Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-06-19
you.

L reaQ or man VINO naQ Deen exc
cuted for murder, and the jailor found
afterward a picture made on the wall
of the cell by the assassin's own hand,
picture OF a fight of stairs. On the
lowest step he had written: Dis
obedience to PARENTS" on the second,
Sabbath breaking::" ON the third,
drunkenness an. gambling" on the
fourth, murder" and on the fifth and
top step. "a galIows" If that man had
made that picture before he took the
first step, he never would have taken
any of themi oh, man, make another
picture. a bright picture, an evangelic-
al picture and | will help you make it,
suggest six steps for this fight of
stairs. On the first step write the
words, "a nature changed by the Holy
Ghost and washed in the blood of the
lamb" on the second step, Industry
and good companionship;" on the third
step, "a Christian home with family
altar" on the fourth step, Ever wild
ening usefulness" on the fifth step, "a
glorious departure from this world"
on the sixth step. Heaven. heaven,
heavenw Write it three times, and let
the letters of the one word be made
up of banners, the second of coronets
and the third of thrones! Promise me
that you will Go that. and l will prom
Use to meet you on the sixth step, if the
Lord will, through his pardoning
grace, bring me there too.
I - .,-.1
of cheer to people who have never had
word of consolation on that subject.
There are men and women in this
world by hundreds of thousands who
have a fine natural taste and yet all
their lives that taste has been sup
pressed, and although they could ap-
preciate the galleries of Dresden and
Vienna and Naples far more than 500
people out of 1000 who visit them,
they may never go for they must sup
port their households, and bread and
schooling for their children are Of
more Importance than pictures.
Though fond of music they are COM
PEELED to live amid discord; and though
fond of architecture they dwell in
clumsy abodes, and though ghappreciative
of all that engravings and paintings
can do they are in perpetual depriva-
ton You are going, after you get on
the sixth step OF that stairs just spok-
en- of. to find yourselves in the royal
gallery of the universe, the concenter-
ed splendors of all worlds before your
transported vision. In some way all
the thrilling scenes through which
we and the church of God have passed
in our earthly state will be pictured
or brought to mind.
At a cyclorama of Gettysburg a
blind man who lost his sight in battle
was with his child heard talking while
standing before that picture. The
blind man said to the daughter, Are
there at the right Of the picture some
regiments marching up hill?'' Yes, 3"
she said We'll" said the blind man,
lis there a general on horseback lead
ing them on?" Yes" she said. We'll,
is there rushing down on these men a
cavalry charger" "Yes." was the re-
ply. And do there seem to be many
dying and dead?" Yes" was the an
swer We'll, now. do you see a shell
from the woods bursting near the
wheel of a cannon?" Yes she said.
"Stop right therer' said the blind man.
'rhat is the last thing ever saw on
earth! What a time it was, Jenny,
when l lost my eyesightE' But when
YOU, who have found life hard battle,
very Gettysburg, shall stand in the
royal gallery OF heaven, and with your
new vision begin to see and under
stand that which in your earthly blind
ness you could not see at all, you will
point out to your celestial comrades,
perhaps to your own dear children
who have gone before. the scenes OF
the earthly conflicts in which you par
ticipated. saying: There from that hill
of prosperity | was driven back; in
that valley of humiliation was
wounded. There | lost my eyesight
That was the way the wo.ld looked
when last saw it." But what grand
thing to get celestial vision and stand
here before the cyclorama of all worlds
willie the rider on the white horse goes
on "conquering and to conquer" the
moon under his feet and the stars of
heaven for his tiara!