Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-05-22

| sand acts. They seized upon his social
nature, aud he could not stand the
charm. They drove him on the rocks.
like a ship, full winged, shiyering on the
| breakers. | used to admoni,h him.
would say, Now, / wish you would quit
those bad habits aud become Chris
tan" o. he would reply. Il would
like to, ] would like to, but | have gone
SO Ger i don't think there is any way
/ back" In his moments Of repentance
he would 20 home and take his little girl
Of years and embrace her cOnvulsiyely
and cover her with adornments and strew
around her pictures and toys and every
thing that could make her happy. and
then, as though bounded by an evil spirit,
he would 90 out to the inhaming cup and
the house of shame, like fool to the cor
rection of the stocks.
2 lie Final Scene.
was summoned to his deathbed. l
fastened. | entered the room, | found
him, to my surprise, lying in full every
day dress on the top of the couch. put
out my hand. lie grasped it excitedly
and said, Sit down Mr. Talmage, right
th"re." l sat down. He said: Last
night | saw my mother, who has been
dead twenty years, and she sat just
where you sit now. 1t was no dream.
was wide awake. There was no delusion
in the matter. | saw her just as plainly
as | see you. Wife, | wish you would
take these strings off me. There are
strings spun all around my body. | wish
you would take them off me-. | saw 1t
was delirium. oh replied his wife,
my dear, there is nothing there, there is
nothing there" He went on and said:
just where you sit, Mr.. Talmage, my
mother sat. She said to me, Henry, do
wish You would do better | got out Of
bed, put my arms around her and said:
Mother, | want TO do better. i have
been trying to do better Won't you help
me to do better? You used to help me-
No mistake about it, no delusion. | saw
her-the cap and che apron and the spec
tacles, just as she used to look twenty
years ago. But | do wish you would
take these strings away. They annoy
me sol | can hardly talk. Won't you
take them away?" | knelt down and
prayed, conscious of the fact that he did
| not realize what | was saying. | got up.
l said: ''Good-by. | hope you will be
better soon. He said, "Good-by, good
by"
That night his soul went up to the God
who gave it. Arrangements were made
for the obsequies. Some said, Don't
bring him in the church; he is too disco
lutte" oh" | said, bring him. He
was a good friend Of mine while he was
alive, and | shall stand by him now that
he is dead. Bring him to the church
As | sal in the pulpit and saw his body
coming up through the aisle felt AZ if L
could weep tears of blood. | told the
people that day: This man had his vir-
tues, and a good many of them. He had
his faults, and = good many of them
But if there is any man in this audience
who is withor+ sin. let him cast the first
stone ar this coffin lid" On one side the
pulpit sat that little child, rosy, sweet
faced, as beautiful as any little child that
sat at your table this morning, | warrant
you. She looked up wistfully. not know
ing the full sorrows of an orphan child.
Oh, her countenance haunts me to-day,
like some sweet .e looking upon US
through a horrid dream. On the other
side of the pulpit were the men who had
| destroyed him. There they sat, hard Wis
| aged, some Of them pale from exhausting
disease, some of them flushed until it
seemed as If the fires of iniquity famed
| through the cheek and cracked the lips.
They We're the men who had done the
work. They were the men who had
bound him hand and foot. They had kim
died the fires. They had poured he
wormwood and gall into that orphans
cup. Did they weep? No. Did they
sigh repentingly? No. Did they say,
What pity that such brave man
should be slain?' No, no; not one bloat-
ed hand was lifted to wipe away tear
from a boated cheek They sat and
looked a. the coffin like vultures gazing
at the carcass of a lamb whose heart
they had ripped out. | cried in their ears
as plainly as / could, There are a God
and judgment day" Did they tremble?
Oh, no, no. They went back from the
house of God, and that night, though
their victim lay in lakewood cemetery, |
was told that they blasphemed, and they
drank, and they gambled, and there was
not one less customer in all the houses of
iniquity. This destroyed man was a
Samson in physical strength, but Delilah
sheared him, and the Philistines of evil
companionship dug his eyes out and
threw him into the prison of evil habits.
But in the hour of his death he rose up
and took hold of the two pillared curses
of God against drunkenness and unclean-
ness and threw himself forward until
Town upon him and his companions there
came the thunders of an eternal catas-
trophe.
Delight in the Home Life.
Again, any amusement that gives you a
distaste for domestic life is bad, How
many bright domestic circles have been
! broken up by sinful amusements! The
father went off, the mother went off, the
child went off. There are to-day the
fragments before me Of blasted house
holds Oh, il you have wandered away,
| would like to charm You back by the
sound OF that one word home" Do
You not know that you have but little
more time to give to domestic welfare ?
DO you net see, father, that your chill
dren are soon to go out into the world,
and all the influence for good you are to
have over them you must have now =?
Death will break in on your coniugal re-
lations, and alas if you have 10 stand
over the grave of one who persisted from
your neglect.
All. my friends. there is an hour com
ing when our past life will probably pass
before us in review. 1t will be our lasr
hour. IL from cur death pillow we have
to look back and see a life spent in sin
ful amusement, there viii be dart that
will strike through our soul sharper than
the dagger with which Nirginus slew his
child. The memory Of the past will make
rs quake ike Macbeth. The iniquities
and rioting through which we have pass
Cd vii come nnnn rs WORD and sknletn,,