Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-01-26
paroxysms of flame: elements of ma

paroxysms of flame: elements of ma
ture in torture: torridity and luridity:
congregation of breads: molten hor-
rors: sulphurcus abysms: swirlins
mystery of all time: infinite turba-
lence: chimney of perdition: walloW-
Ing terrcrs: fifteen acres Of threats:
glooms insufferable and Dantesque:
cauldron stirred by the champion witch
OF Pandemonium: campfire OF the
armies OF Diabolus: wrath Of the noun
tains in full bloom: shimmering in
candescence: pyrotechnics OF the
planet: furnace-blast of the ages:
kilauea" But, my friends, mightier
higher, vaster, hotter, more raging is
the volcanic Mountain of War. 1t has
been blazing for hundreds of years,
and will keep on blazing until, until,
but l dare not hazard prophecy
Can it be that its fires will ever be
put out? Can it be that its roar Will
ever be silenced? Can it be that before
our Zerubbabel that blazing mountain
Sometimes a general begins a battle
before he is ready, because the enemy
forces 1t on him. The general says,
The enemy are pushing US, and so
open battle. We are not sufficient to
cope with them, but l hope the re-
serve forces will come up in time
Inc battle RACES, and the general looks
through his field glass at the troops,
but ever and anon he sweeps his field
glass backward and upward toward the
hill, to see If the reserve forces are
coming. Hard pushed are wei! says
the general. Il do wish those rein
forcements would come up" After
awhile the columns of the advancing
cavalry are seen tossing on the ridge
OF the hill. and then the flash Of swords,
and then the long lines of mounted
troops, their horses in full gallop, and
the general says, ''All is well. Hold
out, my men, little longer. Let the
sergeants ride along the lines and cheer
the men and tell them reinforcements
are coming" And now the rumbling OF
the batteries and gun-carriages is dis
tinctly heard, and soon they are in
line, and at the first roar of the newly
arrived artillery the enemy, little
while before so jubilant, fall back in
wild retreat. their way strewn with
canteens and knapsacks and ammuni-
ton, that the defeated may be unhind-
cred in their flight. That is just the
way now. In this great battle against
sin and crime and moral death the enc
my seem too much for us. More grog
shops than churches. More bad men
than good men, and they come up with
bravado and the force of great num-
bers. They have opened battle upon
US before We are, in our own strength,
ready to meet them, and great are the
discouragements. But steady, there!
Hold on! Reinforcements are coming.
Through the glass OF inspiration
look. and see the flash of the sword Of
him who hath on his yesture and on
his thigh a name written King of
kings and Lord of lords" All heaven
is on our side and is coming to the
rescue. | hear the rumbling of the
Kings artillery, louder than any thun-
der that ever shook the earth, and with
every roll Of the ponderous wheels our
courage augments, and when. these re-
Inducements from heaven get into
line with the forces of God already on
earth, all the armies of unrighteous-
ness will see that their hour of doom
has come, and will waver and fall back
and take fight and nothing be left of
them save here and there, strewn by
the wayside, an agnostic's pen or
broken decanter or a torn playful of
a debasing amusement or q blasphem-
Gus paragraph, or a leper's scale, or
dragons tooth, to show they ever ex-
listed. Let there be cheering all along
the lines Of Christian workers, over
the fact that what the shoveis fail to
do will be accomplished by the thun-
der-bolts who art thou, o great
mountain? before Zerubbabel thou
shalt become a plain"
The mountains look on Marathon,
And Marathon looks on the sea,
Shrine of the mighty can it be
That this is all remains OF thee!