Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1901-11-15

u one who has brought parents to .
sorrowful grave and who wanders
about through the dismal cemetery
rending the air and wringing the hands
and crying, Mother, mother" Oh.
that today, by all the memories Of the
past and by all the hopes of the future,
you would yield your heart to God!
May your fathers God and your moth
er's God be your God forever!
This hour the door of mercy swings
wide open. Hesitate not moment. In
many a case hesitation is the loss Of
all. At the corner of a street I saw
tragedy. A young man evidently
doubted as to which direction he had
better take. His hat was lifted high
enough so you could see he had an
intelligent forehead He had q stout
chest and a robust development Splen-
did young man! Cultured young man!
Honored young man! Why did he
stop there while so many were going
up and down? The fact is that every
young man has a good angel and q bad
angel contending for the mastery OF
his spirit, and there was a good angel
and bad angel struggling with that
young mans soul at the corner of the
street. Come with me-" said the good
angel. Il will take you home. ! will
spread my wings over your pillow. /
will lovingly escort you all through
life under supernatural protection. I
will bless every cup you drink out of,
every couch you rest on, every door
way you enter. / will consecrate your
tears when you weep, your sweat when
you toll, and at the last I will hand
over your grave into the hand Of the
bright angel of a Christian resurrec-
ton. have been sent of the Lord to
be your guardian spirit. Come with
me-" said the good angel in voice of
unearthly symphony. It was music like
that which drops from a lutte of heaven
when a seraph breathes on It.
"Oh, no." said the bad angel Come
with me. have something better to
offer. The wines pour are from chal-
ices Of bewitching carousal. The dance
/ lead is over floors tessellated with
unrestrained indulgence. There is no
God to frown on the temples of sin
where 1 worship. The skies are Ital-
ian. The paths l tread are through
meadows daisied and primrosed. Come
with mel"
Hesitation Is Ruin.
The young man hesitated at a time
when hesitation was ruin, and the bad
angel smote the good angel until 1t de-
parted, spreading wings through the
starlight. upward and away, until a
door swung open in the sky and for
ever the wings vanished That was
the turning point in that young mans
history. for, the good angel flown, he
hesitated no longer, but started on a
pathway which is beautiful at the
opening, but blasted at last. The bad
angel led the way through gate after
gate, and at each gate the road became
rougher and the sky more lurid, and.
what was peculiar, as the gate slam
mel shut it came to with a jar that
indicated it would never open. Past
each portal there was {. grinding of
locks and a showing of the bolts, and
the scenery on each side the road
changed from gardens to deserts, and
the June air became a cutting Decem-
Der blast, and the bright wings Of the
bad angel turned to sackcloth, and the
fountains that at the start had tossed
with wine poured forth bubbling tears
OF foaming blood, and on the right side
OF the road there was serpent, and
the man said to the bad angel, What
is that serpent?" And the answer was.
THAT is the serpent of singing re-
morse" On the lett side of the road
there was a lion, and the man asked
the bad angel, What is that Iion?"
The answer was, THAT Is the lion of
all devouring despair" A vulture flew
through the sky. and the man asked
the bad angel. What is that vul-
ture?" The answer was, THAT is the
vulture waiting for the carcasses of
the slain"
And when the man said to the had
angel. What does all this mean? /
trusted in what you said at the street
corner; l trusted it all. Why have
you thus deceived me?" Then the last
deception fell off the charmer and he
said: Il was sent from the pit to de-
stroy your soul. / watched my chance
for many long year. When you hes
itated that night at the street corner I
gained my triumph. Now you are
here. Ha. ha! You are here. Come.
now. let us fill the chalice and drink
to darkness and woe and death. Hail
haili''
Oh. young man. will the good angel
sent forth by Christ or the bad angel
sent forth by sin get the victory over
your soul? Their wings are inter-
locked this moment above you, con-
tending for your soul, as above the
Apennines eagle and condor fight in
midsky This hour decides eternal des-
TIMES.