The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1902-03-06

v
eyes-media between the soul inside
and the world outside, media that no
one but the infinite God could create?
The eye, the window of our immortal
nature, the gate through which all
colors march, the picture gallery OF
the soul! Without the eye this world
is big dungeon. I fear that many
of us have never given one hearty ex-
preston of gratitude for treasure OF
sight, the loss of which is the great
est disaster possible unless it be the
loss of the mind. Those wondrous
seven muscles that turn the eye up
or down, to right or left or around.
No one but God could have created
the retina. If we have ever appreci-
ated what God did when he gave us
two eyes, it was when we saw Others
with obliterated vision. Alas, that
only through the privation of others
we came to a realization of our own
blessing! If you had harp in hand
and swept all the strings of graft
tude, you would have struck this,
which is one of the most dulcet of the
| ten strings.
Further, there are many who never
recognize how much God gives them
when He gives them sleep. Insomnia
| is a calamity wider known in our land
than in any other. BY midlife vast
multitudes have their nerves so over
wrought that slumber has to be coaxed,
and many are the victims of choral
and morphine. Sleeplessnsss is an
American disorder. If it has not
touched you and you can rest for
seven or eight hours without waking
if for that length of time in every "a
hours you can be free of all care and
worriment and your nerves are re-
turned and your limbs escape from all
fatigue and the rising sun finds you
a new man, body, mind and soul-you
have an advantage that ought to be
put in prayer and song and congratu-
lation. The French financier, almost
wealthy enough to purchase king
dom, but the victim of insomnia, wrote:
''No slumber to be bought in any mar
ket." He was right. Sleep is gra-
tuity from Him who never sleeps. Oh,
the felicities of slumber! Let all who
have this real benefaction celebrate it.
That is one of the sweetest strings in
all the instrument of ten strings.
Further, celebrate on the instru-
ment of ten strings our illumined
nights. They spread their tents over
us, and some of us hardly go out to
look at them. During the nights 9th
er worlds come in sight. The author
of my text chimed the silver bells in
: the tower of the midnight heavens
saying: 'When I consider the heav
ems, the work of Thy fingers; the
moon and the stars, which Thou has
ordained, what is man that Thou ar
mindful of him?" We thank God fol
: the day; we ought also to thank Hin
for the night. Worlds on worlds il
sight of the naked eye, but NOR
worlds revealed by telescope. A
: least one night in his lifetime ever.
man ought to go into Astronomical
observatory and see what has beel
done by the great World Builder
Thank God for lunar and stellar il
lumination!
Another string of this ipstrumen
1 now touch-friendships deep ant
abiding, by which I refer to thos
people who, when good or bad motiv
may be ascribed to you, ascribe tn
,, good; those concerning whom you d
not wonder which side they will tax
when you are under discussions; thos
: who, would more gladly serve yo
than serve themselves; those
: whom you can tell everything with
> out reserve; those who are first i
{ your home by person or by telegra1
. when you have trouble. Oh, what
blessing to have plenty of friends
!, Aye, if you have only one good FRIEND
YOU are blessed in that glad posse.
sion. With one such friend you ca
{ defy the world. But he must be
. tried friend. You cannot tell who al
y YOUR real friends till disasters COM
n As long as you collect vast dividend
and have health jocund and popala
. ity unbounded you will have crowt
:. OF seeming friends, but let banl
. ruptcy and invalidism and defam'
! ton come, and the number of yor
friends will be 95 per cent. of.
:, YOU have been through some gre;
=. crisis and you have one friend LET
- thank God and celebrate it on II
~ sweetest harpstring.
- But we must tighten the cords
a our harp and retune it while we Gel
u u brate Gospel advantages. The hig
- est style of civilization the world hi
ever seen is American civilizatlo
:. and it is built out of the Gospel
- pardon and good morals. That &c
- pei rocked our cradle, and it w
epitaph our grave. 1t soothes o
h+ sorrows, brightens our hopes,
II spires our courage, forgives our 81
ot and saves our souls. 1t takes M
in who is all wrong and makes him
M right. What that Gospel has done
tn you and me is story that we 6
ht never fully tell. What it has do
or for the world and will yet do for
Do nations it will take the thousa
nv years of the millennium to cele bra
he The grandest churches are yet to
:, h11ilf The miphtiest anthems