The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-02-01


over, II was his right hand, the most Inn
portant OF the two, for the left side In all
its parts Is weaker than the right side, and
we involuntarlly In any exlgency put out
the right hand because we know II is tho
best hand. so that poor man had lost
more than half OF his physical armament.
1t would not havo been so bad IL It had
been tho left hand. But Christ looked at
that shriveled up right hand dangling
uselessly at the mans side and then cried
out with voice that had omnipotence in
II, "Strotch forth thy hand" and the
record Is. "He stretched It forth whole as
the other" The blood rushed through the
shrunken veins, and the shortened
muscles lengthened, and the dead nerves
thrilled, and tho lfeless fingers tlngled
with resumed circulation, and the restored
man held up in the presence OF the skep-
pieces, perfect hand. No wonder that
story Is put three times In the Bible so
that II sailor were cast away on a barren
island or soldiers New Testament got
mutilated In battle and whole pages are
destroyed the shipwrecked or wounded
man in hospital would probably have at
least one OF those three radiant stories OF
what Christ thought OF the human hand.
How often has the hand decided n des-
tinyl Mary, Queen OF Scots, was escaping
from imprisonment nt Lochlever in the
dress OF a laundress and had her face
thickly velled. When boatman attempted
to remove the veil, she put up her hand to
defend II and so revealed the white and
fair hand OF queen, and so tho boatmRn
took her back to captivity. Again and
again II has been demonstrated that the
hand hath n language as certainly as tho
mouth. Palmlstry, or tho science by which
character aud destiny are read In tho
lines of tho hand, IA yet crude and uncer.
tain and unsatisfactory, but as astrology
was the mother OF astronomy and alchemy
was tho mother OF chemistry 1t may be
that palmistry will result In Il science yet
20 b0 born.
Again, as tho chief executive officer OF
the soul, behold tho hand busy In the artist
What u comparatively dull place this
world would bo without pictures, without
stntuary, without music without archtec-
turel Have you ever realized what fifty
seeming miracles are In the i've minutes
lingering OF piano or harp or flute? Who
but tho eternal God could make n hand
capable OF that swift sweep OF the keys or
that quick feeling OF the pulses OF n flute
or tho twirl OF the fingers amid the strings
OF the harp? All the composers OF music
who dreamed out the oratorios and the
cantatas OF the ages would have had their
work dropped llat and useless but for the
trnnslatlons OF the hand. Under tho dstt
fingers OF tho performer what cavalries
gnllop and what batteries boom and what
birds carol aud what tempests march and
what oceans blllowl The great architects
OF the earth might have thought out the
Ahambras and the Parthenons and tho
st. Sophias and tho Tai Mnhals, but all
those visions would nave vanished had It
not been for tho hand on hammer on
plum,net, on trowel, on wall, on arch, on
pillar, on stairs. on dome.
In two discOurses, ono concerning the
ear and the other concerning tho oye, 1
spoke from the potent text In the Psalms,
"He that planted tho ear, shalt He not
hear?" and "He that formed the eye, shall
He not see?" but what use In the eye and
what use In the ear IL the hand had not
been strung with all its nerves aud moved
with all Its muscles and reticulated with
all its joints and strengthened With all its
bones and contrlved with all its lngenui-
tiesi The hand hath forwarded all tue arts
and tunneled the mountains through
which tho rail train thunders aud launched
all the shipping and fought all the battles
and built all the temples and swung all tho
cables under tho sea as well as lifted to
midair the wire trucks on which whole
trains OF thought rush across the con-
tInents and built all the cities and holsted
the pyramids.
Do not euloglze the eye and ear at the
expense OF the hand. for the eye may be
blotted out, MS In tue case OF Milton, and
yet his hand writes n "Paradlse Lost" or
''Samson Agonistes;" as in the case OF VIII
lam ii. Prescott, and yet his hand may
write the enchanting Conquest OF Peru"
Or the ear may be sileuced forever, as in
the case OF Beethoven. and yet his hand
may put into immortal cadences the ''Nlnth
Symphony" Oh, the handl The God
fashioned handl The triumphant handl l.
Is an open Bible OF Divine revelation, and
the Ave fingers are the Isaiah and the Eze-
kiel and tho David and tho Micah and the
Paul OF that almighty Inspiration.
pastor In his sermon told how little
iaf faH hn - III har
when he was told that on the morrow 1t
must be nmputated In order to save his
life. Hearing that, he went to quiet
place and prayed tina. God would spare
his hand. The surgeon, coming tho next
day to do his work, found the hand so
much better that amputation was post
poned, and the hand got we'll. The pastor,
telling OF this In sermon, concluded by
holding up his hand and saying, THAT Is
the very hand that was spared In an
swer to prayer, and hold 1t up, monu-
ment OF Divine mercy"
Again, the hand In the chief executive Of
ilcer OF the soul when wrung In agony.
Tears OF relief are sometimes denied to
trouble. Tho eyellds at such time are as
hot and pnrched aud burning as the brow,
At such time even the voice Is suppressed.
and there is no sob or outcry. Then the
wringlng OF the hand tells tho story. At
the close OF II ife wasted In sin sometimes
comes that expression OF tho twisted
nngers-the memory OF years that will
never return, OF opportunities the like OF
which will nevor again occur, and con-
science IN its wrath pounclng upon the
soul, and all the past u horror, only to be
surpassed by the approaching horror. SO
man wrings his hands over the casket OF u
dead wifo whom he has cruelty treated.
SO man wrings his hands a. the fate of
sons aud daughters whose prospects have
beeu ruined by his inebriety aud neglect and
depravity. So tho sinner wrings his
hands when, after q life full OF offers OF
pardon and pence and heaven he dies
without hope. When there are sorrows too
poignant for lamentation on tho lip aud
too hot for the tear glands to write In lot
ters OF crystal on the cheek, the hand re-
elites tue tragedy with more emphasis than
anything In Macbeth" and "Klng Lear"
But 1t Is not always In such glad greeting
that we Gun employ our right hand. Alas
thnt so often we have to employ tho hand
in farewell salutatlonl II your right hand
retained some Impress OF all such uses, 1t
would be Il volume OF bereavements. Oh,
the goodbys Ia which your right hand has
participated Goodby at the steamboat
wharf. Goodby ut tue rail train window.
Goodby before the opening OF the battle.
Goodby NJ the dying pillow. We all needed
grace for such handshaklngs, though our
hand was strong and thelr hand was wenk
aud we Will need grace for the coming
Roodbys, and that grace we had better seek
while amid tho felclties OF health and
homes unbroken, Thank God there will
be no goodby In heavenI