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

Then q 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 also? So
the questioning devil in US drops
asleep, and in that sleep q beautiful
dream rises for us. Though you hear
all the dreams of men, you will hardly
find prettier one than ours. 1t ran So:
In the center of all things is n
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 dream
IS this-that It 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 1t shaped itself into the
sweet Rose of heaven, the beloved Man
god
Jesus. you Jesus Of our dream, how
n
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 dra q its feet. we seize on
it and carry it with its head against
our face. His little lamb! We feel we
have got him.
When the drunken Kafir lies by the
road in the sun, we draw his blanket
over his head and put green branches
of milk bush on it. His Kalfir why
should the sun hurt him?
In the evening when the clouds lift
themselves like 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, We gates, and be ye lifted
up. ye everlasting doors, and our King
Of glory shall come in"'
ba ,,,,,.,,Jo unvv.re Ifft1u t,rtt.f,Io
flowers. are his eyes. looking at us. We
kiss them and kneel alone on the fiat,
rejoicing over them. And the wilder
ness and the solitary place shall be
glad for him. and the desert shall re
joice and blossom as rose.
If ever In our fearful, Joyful ecstasy
the poor sleepy, half dead devil should
raise his lead. ave laugh at him. II IS
not his hour now.
'If there should be hell, after allr'
he mutters. IF your God should be
cruel! If there should be no God If
you should find out it is all lmagina-
ton. r.
We laugh at him. When a man sits
Ia the warm sunshine, do you ask him
for proof Of It? He feels; that is all.
And we 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 us Of him. We believe
In the Bible because he tells us of IT,
We feel him, we feel him, we feel; that
Is all. And the poor half swampcd
devil mutters:
Put If the day should come when
you do not feel22-
And we laugh and cry him down.
at viii never come-neverw And
the poor devil sinks TO sleep again
with his tail between his legs. Fierce
assertion many times repeated is hard
to stand against Only time separates
the truth from the lie. SO we dream
Oh.
One day we go with or father to
town, TO church. The t. wnspeople rus
tie In thcli silks and tie men in their
sleek cloth and settle themselves in
their pews, and the light shines in
through the windows on the artificial
flowers in the women's bonnets. We
have the same miserable feeling that
we have In a shop where all the clerks
are very smart. We wish our father
hadn't brought US to town and we
were. out on the "karroo." Then the
man in the pulpit begins to preach.
His text IS, Gle that beleveth not
shall be damned"
The day before the magistrates
clerk, who was an atheist, has died In
the street, struck by lightning.
The man In the pulpit mentions no
name, but he talks Of "the hand OF
God made visible among us" He tells
us how, when the white stroke fell, |
quiyering and naked, the soul fled, rob |
bed of his earthly filamcnt, and lay Mt ;
the footstOol Of God; how over It's head |
has been poured out the wrath Of the |
Mighty One, whose existence It has |
denied, and, qulverlng and terrified,
II has fled TO the everlasting shade.
We, as we listen, half start up. Ev-
cry drop Of blood in our bo<Iy has rush
ed to our head. He lies, he Ees, ho |
lies! That man in the pulpit lies! VIII |
no one stop him? Have none of them |
heard, do none Of them know, that |
when the poor dark soul shut It's eyes |
on earth II opened them IN the still !
light of heaven; that there Is no wrath |
where Gods face Is; that If one could |
once creep 20 the footstool OF God there |
Is everlasting peace there, Ike the
fresh stiffness OF the early morning? |
While the atheist lay wondering and
afraid God bent down and said: "My |
child, here I am, whom you have
not known; /, whom you have not be-
licved In. | am here. | sent my mes.
senger, the white sheet lightning, TO
call you home. Lam 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 It Is rules?
"For n little moment have / hidden
my face from thee but with cvcrlast-
ing kindness VIII | have mercy upon
thee, saith the Lord thy Rcdccmcr."
We muttcr on TO ourselves till some
one pulls us violently by the arm to re
mind ms we are I'm church We gee
nothing but our own ideas.
Presently every one turns TO pray.
There are 600 souls lifting themselves
To the Everlasting Light.
Behind us sit two pretty ladies. One
hands her scent bottle softly 10 the
other, and mother pulls down her