Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-01-29


the foreflnger and the bone Of the little
finger with a crushing power that puts
one into severe suffering, which many
Of us have experienced from those who
nre more brutes than men. Take the
hand gently. reasonably. heartily. and
know thnt God ordered that form of
salutatlon. This is one important thing
TINT the hand was made for. You can
see the indication In Its shape and
equipment-the four fingers to take
your neighbor's hand on the one side,
and the thumb to take It on the other,
and the forearm so swung that you can
easily draw it toward you.
OF course there ls a wicked shaking
of hands. and Solomon refers to II
when he says, Though hand Join In
hand. the wicked shall not so unpun-
ished." Shake hands In conspiracy to
damage Individual or community or
nation; shake hands In wrongdoing-
you help me stun this ballot box, and
] will see that when | am in power
You shall have promotion you help
me In my infamy. and will help you
In your infamy. oh. that is profann-
tion OF n holy rite. that Is sacrilege
against divine arrangement, that is
gripping your own destruction!
Glad Greetings.
But shake hands the way William
Pitt shook hands with the Indians for
their civilization. Shake hands the
way Missionary Carey shook hands
with the Hindoos, for whose salvation
he became lifetime exile. Shake
hands the way Havelock shook hands
with besieged women at Lucknow
whom hc had come to save from mas
sacrc. Shake hands as David Brain
erd did with the American Indians.
whom' he offered glorious heaven
through the gospel. Shake hands as
Lincoln shook hands with the agitated
mother to whom he gave back the boy
who had fallen asleep from overfatigue
as n sentinel. Shake hands as during
the civil war Anna Ross shook hands
with the wounded soldier In Cooper
Shop hospital. Philadelphia Shake
hands as Van Meter, the city evangel-
list, shook hands with the walf of the
pthNN' tohiih6 DtbllCut lulO tut
night mission. Shake hands as heaven
shook hands with earth that night
when doxology In the gallery of
clouds woke the Bethlehem shep-
herds.
But II Is not always In such glad
greeting that We can employ our right
hand. Alas TINT so often we have to
nlnu TIM hand in fn l,,to
tion! II your right hand retained some
Impress Of all such uses. 1t would be a
volume of bereavements. Oh, the
goodbys In which your right hand has
participated. Goodby at the steam
boat wharf. Goodby at the rail train
window. Goodby before the opening
Of the battle. Goodby at the dying pill
low. We all needed grace for such
handshaking. though our hand was
strong and their hand was weak and
we will need grace for the coming
goodbys. and that grace we had better
seek while amid the felicitles OF health
and homes unbroken. Thank God
there will be no goodby In heaven!
Again. the hand 10 the chief execu-
tive Of the soul when employed in hen
ediction. No gesture Of the human
hand means more than that outstretch-
ed gesture. In many of our religious
demonstrations we are not permitted
to pronounce an apostolic benediction
until we have been regularly ordained
as ministers of the gospel but there
are kinds Of benediction that you may
all pronounce without especial permits
sion from presbytery or conference or
convention. You have right to spread
abroad both right hand and left hand
In bestOwing a blessing of kindness
and good will upon all you meet. With
both hands bless the children. Take
them u your arms and kiss their fair
cheek. Take with them round of
merrlment In the room before you
leave it. md BY PRAYER put them In
the arms os that Christ. to 60 to whom
In olden time they struggled to get out
of the arms Of their mothers. God
bless the cradles aud high chairs and
nurseries all round the world.
Extend your hands In benediction for
the aged. Take their counsel and ask
their prayers and smooth the path
down the declivities. by neglect and
unflial demeanor add no wrinkles to
their brow, no more stoop to their
shoulders, They have their hand on
the latch of the door through which
they will soon go out Of sight Of your
homes and churches, May the mantles
OF the Elliahs fall upon the Elishas!
Spread your hand for the bencdicrlon
upon all the men and women in the
tug Of life. many of them tired md
buffeted aud disheartened. Never 60
out of store or shop or Office or field
without pronouncinG benedictioE.
And what better use can make Of
my hands. which arc the chief eS-cu-
tive officer OF my soul. ttan now to
spread them abroad In the apostolic
bcnedctiop which has been pronounced
for centuries and over hnn,.rcds OF
thousands CT nssemblages. at corona.
tions and obseauies. at harvest homes
and on fast days, by all the ministers
OF the gospel In the past no II will be
by all the ministers OF the gospel Until
the church militant reaches up its right
hand to take the right hand OF
the church trlumphant-a benedlction
which. when II has full sway, will
leave nothing for our>world to want or
heaven to bestow: MAY the grace OF
our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love Of
God. and the communion Of the Holy
Ghost he with Won n foreyer Amar -