Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-05-10

Then a new time.

V.
Then a new time.
Before US there were three courses
possible-to 90 mad, to die, to sleep.
We take the last course, or nature
takes it for US.
All things take rest in sleep. The
beasts, birds, the very flowers, close
their eyes, and the streams are still in
winter. All things take rest Then
why not the human reason also7 SO
the questioning devil in US drops
asleep. and In that sleep beautiful
dream rises for US. Though you hear
all the dreams Of men, you Will hardly
find prettier one than ours. 1t ran 50:
In the center of all things is a
Mighty Heart, which, having begotten
all things, loves them, and, having
born them into life, beats with great
throbs Of love toward them. No death
for his dear insects, no hell for his dear
men, no burning up for his dear world,
his own. own world that he has made.
In the end all will be beautiful Do
not ask us how we make our dream
tally with facts. The glory OF a dream
Is this-that II despises facts and
makes its own. Our dream saves us
from going mad That is enough.
Its peculiar point Of sweetness lay
here. When the Mighty Hearts yearn-
ing Of love became too great for other
expression It shaped itself into the
sweet Rose Of heaven, the beloved Man
god.
Jesus. you Jesus Of our dream, how
we loved you. No Bible tells OF you as
we knew you. Your sweet hands held
ours fast Your sweet voice said al
ways Il am here. my loved one, not
far Off. Put your arms about me and
hold fast
We find him In everything In those
days. When the little weary lamb we
drive home dIags its feet. wc seize on
It and carry It with its head against
our face Ills little lamb! We feel we
have got him.
When the drunken KaGir lies by the
road IN tie sun. we draw his blanket
over his head and put green branches
Of mill. bush on IT, His Kallr why
should the Sun hurt him?
In the evening. when the clouds lift
themselves Ike gates and the red
lights shine through them. we cry; for
In such glory he VIII come. and the
hands that ache to touch him will hold
him. and We shall see the beautiful
hair and eyes Of our God. Lift up
your heads. ye gates. and be Sc lifted
up. ye everlasting doors. and our King
Of glory shall come In"
The purple flowers. the little purple
flowers. are his eyes looking NJ ~. We
kiss them aud knccl alone on the fat.
rejoicing over them. And the wilder
ness and tlic solitary place shall be
glad for him, and the desert shall re
joice and blossom as n rose.
If ever In our fearful. joyful ecstasy
the poor sleepy. half dead devil should
raise bis Lcad. Aye laugh at him II IL
not his hour now
"If there should be bell. after all"
he muttcrs. ''If your God should be
cruel, If there should be no God! If
you should find out II IL all lnagina-
ton, If''-
We laugh at him. When man sits
N the warm sunshine, do you ask him
for proof OF ltf He feels; that Is aIl.
And wc feel that Is all. We want no
proof OF our God. We feel, we feell
We do not believe In our God because
the Bible tells W Of him. We believe
In the Bible because he tells Us Of IT.
We feel him, we feel him, we feel; that
" all And the poor half swampcd
devil muttcra:
Put II the day should come when
you do not feelf'
And we laugh and cry him down.
at VIII never come ncyerw And
the poor devil alinks to sleep again
with his tail between his legs. Fierce
assertion many times repeated ls hard
to stand against only time separates
the truth from the lie. SO we dream
on.
one day we 20 with or father to
town, 10 church. The r. wnspcople rus
tie IN thcii silks and ttit men In their
sleek cloth aud settle Themselves I'm
their pews, aud the light shines In
through the windows on the artificial
flowers In the women's bOnncts. We
have the same miserable feeling that
we have In n shop where nll the clerks
are very smart. We wish our father
hadn't brought us 10 town and we
were out on the "karroo." Then the
man In the pulpit begins 10 preach.
His text is. "lIe that bellcveth not
shall be damned"
The day before the magistrates
clerk who was nn atheist, has died IN
the street. struck by lightning.
The man In the pulpit mentions no
name, but he talks of "thc hnnd OF
God made visible among u.s." lie tells
us how, when the white stroke fell,
quiycrng ana naked, the soul fled, rob
bed Of his earthly flamcnt, and lay nj
the footstool Of God; how over It's head
has been poured out the wrath Of the
Mighty One whose existence II has
denied, and, qulyerlng and terrified,
II has fled 10 the everlasting shade.
We. ms we listen, half start up. Ey-
cry drop Of blood In our body had rush.
ed 10 our head. He lies. he Eca. hc
Hest That man IN the pulpit Hest WIN
no one stop himl Have none Of them
heard, do none Of them know. that
when the poor dark soul shut itB eyes
on earth II opened them In the Btill
light of heaven, that there II no wrath
where Gods face ~; That If one could
once creep 20 the fOotatoOl Of God there
n everlasting peace there, Ike the
fresh stiffness Of the early morningi
While the atheist lay wondering and
afraid God bent down and said. my
child. here I AMI, whom you have
not known; !, whom you have not be,
licvcd in. ! am here. / sent my mes,
Bengcr. the white sheet lightning, 10
call you home am here"
Then the poor soul turned TO the light.
It's weakness and pain were gone for.
ever
Have they not known, have they not
heard. who IL rs rulcsi
For n little moment have / hidden
my face from thee. but with cycrlast-
Ing kindness win | have mercy upon
thee, saith the Lord thy Hcdcrmcr"
We muitcr on 10 ourselves iii some
one pulls ua violently by the arm 10 re-
mind ua we are In church We gee
nothing but our own Ideas.
Presently every one turns 10 pray.
There nrc 600 souls llftlug Themselves
10 the Everlasting Light.
Behind us VT two pretty ladies. one
hands bcr scent bottle softly to the
other. nnd n mother pulls down her
lttlc girl'a frock. enc Indy drops her
handkerchief \ gentleman picks II up.
lft.. t,Ip.ft.4 III. t.rt,t.Y Ia, fI,,. ,tt.tt.