Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1903-01-03

he ullNeb lutuu lOIlu uulu uS OulSdolS
they are living among the tombs and
associating with the corpses. Then he
brings forth the Sayiour-it is the same
Jesus who once said to the ten lepers,
"Go, show yourselves unto the priests,
and it came to pass as they went they
were cleansed." The same Saviour by
a few words, cleanses the two helpless
women in the same way as John Bun
yam depicted him as saving Christian
at the cross, when he wrote: 80 !
saw In my dream that just as Chris
tian came up with the cross his burden
loosed from off his shoulders and fell
from off his back and began to tumble,
and so continued to do until 1t came to
the mouth Of the sepulcher, where it
fell in, and saw ii no more. Then
was Christian glad and lithesome and
said with a merry heart, lie hath CIV
en- me rest by his sorrow and life by
his death.'" We can be saved In the
story Of life as David was saved. when
he cried out in rapture, God is our
refuge and strength. very present
help In trouble" Thus 1t remains with
us, and with us alone. whether or no
In our story Of life we will take Jesus
Christ to be our Saviour. our Redeem
er our Divine Rescuer 1t rests with
us whether the dying year Of 1902 shall
be a mournfui guide to lead us into
Dante's Inferno" or Gods messenger
to lead us into a Mlton's Paradise
Regalned."
Always n Finished Tale.
The story Of life Is always finished
tale. In the British. National gallery
are a few Of the unfinished pictures Of
Turner. the famous English landscape
painter While the great artist, whom
John Ruskin admired so much, was
working upon those canvases the death
angel entered his studio and called
him away. In the world of story tell
ing we find many unfinished tales.
Charles Dickens fingers began to stiff
en- In death when he was in the midst
Of writing his novel Edwin brood"
Another author has tried to finish the
great masters work. but has not been
able to make n success Of it. Some
times the authors purposely leave their
stories unfinished. A new school OF
writer's has lately sprung up who have
tried to initiate Frank Stockton In
"The Lady or the Tiger" These au-
thOrs or story tellers work their read
ers up to an Intense pitch or excite
ment. Then they suddenly close their
stories. They leave their readers TO
work out the solution as they please.
Frank Stockton declared that for years
he received hundreds Of letters asking
him to solve the problem Of that story.
But" said he, 81 am just as much In
doubt how that book should end as
any Of my readers. 1t was because l
could not decide whether the young
girl was willing to destroy or save her
lover that ceased writing"
Fictitious stories are often unfinished
but the human tales about which the
psalmist wrote are always ultimately
finished tales. These biographies may
lead many OF us through the school
room to the marriage altar. They may
lead us to great honors in life, but
they will always lead every one OF US
to the grave. When the epitaphs have
been inscribed upon our tombstones,
what has been done will be done for
ever. what has been left undone will
be left undone forever. The story OF
mortal life will then be ended. The
earthly covers Of the volume Will be
forever closed. We have often heard
of aged authors recasting and rewrit-
ing the stories they had written in
their youth. The publishers OF the
"Reveries of a Bachelor" asked its au-
thor to rewrite his most famous book.
They asked him to rewrite it long after
TX Marvel had ceased to be a bachelor
and when he had wife and crowded
nursery Of his own. But the tale or
human life after it has once been fin
lshed can never be recast. We have
heard how one of the sweetest and
purest poets of the west at great ex-
pense gathered up some vicious ana
| impure stories which he had written
when he was a college boy. He gath
cred them up to destroy them. But
when the human tale Of life has been
once told it can never be sllenced. 1t
shall be told and retold again and
again as It was last told at the grave.
Dives in the parable begged Father
Abraham to send back to earth the re-
deemed Lazarus to warn his five sinful
brethren. Abraham would not. Nay,
nay, nay" he answered in substance,
Lazarus earthly tale Of life has been
forever finished" Another word could
not be added thereto.
A Spoken story.
But there is yet one overwhelming
thought we must not overlook. The
tale of life is a spoken story. We may
read "The Tales From the Egean,'
"The Tales of a Wayside Inn," THE
Tales Out of School," Tales Of New
England" and "Twice-told Tales" but,
after all. the true definition Of tale Is
a story spoken by human being into
the ears Of one or more listeners. Some
times those ancient story tellers were
able to excite their hearers to a mad
frenzy. 1t has been recorded that when
the Greeks used to listen to the recital
of the Adventures Of Ulysses" or the
story of Helen Of Troy" they would
weep and cry and shout as they climb
ed from the lowest depths Of grief to
the highest pinnacles Of joy. What
would be the effect on the hearers II
the tale Of our lives was told? Would
II excite them to a frenzy Of sin or
would it draw from them triumphant
and holy CALCULATIONS?
But this was not the chief thought
which l desired to impress upon you.
When our tales of life are told, they are
not only spoken into human ears, but