St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-01-18

ton, or Broadway, New York, or Ire
mont street, Boston, your eyes scrutl-
nizing the pavements looking for tur-
ouoises and emeralds and rubies. Per-
haps you might find them, but there
is not much probability that IN ~
years you would find one of them.
We talk about the great discoveries
of the age, the electric power, the
telescope and microscopic power, but
do not say anything about the discov-
cries we all make year by year and day
by day. There are surprises all the
time. It is a new road we are travel
ing. aye have not passed this way be-
FORE"
But closely allied is the other fact
which we limited at in the opening
that we will not pass this way again.
This is our only opportunity for DONG
certain things that ought to be done,
On all sides there are griefs we ougnt
to solace, hunger we might feed, cold
that we ought to warm, kind words
that we ought to speak, generous deeds
we ought to perform. All thatyou and
I do toward making this world better
and happier we must do very soon or
never do at all. Joshua and his troops
never came back over the way they
were marching toward the crossing OF
the Jordan. The impress OF the sandal
or the bare feet of each soldier showed
in what direction he was going, but
never did the impress of the sandal OF
any one of them show that he returned.
We are all facing eternity to come.
There is no retreat. Alertness and
fidelity would not be so important ii
we could truthfully say: Il will be
back here again. The things I neglect
now I will do the next time. will be
reincarnated, and I will resume my
earthly obligations. Having then more
/ knowledge than have now, will dis
charge my earthly duties better than
I can now discharge them. do not give
solemn farewell to these obligations
and opportunities, but smiling and
CHEEKY goodlby until see them again"
| No, we cannot say that. There will be
no new and corrected edition OF the
volume of our earthly life. After we
make exit from the stage at the close
|
many millions of people have lived and
died I know not, but of all the human
race who have gone only seven persons
that I now think of have returned, the
son of the widow at Zarephath, the
young man of Main, the rulers daugh.
ter, Tabitha, Eutychus, Lazarus and
Christ. Among all the ages to come
do not suppose there will be one more
to return to this life, having once left
| it.
Lord Bacon said that he who shall
discover the way to make myrrh solu-
BILE by human blood will discover inn
mortal life on earth, but no such dis
covery will ever be made. With what
suggestive solemnity does this thought
charge every hour of our earthly ex-
istence. It is said that it is possible
to know which way the wind blew at
the time of the deluge by the mark OF
the waves still to be found in the sand,
and the direction of our influence, how
ever slight, will leave mark that will
last forever.
| At this point ask you to notice the
fact that my text does not call atten-
ton to the crossing of the Jordan, but
to the way leading thereto. We all
think much of our crossing of the Jor-
dan, when the march of our life is end
ed, but put too little emphasis on the
wav that leads to the crossing. What
YOU and l need most to care about is
the direction of the road we are travel
ing. We need have no fear of the cross
ing if we come to it in the right way.
In other words, we need not care about
death if our life has been what it ought
to be. We will die right if we live right
That was glorious thing that Mont
morency, constable of France, said
when dying from his wounds in battle
Some one standing by advised him to
show the same courage in dying that
he had shown during his lifetime. TIC
this he replied: "Gentlemen and fell
low soldiers, I thank you all very kind
ly for your anxious care and concern
about me, but the man who has beer
enabled to live we'll for fourscore years
mast can never need to seek now how
to die well for a quarter of an hour
,, What an absurdity it would hav'
been for Joshua and his men to have
asked each other questions like these
GLOW can we cross the Jordan If w
get there? Will not the water be to,
:, deep to allow US to wade? Will we no
! all be SO saturated that we may los'
our lives by exposure? How man.
can swim? Had we better not wal
2 until the annual freshet had subsidized :?
= No such folly did they commit. The,
. were chiefly anxious about the wa.
4 that they had mot passed before" an
n were ignorant of and to keep the:
( eyes on the golden-covered acacia boz
wing mounted, which was the ark Q
the covenant.
= O hearer, stop bothering about you
S exit from sublunary scenes! By th
e grace of God get your heart right an
e then 20 ahead. If the Lord takes car
o of YOU clear on to the bank on this sid
l. Of the river, 1 think you can trust Hiz
t 20 take you from bank to bank, fro1
}. the willows on this side the stream
e, the palms on the other side. from til
d last kiss of sorrowing ones on this sid
+ to the welcome, sanity, cherubic 81
n raphic. deifc on the other side. Kee
IL your eve on the ark, and whatever b.
g tides you will go through all right.
n One Easter morning Massena, tn
d marshal of France, appeared with Is
d 600 armed men on the heights abov
s the town of Feldkirch. There was n
e arms to defend the town, and the IL
habitants were wild with terror. The
s the old dean of the church cried out
e INV brothers, this is Easter day! W
v have been depending on our ow
d strength and that fails. Let us turn
- | Cod Rino the bells and have Servic