Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-10-05

see the young wife by the evening
lamp. with her needle in her hand,
making the little white garments for
the stranger soon 20 come. Our moth
ers thought and planned for the cradle
and the little wardrobe weeks before
we were born. They did 1t SO that
when they should lie down upon bed
of suffering all might be well for the
little ones welcome. That is beauti-
full vision. But, oh, to me it is a far
more beautiful sight to see a young
wife upon her knees in prayer. To
think of her praying to God that her
unborn child might grow up to be a
good man, a good woman. And you,
my friend. sitting before me- from that
moment when your mother first prayed
for you until her death she never left
that altar before which she was con-
tinually beseeching God for the saliva
ton of your soul. Along that Chris
tan pathway she first led your totter-
ing feet. In that Christian pathway
she first taught you to utter the baby
prayer, Now lay me down to Sleep"
In that Christian path she gave You
| her dying benediction. Will you not
seek the old path. the Christian path
of your glor;fied and sainted mother?
1t is path covered with wild flowers
and fragrant with perfume. Those
flowers and that pathway have been
watered with your mothers tears.
But there is another path to which
would call your attention today. 1t is
that which you once Travelled when 60
| ing to Sunday school and to the church
of your childhood. If that church was
| In the country. then there was poetry
| in your going When the call of the
village bell rang those notes would
! press their way through the atmos-
| phere like bubbles of air working their
way up from the bottom of a stream.
| They would come nearer and nearer to
your ear, as the bubbles come nearer
and nearer to the surface of the wa
tiers. Then with happy laugh they
would seem to burst. You would first
hear those notes when you would be
riding toward the town. Father and
mother. brothers and sisters would all
be crowded together in the one car
riage. My. there was big load of you
who used to travel that road! No Won
der the big springs of that family We
hicle used to bend and groan and creak
under the heaviness of the load.
Walking With Christ.
If the path which you first travelled
to Sunday school was along the side
walk of city, then in all probability
you walked. You walked by the side
of your father or mother. because you
shoes would squeak at every step.
Those shoes kept new for long while.
because you were only allowed to wear
them on Sunday But as you rode or
walked to that Sunday school and to
your first church services great
change came over your family party.
One of your sisters or brothers left
your side and went up to the church al
tar. One by one they there gave their
hearts to Christ and publicly confessed
him at the communion table. After
awhile your turn came. You can see
yourself now as you came before the
church session. You remember how
the old minister wiped his glasses. He
put his hand upon your shoulder and
said: "My boy, why do you want to
join the church? Do you love Jesus
Will you promise to live for him and
give your life to his service" Then
you remember the great big lump that
stuck in your throat You remember
how between your sobs you said: THE
reason l want to be a Christian is be-
cause my father and mother and broth
ers and sisters are all Christians
want their Saviour to be mine AS we
have a united family here | want an
unbroken family circle in heaven"
Aged, gray haired man, that was q
beautiful path over which you went to
church for the first time. That was q
holy drive you took on the morning
you went to take your first communion
You did not speak much that morning
but your thoughts were very deep and
very high. They were as deep as your
sins. as high and as great as the
forgiveness of God Oh. why have
you not always kept walking in that
path? Christ walked with you there
twenty years ago. Jesus as guide is
ready to lead you back to that patti
and walk with you there now. VIII
you seek the old path-the path ovel
which you went for the first time te
he communion table of the Lord?
Highway of Blossoms.
There is still another path which yoJ
once trod. This path is fragrant wi
blossoms. Like the tabled trees of oil,
: the heavy bfanches which line it arr
laden with silver bells. 1t is the patti
which once led up to your marriage al
tar. 1t is the path over which the fall
en- rice is strewn and where the merr,
laughter of the bridesmaids is tryin:
to drown the joyful salutations of til,
wedding chimes. The blossoms which
: line this pathway are orange blossoms
The silver bells are those which
once played Mendelssohn's Wedding
March" Where did that path which