aud listen till 1t is far
| on into the night and never weary OF hear
| ing their experiences. ButLori Lyndhur5t.
| at eighiy-eight years OF age, pouring into the
| ears OF the House OF Lords in four hours:
address the experiences OF lifetime, and
| Apollonius, ut 100 years OF age, recountlng
| histrayels to thrilled listeners. and Charles
| Macslin, at 1917 years of age. absorbing the
| attention of his hearers and Ralph Farnham
| Of our country, at LOT years. telling the
Prince of Wales the story Of Bunker Hill, can
| create no such interest as this dying centen-
arian If he will only speak.
Tell us, nineteenth century, before
you go in a score of sentences, some OF the
things you have heard AMI seen. The
veteran turns upon Us and says: 81 saw
| Thomas Jefferson riding in unattended
| from Monticello, only few steps from
where you stand, dismount from his horse
and hitch the b-idie to q post, and on yon-
der hill take the oath OF the presidential
office. I saw yonder capital ablaze with
wars incendiarism. I SAW the puff OF the
irst steam engine in America. | heard the
tnunders OF Waterloo, of Sepastopol and
Sedan and Gettysburg. was present ut
all the coronatioas of the kings and queens
and emperors and expresses now in the
| L
roll across this continent and from ocean
70 oceans biiow OF revival JOY in 1851
aud a b.llow Of blood In 1864. l have seen
| four generations of the human rice march
across this worli and disappear. l saw
their cradles rocked and their graves dug,
! I have heard the wedding bells and the
, death knels of near a hundred years.
! have c,appt d my hands for millions OF joys
! and wruug them in millions of agonies.
saw Macready and Edwin Forrest act an(
| Edward Payson pray. l heard the firs
! ,.hime OF Longfellow's rhythms, and before
! | anyone else saw Their. / read the first line O
|. Bancroft'5 history AMI the first verse o
Bryant's 'Thanatopsls" aud the first word
!. Victor Hugo's almost supernatural romance
!, heard the music of all the grand marche
= and the lament of all the requiems that 10
= nigh ten decades made the cathedral win
| doWs shake I have seen more moral an
!, bspritual victories than all OF my predeces
? sors put together. For all you who hear 0
> read this valedictory have kndled all tn
> domestic lresides by which you ever sat an
q reused all the haIloos and rounde.ayS an
y | merriments you have ever heard and III
= rolled all the pictured sunsets and starr
- banners of the midnight heavens that 20
" | nave ever gazsd ut. But ere go take IN
= admonition and bsnediction of dying eel
- ury. The longest life. like mine. mu
q close. Opportunities gons never come baci
nj
~ Of observation. The eternity that VIII SOC
10 take mo will soon take you. The wiekt
s i've not out half their days, as have SET
st IN 10, 600 instances,
~ The only influence for making the wor
n happy is an influence that l, the nineteen'
OF century. inherited from the first century
81 the Christian era-:he Christ of all the ce
lie turies. Be not deceived by the fact that
is nave lived ST. lony, for a century Is lart
nd wheal that turns 100 smaller wheels. whi'
eft | are the wears. and each one OF those yea
er | turns 365 smaller wheels, which are the day
rs and each one of the 365 days turns II small
D. wheels, which are the hours. each one
DO | hose "A hours turns 60 smaller wheels. viii
elk are the minutes, and those CD minutes tu
re still smaller wheels, which are the secont
en- And all OF this vast machinery is perpetu
or m notion and pushes US on aud on toward I
,rent eternity whose doors will, at IL o'c'o
in 1.-THE winter night between the year IL
us and the year 1901 open before me, the dyi
an century. quote from the three inscriptlo
We over thee doors Of ths cathedral OF MILF
be Over one door, amid wreath OF sculptur
1t roses, read, "Ail TINT WLlcn pisases US
he bnr for a moment" Over another do
to around scu.ptured cross, read. "Al Il
a | which troubles us is but for mo nent. 1
MS over the central door, read, ''That only
he imnortant which Is eternal" . eternl
at eternity, eterniiyl
18th NV hearers, as the nineteantn century "
he horn while the face OF this Nation was
NY wet with tears because of the fatal horseof
He ridet that Washington TOOK out mere at MO-
ng Vernon through December snowstorn
for wish the next century might be born 2
of tins when the face OF this Nation shall
to wat with The tears c. i..v literal or spirit
ore arrival of the Great 0@:iveear OF Nations
tbe whom, ST. John wro.e With is:rnealyptlc J.
M And L saw. and behold wits horse. 4
md he that sat Oh him hao q pom, aua q ot ~
ORR | was given unto Hinn, anu 10 "eH' ~
mi eonouering and TO conquer.
sin
ave into tha clear consciousness OF the
of a,ral,;ry christ "a the secret principle
aih y" t;e, - eli ra,nir, 70 oopa RI