Milford chronicle., 1906-06-01


. atheists and agnostics here?" Eyes, -
he answered "but l want to tell you a
8 very wonderful fact about this: AL
4 most without exception the good men
e are believers in Jesus Christ. And the
y old soldiers who are atheists and ag-
> nostics can be classed among the can
= teen men," "Ah," then l said, ''that
accounts for the inidelity among the
old soldiers" 1t is the same reason
! which accounts for infidelity every
where found among the men and the
women of today Atheism and agnos-
ticism and infidelity are in most cases
not matter of the head but of the
life
When a man wants to drink and to
go to places of evil resort, then that
man wants to argue away Christ.
Among the canteen men you find most
of the scoffers and the deriders of Je-
sus Christ Among the frequenters Of
the saloons and of the low variety
shows and of the places of evil resort
/ you can find the most of those who are
enemies of the cross. If you are ready |
| to give up your sins, then you are able |
| to appreciate Christ. 1t is sin which |
is binding our eyes to the cross, and |
not doubt. And would have you, fur
thermors, remember that when you ap-
prOach the grave, like the old soldiers,
the more those sins will get a tighter
grip upon you and the less you will be
able to see Jesus Christ as he is AS Il
now call to the old soldiers trembling
upon the verge of the grave 1 would
call to you: Except We give up your
sins ye shall never see the glory and
the beauty of Jesus Christ. Repent
Repent! Repent of your sins or We
shall all likewise perish"
A Great Picture.
Oh, that we all might be what every
Christian veteran Of the Grand Army
Of the Republic ought to be. Some
time ago 1 saw one Of the most dra-
matte pictures ever painted by the
brush Of man. A young society wom-
an was seated on a sofa in a fashion
able home. A young man in regula-
tion evening dress suit was in a chair
opposite her. He had evidently just
made an offer of marriage to this beau
tiful young girl and was waiting for
the answer. Her eyes were looking
into the far distance, and there before
her, on his knees, with a bloody band
age about his forehead, was the ghost
Of her soldier hero, with a pleading
face and with arms outstretched to-
ward her, begging his loved one to be
true to his memory. That was a pow
erful picture, but no more powerful
than l see before me in many and
many an old veterans life. l see the
old soldier sitting in the twilight Of
life. He, too, sees two visions before
him. On the one side sits the man of
he world in evening dress, the symbol
If the sin and the selfshness and the
svil of life. He is saying to the old
yeteran: Friend, come with me. We
AVE often together made merry. Come
With me-" On the other side of the old
-eteran 1 see the ghost of a young sol
lier arising and pleading with the vet
ran to be as he once was, when he went
Orth to war The old face of the vet
ran and the young face Of the ghost
re one. The young face seems to
ay: BE like me. Be like me when
Ou went forth to battle for your ma
i've land when the kiss of a Christian
lother was upon your forehead. Be
Ike me when you used to kneel down
l simple faith and say your prayers.
e like me when you used to read your
ible. Oh, aged veteran, be like me!'
nd there sits the veteran on the verge
the grave, with two spirits-the
bod spirit and the bad spirit-plead-
g with him.
The picture changes. Now instead
the veteran sitting in the chair l -
e your face, o man. The two spir-
s-the good spirit and the bad spirit
e pleading with you. When the good
ifit in a soldiers uniform turns and
Us, "Be like me, be like me, be as
~ tmce were when you knelt by your
others knee" I hear the strong
'werful voices of thousands Of Chris
IN soldiers like Generals Clinton B.
SIX and Samuel c. Armstrong and
enerals Fallows and q. S. Grant and
ltherfOrd B. Hayes and James A.
lrfeld and Major William Mckinley
Id General o. o. Howard say: "Yes,
as you once were when you knelt
your mothers knee. BE like Christ.
: like Christ" Was the picture of IA
e great artist purely imaginative? M
it only a foolish vision of mine when III
assert that on this memorial Sabbath
y see all the noble Christian NOM IN
rs of the Grand Army of the Re- N
lbfc, heroes in war and heroes in
ace, talking to us and pleading with
to be like Christ?
copyright, 1906 by Louis Klopssh.l
#