The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-08-11

trndging along with a broken heart
Who is she? 1t is Vashti the sacrifice.
Oh, what a change it was from regal
position to a way farer's crust. A little
while ago approved and sought for.
Now. none so poor as to acknowledge
her acquaintanceship. Vashti the sac
rifice.
All, you and l haze seen it many
time! Here is a home empalaced with
beauty. All that refinement and books
and wealth can do for that home has
been done; but Ahasuerus the hus-
band and father. is taking hold on
paths of sin. He is gradually going
down. After awhile he will founder
and struggle like a wild beast in a
hunters net-farther away from God,
farther away from the right Soon
the bright apparel of the children will
turn to rags: soon the hous hold song
will become the sobbing of a broken
heart. The old story over again.
Brutal centaurs breaking up the mar.
riage feast Of Lapithe. The house full
OF outrage and cruelty and abomina-
ton, while trudging forth from the
palace gate are Nashti and her chill.
dren. There are homes in all parts of
this land that are in danger of such
breaking up. Oh, Ahasuerus, thai
you should stand in home by a dissi.
pated life destroying the peace and
comfort of that home! God forbid
that your children should ever have
to wiring their hands and have people
point their finger at them as they pass
down the street and say. there goes
drunkaru's child!' God forbid that
the LITTLE feet should ever have to
trudge the path of poverty and wretch
edness. God forbid that any evil spirit
glass should come forth and uproot
that garden, and with lasting, blister
ing, all consuming curse shut forever
the palace gate against Vashti and the
children.
One night during our civil war l
went to Ha-crstown to look at the
army and l stood on hilltop and
looked down upon them. l saw the
campticcs all through the valleys and
over til, hills 1t was weird spec
tacle, those cam fires, and stood and
watched them, and the soldiers who
were gathered around them were no
doubt talking of their homes and of
the long march they had taken and of
the battles they were to fight. but
after awhile | saw these camptires be.
gin to lower, and they continued to
lower until they were all gone out,
and the army slept. 1t was imposing
w y,ffr
imposing in the darkness when |
thought of that great host asleep. Well,
God looks down from Heaven and II,
sees the fresides of Christendom and
tte loved ones gathered around these
tiresides. These are the camp fires
where we warm ourselves at the close
of day and talk over the battles of life
we have fou rht and the battles that
are yet to come. God grant that when
at last these fires begin to 60 out and
continue to lower until finally they
are extinguished and the ashes of con-
sumed hopes strew the hearth of the
old homestead it may be because we
have
Gone to sleep that sleep
From which none ever wake to weep.
Now we are an army on the march OF
life. Then we Shall be an army
| bivouacked in the tent of the grave.
Once mere. l want you to look at
Nashti. the silent. You do not hear
any outcry from this woman as she
goes forth from the palrce gate. From
the very dignity of her nature you
know there will be no vociferation.
! Sometimes in life it is necessary to
make resist; but there are crisis
| when the most trium phant thing to
do is to keep silenc' The philoso-
| pher, confident in his newly discover
ed principle. waiting for the coming
of more intelligent generations. will.
ing that men should laugh at the
| lightning rod and cotton gin and
steamboat and telegraph, waiting for
long years through the scoffinr of
philosophical schools in grand and
magnificent silence.
Calico, condemned by mathelnati-
clans and monks and cardinals. carica-
! tured everywhere, vet waiting and
watching with his telescope to see the
coming up of stellar ra-enforcements,
when the STAR in their courses would
fight for the Copernican system, then
sitting down in complete blindness
and deafness to wait for the coming
on of the generations who would
build his monument and tow at his
grave. The reformer, execratcd by
his contemporaries, fastened in a pill"
lory. the slow fires of public con tempt
burning under him, ground under
the cylinders of the printing press,
yet calmly waiting for the day when
purity OF soul and heroism of char
acter will get the sanction of earth
| and the plaudits of Heaven. Affiiction
enduring without any complaint the
sharpness OF the pang. and the VIC.
| lence of the storm. and the heft of the
chain, and the darkness of the night,
waiting until divine hand shall be
put forth to soothe the rang. and hush
the storm, and release the captive. 4
wife abused. Iersecuted and a perpct-
ual exile from every earthly comfort,
| waiting, waiting until the Lord shall
gather up his dear children in a Heav.