The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1900-01-26

HtH as WtTt IN your congresses anu
parliaments and reichstags pointed out
az exceptions Of craftsmanship and
patriotism and public spiritedness and
eloquence and moral power would not
be pointed out now, for all our public
men are thus characterized. Politics
has been swept, garnished, glorifed,
ennobled. until nothing more is TO be
desired. Walk through all aldermanic
councils and sherifialities and guber-
Material rooms and presidential man
sions and find the truth of what /, the
spirit of the twenty-frst century, tell
you, who were of the nineteenth cen
tury and now come down on terrestrial
visitation"
But we cannot stay long here, for
il Is almost time for us 10 retrace our
way heavenward. This voluntary exile
must soon end. And, passing out, we
go through a national museum. where
we are shown among the curiosities an
enfield rifle, a howitzer, a hotchlliss
shell. an ambulance-curiosities Of that
age. but, alas! no curiosity 10 us Of the
nineteenth century, for some Of our
own kindred went down under their
stroke or were carried off the field by
those wheels.
But" say TO our escort, the spirit
Of the twenty first century, and you and
| say to each other, I'VE must go home
now, back again TO Heaven. We have
staid long enough on this terrestrial
visitation to see that all the best things
foretold in the Scriptures and which
we read during orr earthly residence
have come TO pass. and all the Davidic,
Solomonic and Paulinian and Johan-
mean prophecies have been fulfilled. and
that the earth, instead of being ghast-
ly failure. is the mightiest success in
the universe. A star redeemed. A
planet rescued A world saved It
started with a garden, and II is going to
close with garden. What a happiness
that we could have seen this old world
after It was righted and before II
burned, for its interpal fires have near
" burned out to the crust, according
to the geologist, making it easy for the
theologian TO believe in the confagra-
tion that the Bible predicts. One ele-
ment taken from the water and that
viii burn, and another element taken
from the air and that will burn, and
surrounding planets will watch this old
ship Of world on fire and wonder If all
It's passengers got safely off. Before
that planetary catastrophe. HE us back
10 Heaven. Farewell, spirit of the
twenty-frst century, Thanks for your
guidance! We can stay no longer
away from doxologies that never end,
in temples never closed. in a day that
has no sundown. We must report to the
immortals around the throne the
transformations we have seen, the vic
tories of truth on land and sea. the
hemispheres irradiated, and Christ on
the throne of earth, as He Is on the
throne Of Heaven"
And now you and have left our es-
cort as we ascend, for the law Of gray-
itation has no power to detain ascend
ing spirits. Up through immensities
and by stellar and lunar and solar
splendors, which cannot be described
by mortal tongue. we rise righer and
higher, till we reach the shining gate
as il opens for our return, and the
questions greet us from all sides;
what is the news? What did you find
in that earthly tower2 What have you
to report in this city of the sunY
Prophetic, apostolic, sanity inquiry.
And, standing on the steps Of the
house Of many mansions, we cry aloud |
the news: Hear it, all ye glorifed
Christian workers of all the past cen
turiesl We found your work was sue
cessful, whether on earth you toiled |
with knitting needle, or rung a trowel
on rising wall, or smote shoe last,
or endowed a university, or swayed a
scepter; whether on earth you gave
cup Of cold water In the name of
disciple, or at some Pentecost preached |
5000 souls into the kingdom.
"ln that world we have just visited |
the deserts are all abloom, and the will |
dcrnesses are bright with fountains.
Sin is extirpated. Crime is reformed. |
Disease is cured. The race is emanci- |
pated. The earth is full of the knowl- |
edge of God, as the waters cover the
sea- The redeemed of the Lord have
come to Zion with songs and eyerlast-
ing joy upon their heads The Lord |
God Omnipotent reigneth, and the
kingdoms of the world have become /
the kingdoms Of our Lord Jesus /
Christ Let the harpers of Heaven /
strike the glad tidings from thestrings
of their harps, and the trumpeters /
put them IN the mouth of their trum- (
pets. and the orchestra roll them into
the grand march Of the eternities, aud |
all the cathedral towers Of the great /
capital of the universe chime them all
over Heaven"
And now l look up and see the cast
ing down at the bejeweled and radiant |
crowns at the sacred feet Of the en- /
throned Jesus. Missionary Carey is
casting down before those feet the |
crown Of India saved. Missionary Jud- /
son is casting down the crown Of Bur
ma saved Missionary Abeel casting /
down the crown Of China saved. David /
Livingston casting down at those feet /
the crown of Africa saved. Mission |
ary Brainerd casting down the crown |
Of this country's aborlgnes saved.
Souls that went up from all the de-
in America In holy riv- /
1 L I. L I 81