The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-04-09

john. II would mean the publication
Of the home and of the church, The
heart of the common people rings true
when it is not misled. No wonder
that it was among them that jesus
passed the most OF his earthly minis
try. They were De- first to recognize
him. From them came the first mem-
bers of his church, and it is with feel
ings of gratitude to them alat We ~
member that it was they who gave u
our Lord the only public welcome anU
reclamation that he ever received.
But Palm Sunday also throws into
our raptured eyes the sunrise of EasteF
dawn, as we'll as it overshadows ouF
heavens with the dark clouds of the
blacklist Of all BLACK Fridays" Palm
Sunday practically says to us: "Iou
may have to carry your cross and bear
your burdens and suffer your death 40
Jesus Christ had to suffer and die, bue
you may also. like Christ, have your
emancipation and resurrection and ul-
innate triumph. This was the reason
why the ancient Christians chseled
the palm leaf upon their tombstones.
This was the reason why they also had
the palm as the symbol Of martyrdonl.
1t meant victory-victory in the name
Of the Lord Jesus, victory over this
world. victory over sim 1t meant the
kind Of victory that st. John described
in Revelation when he cried out Aft
err this beheld, and, 10. great multi
tude which no man could number,
stood before the throne and before the
Lamb, clothed with white robes anol
palms in their hands, Cicero de-
scrbed an athlete who had won
great number of prizes as "a man Of
many palms, So today as we see the
palm branches thrown under the feet
of Christ we know that they may be
future symbols. They may remind us
of the palms of many heavenly re-
wards.
The Tsumph Of be Palm
What a happy day that will be when
Christ greets his loved ones in heaven
~ lands an gives to, them their victo-
rious palms~the palms Of reward for
all their past sufferings and trials and
sacrifices which were undergone for
him. When Agrippa, the grandson OF
Herod the Great, expressed wish
that Caligua might some day sit upon
the Roman throne, Emperor Tiberlus
was angered He threw Agrippa into
q loathsome dungeon. There he lam
guished week after week and month
after month, but when the passing
time did place Caligula upon the throne
then the new emperor went in person
and opened the prisoners gates. He
robed Agripoa in royal purple; he gave
him palace in which to live; he took
the heavy chains which had once man.
acled the prisoners feet and weighed
them. and for every heavy link of iron
he gave to him a heavy link of gold
Our Divine Master on that happy day
of the rewardings in heaven will give
to each one of his suffering children
greater compensation than ever EN-
peror Caligula gave to the ragged pris-
oner Agrippa. Jesus will clothe us in
white, not only the symbol of victory.
but of purity He will make the jew
els Of our crown out of the crystallized
tears we have shed in his service, and
in each one Of our hands Christ will!
place a palm-the palm of victory, the
palm Of never ending JOY. Oh. Chris
tan brother. do not worry because you
have to suffer for Jesus! 1t means
palma waving. triumphant palm.
The palm is such suggestive symbol
Of victory that today l would that we
might have had this pulpit decorated
with palm branches as an object lesson.
Then. after the service is over. would
have you, members Of this congrega-
ton, each take a palm leaf home, as
the priests allow the worshipers to do
this day in Catholic churches. Then.
after you had gone to the quietude OF
your own homes, would have had You
look long and earnestly at that palm
leaf and decide what you are to do.
Would you accept the palm leaf as the
Grecian athlete received it, merely as
q symbol of a worldly victory, or would
you accept it as a symbol Of heaven
~ triumph? Accept it in the same
spirit that the Christian martyr who
was about to be torn to pieces in the
Roman Coliseum accepted it. But. as
we have not a palm leaf here for you
to take home as an object lesson, ask
you here and now to decide the ques-
ton of your life How will you deal
with your worldly conquests? Have
your efforts won for you the palm of
wealth? Have they won for you the
palm of political power or popularity?
Then, can you cast them down at
Christ's feet and pledge yourselves and
all you are and have to his service?
If you can do this, you shall become a
spiritual palm tree, planted by the
river of life. palm which will blossom
on earth and which will some day be
transplanted to the heavenly gardens
Of the New Jerusalem.
copyright. 1903. by Louis Klopsch.l
Spider Webs and Acoustics.
There is hope for the spider. Hitler
20 he has been eyilly regarded as a