Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-11-30

stone? will tell you, my friends"
said Bonaparte condescendingly. "rhe
Imagination unaided cannot conceive 1t.
but by the help of the Lord l will put
1t before your minds eye.
II was travelling in Italy once on a
time. came to city called Rome. a
vast city, and near it is mountain
which spits forth fire. Its name is
Etna. Now, there was man in that
city of Rome who had not the fear OF
God before his eyes. and he loved a
woman. The woman died, and he
walked up that mountain splitting fire,
and when he got to the top he threw
himself in at the hole that is there
The next day went up. was not
afraid. The Lord preserves his serv-
ants. And in their hands shall they
bear thee up, lest ut any time thou
fall into a volcano. 1t was dark
night when got there, but in the fear
OF the Lord l walked to the edge OF
the yawning abyss and looked in. That
sight-that sight, my friends, is i'm
pressed upon my most indelIble mem.
DRY. looked down into, the lurid
depths upon an incandescent lake. n
melted fire. seething sea. The bill
lows rolled from side to side, and on
their fiery crests tossed the white skel-
eton of the suicide. The heat had
burned the flesh from off the bones.
they lay as a light cork upon the melt
ed fiery waves. One skeleton hand
was raised upward, the finger pointing
to heaven; the other, with outstretch-
ed finger, pointing downward, as
though it would say. I go below. but
you, Bonaparte, may soar above L
gazed; l stood entranced. At that in
slant there was crack in the lurid
lake. 1t swelled, expanded, and the
skeleton Of the suicide disappeared, to
be seen no more by mortal eye"
Here again Bonaparte rested and
then continued:
"The lake Of melted stone rose in the
crater. 1t swelled higher and higher ut
the side; it streamed forth ut the top.
l had presence of mind. Near me was
rock. l stood upon it. The fiery tor.
rent was yomited out and streamed on
either side Of me. And through that
long and terrible night stood there
alone upon that rock, the glowing fiery
lava on every hand, monument of the
long suffering and tender providence of
the Lord, who spared me that might
this day testify in your ears of him.
Now, my dear friends, let us deduce
the lessons that are to be learned from
this narrative.
Firstly, let us never commit suicide.
That man is fool, my friends, that
man Is insane, my friends, who would
leave this earth, my friends. Here are
joys innumeraDie, such as 1t hath not
entered into the heart of man to uu-
derstand, my friends. Here are clothes,
my friends; here are beds, my friends;
mere is delicious food. my friends. Our
precious bodies were given us to love.
to cherish. Oh, let us do so! Oh. let
us never hurt them. but care for and
love them, my friends"
Every one was impressed, and Bona
parte proceeded:
Thirdly, let us not love too much.
II that young man had not loved that
young woman, he would not have
Jumped into Mount Etna. The good
men of old never did SO. Was Jere-
mlah ever In love, or Ezekiel, or Hosea.
or even any of the minor prophets? No.
Then why should we be? Thousands
are rolling in that lake at, this mo.
ment who would say, 1T was love that
brought us here Oh. let us think al
ways OF our own souls first.
"a charge to keep have,
God to glorify,
never dying soul to save
And at it for the sky.
"Oh, beloved friends, remember the
little boy and the 'meiboss;;' remember
the young girl and the young man; re-
member the lake, the fire and the
birthstone; remember the suicides
skeleton on the pitchy pillows of Mount
Etna; remember the voice OF warning
that has this day sounded in your ears.
ana what say to you say to all
watch. May the Lord add his bless
ing"
Here the Bible closed with a ire.
.iiio,iuouS lEuu. liant Sannie lOOSened
the white handkerchief about her neck
and wiped her eyes. and the colored
girl, seeing her do so, snified. They did
not understand the discourse. which
made 1t the more affecting. There
hung over it that inscrutable charm
which hoyers forever for the human
intellect over the 1ncomprehensible
and shadowy. When the last hymn
was sung. the German conducted the
ofhciator to Tant' Sannie. who cra-
clously extended her hand and offered
coHee and seat on the sofa. Leav-
ing him there, the German hurried
away to see how the little plum pud-
ding he had left at home was advanc-
ing, and Tant' Sannie remarked that
1t was hot day. Bonaparte gathered
her meaning as she famed herself
with the end Of her apron. He bowed
low in acqniescence. A long silence
Followed. Tant' Sannie spoke again.
Bonaparte gave her no eur. His eve
was fixed on a small miniature on the
opposite wall, which represented Tant'
Sannie as she had appeared on the
day before her continuation tx ro,,,