Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-11-16

the barracks of Napoleon's captivity
and then hoist sail for the port of thei
own native land. They only took TIL
world in transitu. 1t is hard for l.;
but it is blessed for them.
And if the spirit of this sermon /
true, then we ought not to go arount
signing and grooming when anothe
year is going; when we ought to e
down on one knee by the milestone an,
| see the letters and thank God that ",
! are three hundred and sixty-five mile!
nearer home. We ought ne
to go around with morbid feel
ings about our health or abou
anticipated demise. We ought to b,
living not according to that old maxim
which l used to hear in my boyhood
that you must live as though every day
were the last; you must live as though
you were to live forever, for you will
Do not be nervous lest you have to
move out of shanty into an Alham-
bra.
one Christmas day witnessed some
thing very thrilling. We had just dis
tributed the family presents Christmas
morning, when / heard a great cry OF
distress in the hallway A child from
a nelghbor's house came in to say her
father was dead. 1t was only three
doors OFF, and | think in two minutes
We were there. There lay the old
Christian sea captain, his face upturned
toward the window, as though he had
suddenly seen the hea3,ands, and with
an illuminated countenance, as though
he were just going into harbor. The
fact was he had already got through
the "Narrows." In the adjoining room
were the Christmas presents, waiting
Tor his distribution. Long ago, one
night, when he had narrowly escaped
with his ship from being run down b.
a great ocean steamer, he had made his
peace with God, and kinder neighbor
or better man than Captain Pendle-
ton you would not find this side of
heaven. Without a moments warn
ing, the pilot Of the heavenly harbor
had met him just off the lightship.
He had often talked to me of the
goodness of God, and especially of
time when he was about to enter New
York harbor with his ship from Liver
pool. and he was suddenly impressed
that he ought to put back to sea. I'm
der the protest of the crew and under
their very threat he put back to sea,
a no he,
his mind, for it did seem so unreason-
able that when they could get into
harbor that night they should put
back to sea. But they put back to
sea, and Captain Pendleton said to his
mate, You call me at ten o'clock at
night" At twelve o'clock at night the
captain was aroused and said, What
does this mean? / thought told you
to call me at ten O'Clock, and here it
is twelve" Why" said the mate, Il
did call you at ten o'clock. and you got
up, locked around, and told me to keep
right on the same course for two hours,
and then to call you at twelve o'clock"
Said the captain, rs it possible? /
have no remembrance of that"
At twelve o'clock the captain went
on deck, and through the rift of cloud
the moonlight fell upon the sea and
showed him a shipwreck with one
hundred struggling passengers. He
helped them off. Had he been any
earlier or later at that point of the
sea he would have been of no service
TO those drowning people. On board
The captains vessel they began to band
together as to what they should pay
for the rescue and what they should
pay for provisions. "Ah," says the cap
tain, my lads, you can't pay me any
hing; all have on board Is yours.
EEL too greatly honored of God in hav-
ng saved you TO take any pay" Just
ike him. He never got any pay ex-
;ept that of his own applauding con-
science.
oh, that the old sea captains God
night be my God and yours! Amid
he stormy seas of this life may we
ave always some one as tenderiy to
axe care of us as the captain took
are OF the drowning crew and the pas
engers. And may we come into the
larbor with as little physical pain and
With as bright hope as he had, and
[ 1t should happen to be a Christmas
nornlng, when the presents are being
distributed. and we are celebrating the
firth OF Him who came to save our
hipwrecked world, all the better, for
mat grander. brighter Christmas pres
mt could we have than heaven?