The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1897-03-18
NO. 8.
Get you no hint Of fcheerfulness from

anu Quall whistle, ana garrN1OuS
which, from the rock at the
clear down to the mead
ow ferns under the shadow of the
steep, comes looking for the steepest
place to leap off at, and talking just to
hear itself talk? If all the skies
hurtled with tempest, and everlasting
storm wandered over the sea, and
every mountain stream went raving
mad, frothing at the mouth with mad
foam, and there were nothing but si-
moons blowing among the hills, and
there were neither lark's carol nor
humming-b birds trill, nor waterfalls
dash, but only bears bark, and pan
theirs scream, and VOLTS howl, then
you might well gather into your
homes only the shadows. But when
God has strewn the earth and the
heavens with beauty and with glad
ness, let us take into our home circles
all innocent hilarity, all brightness,
and all good cheer. A dark home
makes bad boys and bad girls, in prep
aration for bad men and bad women.
Above all, my friends, take into your
homes Christian principle. Can it be
that in any of the comfortable homes
of my congregation the voice of prayer
is never lifted? What! No supplication
at night for protection? What! No
thanksgiving in the morning for care?
How, my brother, my sister, will you
answer God in the day of judgment
with reference to your children?
1t is plain question, and there.
fore l ask it. In the tenth chapter
of Jeremiah God says He will pour
out His fury upon the families
that will not call upon His name. O..
parents, when you are dead and gone,
and the moss is covering the inscrip-
ton of the tombstone, will your chill.
dren look back and think of father and
mother at family prayer? Will they
take the old family Bible and open it
and see the mark of tears of contri-
tion and tears of consoling promise,
wept by eyes long before gone out
into darkness? Oh, If you do not in
culcate Christian principle in the
hearts Of your children, and you do not
warn them against evil, and you do
not invite them to holiness aud to God,
and into infidelity, and at last make
shipweck of their immortal souls, on
their deathbed and in the day of judg-
ment they will curse you! Seated by
the register or the stove, what IL on
the wall should come out the history
of your children? What a history
the mortal and immortal life of your
loved ones! Every parent is writing
the history of his child. He is writing
it into groan.
One night, lying on my lounge, when
very tired, my children all around
about me in full romp and hilarity and
laughter-on the lounge, half awake
and half asleep. dreamed this dream:
l was in far country. 1t was not
Persia, although more than oriental
luxuriance crowned the cities. 1t was
not the tropics. although more than
tropical fruitfulness filed the
gardens. 1t was not Italy, al
though more than Italian softness
filled the air. And wandered around
looking for the thorns and nettles, but
l found that none of them grew there,
and l saw the sun rise, and watched
to see it set, but it sank not. And /
saw the people in holiday attire, and
said: when will they put off this
and put on workmen's garb and
again delve in the mine or
swelter at the forge?" but they
never put off the holiday attire.
And wandered in the su burbs of the
city to find the place where the dead
sleep, and l locked all along the line
Of the beautiful hills, the place where
the dead might most blissfully sleep,
and saw towers and castles, but not
white slab could l see. And
l went into the chapel of the
great town and / said: Where
do the poor worship and where are
the hard benches on which they sit?"
And the answer was made me: 1--WE
have no poor in this conntry." And
then I wandered out to find the novels
of the destitute, and l found mansions
of amber and ivory and gold, but not a
tear could l see, not sigh could hear,
and was bewildered, and sat down
under the branches of great tree. aud
| said: "Where a m l? And whence comes
all this scene?" And then out from
among the leaves, and up the flowery
paths, and across the bright streams
there came beautiful group throug-
Ing all about me, and as | saw them
come l thought l knew their step,
and as they shouted l thought | knew
their voices; but then they were SO
gloriously arrayed in apparel. such as
l had never before witnessed. that
| bowed as stranger to strang-
er But when again they clapped
their hands and shouted: Welcome,
welcome!' the mystery all vanished,
and found that time had gone and
eternity had come, and we were all
together again in our new home in
Heaven. And l looked around and
l said: Are we all here?" and
the voices of many generations
responded: "All here!" And while
tears of gladness were rain
ing down our cheeks, and the
branches of the Lebanon ceders were
clapping their hands, and the towers
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