Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-01-29

gratulations. The main trunk line of
that handshake has branches of bless
ed telegraphy right down to both hearts
and up to both heads, and you both get
the message the same instant Take
for that glove puts the hide of kid
between the palm of your hand and the
palm Of his hand, and that animals
hide is a nonconductor of this gospel
electricity. Do not grip the bone of
the forefnger and the bone of the little
finger with crushing power that puts
one into q severe suffering, which many
of us have experienced from those who
are more brutes than men. Take the
hand gently, reasonably, heartily, and
know that God ordered that form Of
salutatiOn. This is one important thing
that the hand was made for. You can
see the indication in it's shape and
equfpment-the four fingers to take
your neighbours 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 is a wicked shaking
of hands, and Solomon refers to it
when he says, Though hand join in
hand, the wicked shall not go unpun-
ished." Shake hands in conspiracy to
damage individual or community or
nation; shake hands in wrongdoing-
you help me stuff this ballot box, and
I will see that when l am in power
you shall have promotions; you help
me in my infamy, and l will help you
in your infamy. Oh, that is profana-
ton Of holy rite, that is sacrilege
against a 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 a lifetime exile. Shake
hands the way Havelock shook hands
with besieged women at Lucknow
whom he had come to save from mas
sacre. Shake hands as David Brain
erd did with the American Indians,
whom he offered a glorious heaven
through the gospel. Shake hands as
Lincoln shook hands with the agitated
who had fallen asleep from overfatigue
as a 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 waif of the
street coming penitent into the mid
night mission. Shake hands as heaven
shook hands with earth that night
when a doxology in the gallery of
clouds woke the Bethlehem shep-
herds.
But it is not always in such glad
hand. Alas that so often we have to
employ the hand in farewell saluta-
ton! If your right hand retained some
impress Of all such uses, it would be a
volume of bereavements. Oh, the
goodbys in which your right hand has
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
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 felicities of health
and homes unbroken. Thank God
there will be no goodby in heaven!
Again, the hand is the chief execu-
tive Of the soul when employed in ben
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 in your arms and kiss their fair
cheek. Take with them a round Of
in the room before you
leave it, and by prayer put them in
the arms Of that Christ, to go to whom
In olden time they struggled to get out
Of the arms of their mothers. God
bless the cradles and high chairs and
ali 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
unfilial 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 nantes
Of the Elijahs fall upon the Elishas!
Spread your hand for the benediction
upon all the men and women in the