The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1903-01-02

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
van depicted him as saving Christian
at the cross, when he wrote: 80 |
saw in my dream that just as Chris
tan 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 it came to
the mouth of the sepulcher where it
fell in, and | saw it no more Then
was Christian glad and lithesome and
said with merry heart He 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, d 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,
err, our Divine Rescuer. II rests with
us whether the dying year Of 1902 Shall
be mournful guide to lead us into Il
| Dantes Inferno or Il Gods messenger
to lead us into a Millions Paradise
Regained."
Always "a Finished Tale.
The story of life is always a finished
tale. In the British National gallery
are 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 a success of it, Some
times the authors purposely leave their
stories unfinished. A new school of
writers has lately sprung up who have
tried to initiate Frank Stockton in
1.-THE Lady or the Tiger" These au-
thors or story tellerS work their read
ers up to an intense pitch of 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
% n nrc /
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 ha.t
been inscribed upon our tombstor
what has been done will be
ever. what has been .aI
be left undone foreX
mortal life will III
forever cloSenS ",
of aged, authors reel
ing the stories theyp~
their youth. The publisI =
"Reveries of a Bachelor" asked i
thor to rewrite his most famous d
They asked him to rewrite it long az
TX Marvel had ceased to be bacheToy
and when he had wife and crowded.
nursery of his own. But the tale of
human life after it has once been fin
ished 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 and
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 silenced. 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 Il tale is
a story spoken by a human being into
he ears of one or more listeners. Some
lines those ancient story tellers were
lble 10 excite their hearers to a mad
renZy. 1t has been recorded that when
he Greeks used to listen to the recital
" the Adventures of Ulysses or the
tory of Helen of Troy" they would
weep and cry and shout as they climb
d from the lowest depths of grief to
he highest pinnacles of joy. What
would be the effect on the hearers if
he tale of our lives was told? Would
excite them to frenzy of sin or