Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-07-20


on the help of his brother. Nowhere |
Is that claim recognized so surely and
so promptly as on the high seas. A
sailor on the ocean will never turn a
deaf ear TO booming gun or shut his
eyes to an inverted flag or to q white |
handkerchief or cloth fiuttering over a
raft or a derelict. No sooner does the
lookout cry, "Ship on starboard bow,
and | believe ii a wreck than the cap
tain and the mates and the boatswains
and the common sailors will turn their
anxious faces toward the black object
floating upon the edge of the horizon.
II there should be but one human be-
ing aboard that doomed craft. five ten.
fifteen-aye. l believe practically all
the members Of the crew will be willing
! to risk their lives to save that one life.
/ never yet read of a ship upon the
| highways of the sea that would not go,
II possible. to rescue the crew of a sink
/ ing ship. / never yet heard of any sea
captain compelling his sailors to go to
the rescue. All that the mates have to do
under such conditions is to call for vol
unteers and every lifeboat will be man
ned and every oar held in a firm grip.
Oh, my dear friends. why is not hui
man being upon the land ready to an
swer signals of distress raised by his
fallen brethren, as the sailors upon the
| sea try to help those who are in dis
tress? Do not the whirlwinds of disas-
ter shrek and howl and sweep up the
streets of great city as well as among
the archipela goes of a Mediterranean?
When, some years ago, dark, funnel
shaped cloud swiftly approached st.
Louis and in an instant broke and de-
stroyed whole streets and buried many
a corpse under the debris, did it wreck
any more lives than do the cyclones
of sin which are daily destroying the
hundreds and thousands of young men
and women? Every city has it's two
sides-its light side and dark side; it's
pure side and its morally diseased side;
! its Christian side and its Internal side;
its happy side and its despairful side.
Shall we who profess to love God and
are living in health and strength have
nothing to do with those who are fly
ing the signals of distress?
"A FrOV10entl8I RESCUE.
Be not afraid, my brother, that you
will never have an opportunity to save
men and women upon the land who are
flying signals of distress. If you will
once consecrate your lives to his serv-
ice God will reveal them to you. the
same as he led old Captain Pendleton.
many years ago. to save the passengers
! nd no of a
old captain was a neighbor of my ia
theirs and a friend of my childhood.
He had upon his wall a picture COM
memorative of this rescue. He again
and again told me this wonderful
story. He mad been to the far east.
After voyage of many months he was
nearing New York harbor. He was
only two or three days from home.
Suddenly, as he lay in his cabin,
strong and even imperative command
came to him from on high. He seemed
to hear divine voice saying: go back!
Go back. About ship and go back!'
He was not in the least q man given to
vagaries. He shook himself and went
upon the deck. The stars were shining
above. The sea was calm. The wind
was brisk and the sails were we'll fill
ed He went down to his cabin and
again tried to sleep. Again came that
strange command: go back! Go back!
About ship and go back" So forcibly
did this second command come that
Captain Pendleton gave the command
to about ship. The mates and sailors
thought he was going crazy. He said
| h,,% ;lD<J P<>,,
think. when, 10, a sinking ship hove in
sights and he was able to rescue many
lives. That picture upon the wall was
presented to the old captain by the res
cued men and women. So Cod If we
consecrate our lives to his service, will;
lead us in strange and devious ways.
He will so guide us that we may be
able to save immortal men and women
from sin upon the land as old Captain
Pendleton rescued those men and wo
men from q watery grave.
The human vessel. in order to reach
the harbor for which Christ intended
him to sail, must be able in one sense
|, to make the voyage of life alone. l
|, , mean by that that he must steer his own
! course irrespective of what other hui
man vessels may do. great harbOr like
l New York's always teens with life.
The many trees which cover the noun
tain sides do not seem to the imagina-
tive eve to be denser than the forests
of masts which are crowding about
the docks. When the great steamer is
being pulled out of her wharf the little
tugs shrek and puff and grunt. The
multitudes who have come to bid their
friends goodby wave their handker-
l chiefs. The river boats salute the huge
ship as she slowly moves down the bay.
: But after awhile the surrounding ships
become less and less in numbers.
Then if you are sailing upon the Pa
= cific. or even upon the Atlantic. you
d may go days and weeks and not sight