Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1904-04-20
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stronoth In Renose.

| S"ehgM III hepose.
There is great force in those word
OF the prophet, "In quietness and ii
confidence shall be your strength
and also in the words of the Psalmist
"Be still and know that am God
81 Lost My Opportunity"
Opportunity cones to us wher
i, least expected often, and the mex,
moment it is gone. Happy the one
who recognizes it and uses it to the
full. DIR. Balcom Shaw, of the Yves,
End Presbyterian Church, New York
closed recent address on "soul win
ming" with the following personal
experience
| am going TO tell you the story OF
"Old Harvey" as he was called. He
had driven me for hundreds of miles
over the mountain roads; we had
been about everywhere together, and
| had broached the subject of religion,
as we sometimes say, in an indirect
way; / had gone away around the
barn to talk about these things to
him, but l had never until the week
before his death got right to the
point of trying to grip his soul with
my own personal touch, and l talked
to him in a low voice as | sat on the
front seat, next to him, all that drive
through, about becoming a Christian.
| didn't maize very much progress,
but | said, 81 am going to preach
down in the mountain church next
Sunday night" DR.. Smith, whom
you all know in Mortified, and 1,
had the habit then, ss we have this
summer, of preaching alternately
Sunday nights just to the guides and
the mountain people-just trying to
get hold of those among whom we
summer. 1t was my turn to preach
the next Sunday night, and I said
81 am going to preach next Sunday
night. Won't you come and hear
meP"
"Well," he said, elf you put it that
way"-and one never likes to put it
that way, and yet we are willing to
be all things to all men, and even to
put down our modesty and pride
elf you put it that way, l will come"
The very next morning one Of my
neighbors in the mountains said,
"Did you hear that Harvey was very
sick 2''
l said, "No; 1 will go and see him."
l went straight to his house, and the
son said: "You cannot see him this
morning. He is critically ill, and the
doctor said no one must go in but
the nurse" I went the next day,
and he was worse, and still they
wouldn't let me in. The third day
l went, and the little grand daughter
came with tears rolling down her
face and said, "Grandpa has Just
died" The next day was Sunday,
and that day I went down to the
mountain church, and 1 preached the
sermon that l had prepared with
Harvey in mind. J. had imagined
him sitting in the pew and my
preaching the word, trying to get
the seed into the soil, but "Old Har-
vey" wasn't there; and do you know
| coulden't see those people; that
was what might be called an absent
minded sermon; my mind ran down
the road to little mountain house,
where "Old Harvey" my Adirondack
driver, lay cold in death.
And the next morning, when we
held his funeral service, and they
asked me to take part, said, 81 can
not speak; | do not feel that I am
worthy l will just read few pass
ages of Scripture" When ! fell in
line with the country folk, trying to
do what they do, though 1 dislike it,
and walked around his coffin, as l
drew near, the plate on it disappeared.
| didn't see that :; l don't think I saw
Harvey's face-I loved him dearly,
too,-but 1 saw instead the inscrip-
tion on that coffin put there by divine
hands, and it read, GA lost opportu-
nity."-Young Peoples Weekly.