The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1900-02-22
trying all kinds Of medicament to pre-
serve his sight he had for IL years been
~ $n~r 81

trying all kinds Of medicament to pre-
serve his sight he had for IL years been
coming toward blindness, and after
awhile one eye was entirely gone. His
physician warned him that if he con-
tlnued reading and writing he would
lose the other eye. But he kept on
with his work and said after sitting
in total darkness: ''The choice lay be-
fore me between dereliction Of . SUI
preme duty and loss of eyesight. In
such case I could not listen to the
physician, not if Aesculapius himself
had spoken from his sanctuary. could
not but obey that inward monitor. /
know not what spoke to me from Heav-
en-" Who of us would have grace
enough to sacrifice our eyes at the call
of duty?
A surgeon, riding up one evening,
gave his horses into the care of the
blind groom. Late at night the trav-
cling surgeon went to the stables and
found the groom still at work upon
the horses, and the grateful and SYM
pathetic surgeon resolved in the morn
ing to reward the blind groom with
money. But in the night the surgeon
bethought himself that perhaps he
could give the groom something bet
ter than money. In the morning he
said to the blind groom: ''Step out
into the sunshine! You are 40 years of
age. could surely have cured your
blindness If ! had seen you sooner, but
come to Paris, and will give you sight
if you do not die under the operation"
Paying the poor mans way to Paris,
the operation was successful. For the
first time the man saw his wife and
children, and having taken a good look
at them he turned and said: "Let.me
look on my friend, the surgeon, who
has opened all this beautiful world to
me and shown me my loved ones"
Was not that glorious? Only those VINO
have been restored from utter blind
ness can appreciate the omnipotent
blessing of eyesight.
You often find in a book of manu-
script star calling your attention to
footnote or explanation. That star
the printer calls an asterisk. But all
the stars of the night heavens are as
terisks calling your attention to God,
an all-observing God. Our every nerve
Divine handwriting. Our every mus
Gle pulley Divinely swung.
A dramatic advocate in ol6ien times
at night in courtroom, persuaded of
the innocence of his client charged
with murder and Of the guilt of the
witness who was trying to swear the
poor mans life away-that advocate
took up two bright lamps and thrust
them close up to the face of the wit
ness and cried: May it please the
court and gentlemen of the jury, be-
hold the murderer" and the man
practically under that awful glare con-
fessed that he was the criminal instead
of the man arraigned at the bar. Oh,
| my friends, our most hidden sin is a
brighter light than that! It is under
the burning eye of God.
He is not blind giant stumbling
through the Heavens. He is not a
blind monarch feeling for the step OF
his chariot. Are you wronged? He
sees it. Are you poor? He sees it.
Have you domestic perturbation Of
which the world knows nothing? He
sees it. "Oh," you say, "my affairs are
SO Insignificant can't realize that God
sees me and sees my affairs!" Can
you see the point of pin? Can you
see the point of needle? Can you see
mote in the sunbeam? And has God
given you that power of minute obser.
vation and does He not possess i
Himself? He that formed the eye
shall He not see?'
But you say: God is in one world
and am in another world. He seems
so far of from me don't really thinl
He sees what is going on in my life.
Can you see the sun 95,000,000 miles
away, and do you not think God ha.
as prolonged vision? But you say:
"There are phases of my life and there
are colors, shades of color in my an
noyances and my vexations that
don't think God can understand
Does not God gather up all the color
| ana Ill GuC SiducS III COlOI III UuC INIH
bow? And do you suppose there i
any phase or any shade in your ifs
that He has not gathered up in Hi.
own heart?
Besides that, want to tell you i
will soon all be over, this struggle
That eye Of yours, so exquisitely fash
icned and strung and hinged an:
rooted will before long close in tn,
last slumber. Loving hands viii
smooth down the silken fringes. 3.
He giveth His beloved sleep.
A legend Of st. Frotobert is that hi
mother was blind and he was so sorel,
pitiful for the misfortune that on,
day in sympathy he kissed her eye
and by miracle she saw everything
But it is not a legend when tell 20,
that all th, blind eyes of the Chris
tian dead nlsssr the kiss Of the resur
rection morn ahall gloriously open
oh, what day that win be for thos
who went cropping through this worll
under perpetual obscuration or wer
1 \