Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1900-02-09
NUMBER s.
tude that calls forth no reply: "How

A third reading OF my text reminds
me that life is not only story tod. bnr
q story listened 10. There is nothing
more veXutious TO anyone than 10 tell
n story when people are not attending.
They may whisper on some other sub
ject. or they are preoccupied. One
cannot tell story etfectually unless
there are good listeners. Well, that
which in my text is called the "talethat
is told" has plenty of listeners. There
is no such thing as solitude, no such
thing as being alone. God listens. and
the air is full OF spiritual inteIligenres
all listening, and the world listens 10
the story of our life. some hoping 10
will be successful, Others hoping II will
be IA failure,
We talk about public life and private
life, but thereois no private life. The
story of our life. however insignificant
it may seem to be, will win the applause
or hiss o. a great multitude that no
man can number. As "A tale that is
told" among admirers or antagonists,
celestial or pancenoniacs, the universe
is full of listening ears AS well as OF
cleaning eyes. If we say o. do The
right thing, that is known, suppose
the population of the inteligences In
the air is more numerous than the pop
ulation of intelligences on the earth.
Aye, all the world will yet listen 10
and be redeemed by tale that is tod"
We are all telling 1t, each in his own
way-some by voice. some by pen, some
by artists pencil, some by harp aud
some by song; mother telling II 10
child, teacher telling 1t TO Sabbath
class, reformer telling II to outcast,
preacher telling II 10 assemblnge. The
story of the Loveliest of Heaven coming
down 10 this SCARED and blasted island
of world. He was ordered back from
its shores and struck through with
lances of human hate as soon as he
landed. Shepherds dog baying on the
hills tina, Christmas night was better
treated than this rescuer of u race, yet
keeping right on, brambles on brow.
feet on spikes, tlugellated with whips
that had Jumps of lead fastened TO
them, through midnight without lao
terms, through storms without shell
ter. through years that got bIacker I'M
I'll they ended in MONDAY with the
sun blotted out. Mightiest tale ever
told, and keep on telling il until tho
last sorrow is assnaged and the last
animosiiy is quenched and the last des-
ert is white with the lily and golden
with the cowslip and blue with the
geniian and crimson with the rose.
My text, in referring 10 the years. re-
minds me that in ~ hours this year will
forever have gene away. Nnety-niDe
out of the hundred years of this century
will have disappeared. We have only
one year of the century left. There
ought 10 be something especially sug-
ges,ive in the last year of century.
II ought TO be year of unparalleled in
dnstries. of unheard of conservation.
Not n person in any OF our audiences
this day can remember the first year
of this century. Not person in any OF
our audiences to-day will ever again SEQ
the last year Of century.
Through medical science the worlds
longevity may be greatly improved in
the future. as II has been In the past,
but II would not he well for people to
live too long. Some OF them would,
through their skill at aequisitivepess,
gather TOO much. and some multi
millionaires would become billionaires
and trillionaires. and some one would
after awhile pocket hemisphere. No.
Death is useful in its financial limita-
lions. and then all have enough sorrows
and annoyances and sufferings by the
time they become nonagenarians or
centenarians TO make it desirable TO
quit. Besides that II would not be fair
so long TO keep so many gooG old peo-
pie out of Heaven. So II is well ar
ranged that those who stand by the
deathbed Of the nineteenth century
will not be called TO stand by The death
bed of the twentieth century.
Oh. crowd this last gear with prayers,
with hosnnnas. with kind words. with
helpfnlness. Make the peroration OF
the century the climax of Chrisilike
deeds. Close up the ranks Of God and
during this remaining ~ months
charge nightly against the host Of
| Abaddon. Have no reserve corps. Let
swiitest gospel cavalry gallop, and
heaviest moral artillery roll. and
mightiest evangelsiic batteries tbun-
der on the scene. Let ministers of The
Gospel quit all controversy with each
other and in solid pbalnnx march ont
for the worlds dfsinthrallment. Let
printing presses. secular and religious.
make combined movement 10 instruct
and emancipate the world. On all The
hills let there be Eliiah. praying for "a
great rain" and on every contested
field Joshuas 10 see that final victory II
gained before the sun goes down. and
every mountain become a transfigura-
ton and every Galilee o walking place
for the worlds disenthralIment. Let
MS be Jealous Of every month. Of every
week. Of every day that passes without
something slPnlncan' ana GLORIOUS
wrought for God and this sin cursed
world. Let our churches be thronged
with devout assemblnges. Let the
ohoras be more like grand marches
than requiems. Let This Ginning year
see the last wound Of l'ransvaal and
Philippine conflict, and The cart b quake
with the grounding arms Of the last
regiment ever 10 he marshaIed. and the
furnaces Of the foundries blaze will the
fires that shall turn the last swords into
powshares.
And may all those whose lives shall!
go ont in this last year Of century. al
many will. meet in the Heavenly world
those who in the morning and noonday
OF this 100 years to'led and suffered
for the worlds salvation. 10 tell then