Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-05-26

or the rag carpeted hall Of the farm
house, through which there came the
breath of new mown hay or the bios
som of buckwheat.
You may have in your windows now
beautiful plants and flowers brought
from across the seas, but not one of
them stirs in your soul so much charm
and memory as the old ivy and the yell
low sunfower that stood sentinel along
the garden walk and the forget-me-nots
playing hide and seek mid the long
grass. The father who used to come
in sunburned from the field and sit
| down on the doorsill and wipe the
sweat from his brow may have gone to
his everlasting rest. The mother who
used to sit at the door little bent over,
cap and spectacles on, her face mellow
ing with the vicissitudes of many years,
| may have put down her gray head on
the pillow in the valley, but forget that
home you never will. Have you thanked
God for it? Have you rehearsed all
these blessed "reminiscences? Oh, thank
God for Christian fatheri Thank God
for Christian mother! Thank God for
| an early Christian altar at which you
| were taught to kneel! Thank God for
an early Christian home!
I bring to mind another passage in
the history of your life. The day came
when you set up your own household.
The days passed along in quiet bless
edness. You twain sat at the table
| morning and night and talked over
your plans for the future. The most
insignificant affairs in your life became
the subject of mutual consultation and
advisement. You were so happy you
felt you never could be any happier.
One day dark cloud lowered over your
dwelling, and it got darker and darker,
| but out Of that cloud the shining mes
senger of God descended to incarnate
| an immortal spirit. Two little feet
started on an eternal journey, and you
| were to lead them, gem to flash in
Heavens coronet, and you to polish it.
Eternal ages of light and darkness
| watching the starting out of a newly
| created creature. You rejoiced and you
trembled at the responsibility that in
your possession an immortal treasure
was placed. You prayed and rejoiced
and wept and wondered. You were ear
| nest in your supplication that you
might lead it through life into the
kingdom of God. There was tremor
in your earnestness. There was
double interest about that home. There
was an additional interest why you
should stay there and be faithful, and
when in a few months your house was
filed with the music of your child's
laughter you were struck through with
the fact that you had stupendous mis-
sion.
Have you kept that VOW? Have you
neglected any of these duties? Is your
home as much to you as it used to be?
Have those anticipations been graf
flied? God help you in your solemn
"Reminiscences, and let His mercy fall
upon your soul, if your kindness has
been i'll requited. God have mercy on
the parent on the wrinkles of whose
face is written the story of child's
sin. God have mercy on the mother
who, in addition to her other pangs,
has the pang of child's iniquity. Oh,
there are many, many sad sounds in this
sad world, but the saddest sound that
is ever heard is the breaking of moth
er's hearth
1 find another point in your life his
tory. You found one day you were
in the wrong road; you could not sleep
at night; there was just one word that
seemed to sob through your banking
house or through your office or your
shop or your bedroom, and that word
was ETERNITY" You said: I'm not
ready for it. Oh, God have mercy!'' The
Lord heard. Peace came to your heart
In the breath of the hill and in the
waterfalls dash you heard the voice
of Gods love; the clouds and the trees
hailed you with gladness; you came
into the house of God. You remember
how your hand trembled as you took up
the cup of the communion. You remem-
Der the old minister who consecrated it,
and you remember the church officials
who carried it through the aisle; you
remember the old people who at the
close of the service took your hand in
theirs in congratulating sympathy, as
much as to say: "Welcome home, you
lost prodigal," and, though those hands
be all withered away, that communion
Sabbath is resurrected to-day. It is
resurrected with all it's prayers and
songs and tears and sermons and trans
figuration. Have you kept those vows?
Have you been a backslider? God help
you. This day kneel at the foot of
mercy and start again for Heaven.
Start now as you started then. / rouse
your soul by that "Reminiscences.
But I must not spend any more of
my time in going over the advantages
of your life just put them in one
great sheaf, and I call them up in your
memory with one loud harvest song,
such as the reapers sing. Praise the
Lord, ye blood bought immortals ON
earth! Praise the Lord. We crowned
spirits of Heaveni
But some of you have not always had
smooth life. Some of you are now in
the shadow. Others had their troubles
Years You Of