Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-11-10

tia or an Alexander or Charlemagne
marching at the head of a great host,
while the heavens are raining blood
and the highways are paved with
corpses. But an earthly conqueror's
throne is nearly always short lived and
Is soon toppled over. Napoleon blazed
and burned himself out in less than
twenty years. AS soon as the conquer
or of the crusaders was dead a staff
officer, at the command of his departed
chief, rode through the camp, waving
a white shroud upon the end of a long
spear as he cried: Behold, this is all
| that is left of the great Saladin! Be
hold, this is all that is left Of the great
| Saladin!" Attila's kingdom was soon
scattered and divided when the north
ern ruler had died as the result of a
debauch.
But, though the kingdoms of earthly
rulers may be soon swept away, there
| is a spiritual conqueror, who, for the
last two millenniums, has been con-
tinually increasing the size of his tenn
poral as we'll as spiritual domains. He
is now striding across the five CONT
nents and is planting his foot upon the
islands Of the seas. The people are
focking to his standard by thousands
and hundreds Of thousands. What is
his battle shout? Why, it is the songs
Of Zion being sung in all the little
meeting houses all over the land
Where is his blood of carnage? 1t is
the symbol of the blood of Christ being
lifted to the lips at the holy commu-
Mon. My Lord and my Christ as the
conqueror whose name God hath ex-
allied 'above every name, that at the
name Of Jesus every knee should bow,
of things in heaven and things under
the EARTH can we not see thee? Can
we not touch thee? Can we not con-
fess thee King Of kings and Lord of
lords?
One night some years ago, after a
day spent among the ruined palaces Of
Rome, had two visions which brought
before my Imagination in vivid con-
trast the beginning and the consumma-
ton of Christ's kingdom. In one 1
saw the helplessness of the few Chris
tians in that great city during the period
following the crucifixion; in the other
l saw in imagination the time of the
millennium, when all peoples shall ac-
claim Christ Lord Of all.
The Two Visions.
Scene the First was standing in
dark Roman dungeon excavated un-
der another dungeon. 1t is called
PauPs dungeon. There is little hole
in the roof about two feet square.
Through this little aperture the prison
ers used to be lowered by ropes. Riv-
eted into the stone wall was an iron
ring, to which the helpless victim could
be chained. The walls of that dun
geon, even on that hot summer day,
were damp and cold. AS l stood there
1 wanted to place myself as nearly as
possible in PauPs position. l babe my
guide leave me and take away the
light. l wanted to be alone. AS the
guide left the loneliness became appall-
ing. Even the echoes of the departing
footsteps seemed to make those prison
walls the more awfully and hopelessly
grewsome. AS the light disappeared
the darkness rushed in and seemed to
press my eyeballs like living Goals of
fire into my throbbing brain. Then in
imagination l thought 1 could see
crouching by the iron ring riveted into
the wall little, old Jew. His shriv-
eled limbs were drawn up by rheuma-
tiSm, the result of his prison confine-
ments. His weak eyes were now
straining themselves to catch a glimpse
of the eXecutiOner, who came nearer
and nearer to the aperture above, as
my guide with the lantern approached
the hole. Then in imagination as my
guide spoke l seemed to hear the exc
cutioner call out in harsh, cruel voice:
paul, Paul, come up! Caesar says
thou art to die. Come up; come upn'
Then the little old Jew answered in q
weak though firm voice. And now
am ready to be offered" The vision
was one of the conquest of wrong over
right.
Scene the Second-It is midnoon. l
am standing upon the top Of the great
Coliseum. Before me are crowded to-
gether 100000 men and women, a great
mass of humanity, rising tier above
tier, and height above height. Yonder
sits the emperor, surrounded by his
chief military officers and by the mem
bers of the famous senate. There is
the place reserved for the vestal vir-
gins. Here are the rooms of the peas.
ants and the middle classes. All the
sightseers are flushed and excited. The
roses in the young girls cheeks blush
even to a deeper red than the drunken
. flush on the faces of their intoxicated
lords. AS the entertainment goes or
the bodies of the slain begin to accC
mulate. Attendants now rush in and
drag the bleeding corpses out of the
. arena. Then the blood soaked sand is
sprinkled with precious powders to al
lay the odor. Now an awning is drawn
: over the assembly to protect the nobil
; ity from the fiery rays of the eastern
sun. Now the air is redolent will
porf11noc This iS a OatioOa