The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1902-01-09

rows of this month make up your
mind which way you will sail and
unro1l your chart and set your COM
pass and have the lifeboats well
placed on the davits and be ready for
smooth voyage all the way across
or the swoop of a Caribbean whirl-
wind.
Behold also in this January month
the increasing daylight. Last month
the sun went down at 4:30, but in this
month the days are getting longer.
The sunrise and the sunset are farther
apart. Sunlight instead of artificial
light, and there is for our dear old
battered earth growing light. "The
day-spring from on high hath visited
us. We shall have more light for the
home, more lgrt for the church, more
light for the nation, more light for the
world-light Of intelligence, light of
comfort light of rescue, light of evan
gelization, light from the face of God,
light from the throne The day en-
larges very little, and the reign of sun
light is not much increased but do
not desplse the minute of increasing
light each day of this January, and
Go not despise the fact that more light
is coming for the church and world,
though 1t come slowly. AS we are
now in this season gradually going
toward the longest day of next sum-
mer, so our world is moving forward
toward the long day of emancipation
and Christly dominion 1t may now
in the state and the church and the
world be January cold, but we are
on the way to July harvests and Sep
TENDER orchards.
DO not read your almanac back
ward. Do not go out and ask the trees
hung with icicles by January storm
whether they will ever again blossom
in May and leaf in June. We are NOV
ing toward the worlds redemption.
The frozen tears will melt, the river
of gladness will resume it's flow, the
crocus will come up at the edge of the
snowbank, the morning star will open
the door for the day, and the armies
of the world will ground arms all
around the world. The January of
frost will be abolished and the balm
and radiance of divine atmosphere
will fill the nations. If you do not
see it and hear it for yourself, 1 think
at the utmost your grandchildren will
see and hear it. The heavens will take
part in the conflict between righteous
ness and sin, and that will settle it,
and settle it Alright, and settle it for
ever.
In this very month of January, 1913,
two months after great battle had
been fought between the army of the
king and the army of parliament.
shepherds and travellers between ~
and 1 o'clock at night heard the battle
repeated in the skies-the sound of
drums, the clash of arms, the groans of
dying men, and then the withdrawal
Of the scene into complete silence.
These shepherds and travellers repeat
ed IN the neighboring towns what
they heard, and large numbers of peo-
pie, expecting that all was a decep-
ton, went out on the following night,
WACl1 lAlCJ dCdld lllC SdlllS u pl Odl anu
tumult in the heavens-the two armies
in battle. The king, hearing of this
seeming combat in the heavens, sent
ambassadors to inquire into the mys-
terry In the night they also heard the
conflict and came back to the king and
occurrence.
Whether these shepherds and tray
elers and ambassadors of the king
were in delusion cannot say, but this
l know-that the forces of God and the
forces of Satan are now in combat, the
heavens as we'll as the earth in struggle
as TO who shall win this world for
blessedness or woe, and, as the armies
of God are mightier than the armies
diabolic, we know who will triumph
and we have right to shout the vic
tory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The King of Kings, the Lord of Hosts,
the God of Joshua and Havelock, leads
in the conflict. l have no fear about
the tremendous issue. My only fear is
that we will not be found in the ranks
and fully armed to do our part in this
campaign of the eternities.
Again, remark that the month of
January has seen many Of the most
stupendous events in the worlds his
tory and a rocking of cradles and the
digging of graves that have affected
nations. In this month American in
dependence was declared, followed by
Lexington and Bunker Hill and Mon
mouth and Valley Forge and York
town. January saw the proclamation
that abolished American slavery.
Though at the time there were two
mighty opinions and they were exact
ly opposed-those who liked the docu-
ment and those who disliked it-there
is but one opinion now, and if it were
put to vote in all the states OF the
south, Shall slavery be reinstated?"
there would be an overwhelming vote
of No The pen with which the doc
ument was signed and the inkstand
that contained the ink are relics as sa-
cred and valuable as the original Dec
laratiOn of Tndenendence with all its