Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1901-10-18

night arrives. their eye keen, their brain
cool their arm strong. their foot feet to
Av or pursue. they are ready. Many OF
these poor creatures were brought up IN
that way. They were born in thieves
garrett Their childish tov was a pur'
glars dark Lantern. The first thing, tney
remember was their mother baIdag,ns
the brow of their father, struck oy inc
poi;ce club They h"gan by robbing 9oys
rockets. aud now they have come to diC:
The underground passage to the cellar Oh
the bank and are preparing to b.ast the
gold vanlt.
inst 50 long az there are neglected ch!,,,,
6ren OF the street. Just so long we VIII
have these des0eradoee. Some one. WISH,
inc to make a good Christian point and
TO quote a passage of Scripture. eXpectng;
to Get a Scrintural PASSAGE in answer. said
to one Of thoee poor lads. cast out ana
wretched. when your father and yo,n
mother f0rsake ycT, who, then. VIII take
YOU up?' And the boy said, 1.-The, per-
lice"
rejoice before God that never are
svmpathetic words uttered, never PRAYER
offered. never Christian almsqiving in
dulged in but it is blessed. There Is. a
pace in Switzerland, I have been. tod;
where the utterance of one word Will
bring back score of echoes. and have
tn tell you that a sympathetic Word.,
kind word, n generous word. he'ptnl
word, uttered in the dark places or the
town will bring back 10000 echoes from
heaven.
7 could give YOU the history in a minute
of one of The best friends / ever. had.
Outside OF my own family / never had
better friend. He welcomed re to my
home at the West. He was o. splendid
personal appearance. Int he had an ardor
| of soul and a warr,th of affection that
| made me love him IKE brother. | saw
men coming out Of the saloons and eamhl-
ling he!ls, and they surrounded my. friend
| and they took him at the weak point-hls
social nature-and / saw him going down,
| and had fair talk with him, for |
! never vet saw a man YOU could not talk
| with on the subject of his habits if you
| talked with him in the right way. l
said to him, "Why don't you give up vour
| bad habits and become a Christan"
remember now just how he looked. leaning
| over his counter as he replied, 81 wish
| ] could Oh, sir. l should like to be a
| Christian. but l have gone so far astray
| J can't get back" So the time went on.
After awhile the day of sickness came. |
was summoned to his sickbed / fastened.
1t took me but a very few moments to
get there. / was surprised as | went IN.
] saw him in his ordinary dress fully
dressed, lying on top of the bed. l gave
him nv hand, and he seized it convulsive'
" and said; ooh, how glad am to see
YOU! Sit down there" I sat down, and
he said: 'Mr. Taimage, just where you
sit now my mother sat last night. She
has been dead twenty years. Now, don
want YOU to think am out OF my mind
c, that I am superstitious. but, sir. she
sat there last night, and she said 'Ross
well, [ wish you woul ID do better. | wlsl
YOU would do better | said: Mother
I wish I could do better. try to, dc
better, but can't. Mother. YOU used t
And. sir, / got out of bed, for it was {
reality, and / went to her and threw IN!
arms around her neck, and said: Moth
er. l will do better. but YOU must he'll
me. I can't do this alone" / knel
and prayed. That night his soul wen
to the Lord who made it.
Arrangements were made for the obse
uuies. The question was raised whethe
they should bring him to the church
Somebody said, "You cannot bring sucl
disso,ute man as that into the church;
said: "You will bring him in church
He stood by me when he was alive, and
him." AS I stood in the pulpit and sa,
them carrying the body up the aisle
felt as if could weep tears OF blood, %
one side of the pulpit sat his little chl
| of eight years. Il sweet, beautiful httl
girl. that [ had seen him hug convulsivei
in his better moments. He put on ne
all Jewels and gave her all pictures an
toys, and then he would 60 away, as
bounded by an evil spirit, to his cups an
the house of iniquity, a fool to the col
rection of the stocks. She looked UP won
l ba IL W I q
she was not Old enough to understan
the sorrow of an orphan. On the othe
side sat the men who ruined him. The
: were the men who had poured the worm
wood into the orphans cup; they wer
. the men who had bound him hand an
foot. / knew them. How did they seer
to feel? Did they weep? No. Did the
say, What pity that SO generous
> man should be destroyed" No. Did the
sigh repentingly over what they had done
; No; they sat there. looking as vu,ture
loo, at the carcass of lamb whose hear
they have ripped out. So they sat an
looked at the coffin lid, and l tod ther
{ the Judgment of God upon those VIII
had destroyed their fellows. Did the
reform? | was tod they were in tn
= PAGES of iniouty that night after m
= friend was laid in lakewood cemetery, an
they basphemed and they drank. Oh
now mercjess men are, especially ate
they have destroyed you! Do not loo
to men for comfort or help.
But there is q man who will not r.
. form. lie says, Il won't reform" Wei
r | then, how many acts are there III
tragedy? | believe there are five acts
4 tragedy.
Act the first OF the tragedy: A youn
: man starting off from home; parents an
sisters weeping to have him go; WACO
| rising over the hill; farewell kiss fun
back. Ring the bell and let the curtai
fall.
Act the second: The marriage altar
, iul organ, bright lights; long white We
trailing through the aisle; PRAYER and col
graduation and exclamation of How we
she looks!" !.
' Act the third: A woman waiting fc
r staggering steps, cd garments struck int
, the broken window pane; marks OF hart
l ship on the face; the biting OF the nal
OF b,oodess fingers; neglect and cruelt
' and despair Ring the bell and let tt
. curtain drop.
: Act the fourth: Three graves in a dar
/ p,ace-grave of the child that died Il
2 lack of medicine, grave Of the wife. TN
died of broken heart. grave OF II
l man that died of dissipation. Oh, VIII;
E a blasted heath with three graves! Plen'
| of weeds, but no mowers. mig IHe De
' and let the curtain drop.
) Act the fifth: A destroyed souls eter
ity: no light, no music; blackness OF dar
; ness forever But l cannot look any Ion
er. Woe! woe! / close my eyes to tn
last act of the tragedy. Quick. quicl
i Ring the bell and let the curtain dro
5 "Reioice. o young man, in thy youth: az
r let thy heart rejoice in the days of tt
. youth, but know thou that for all the
: things God will bring you into Judgment