Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1906-08-18
NUMBER 7

the suns rays may be DETECTED when
they meet the morning clouds. The
morning clouds may act in the same
way as does looking glass in the
hands of a schoolboy. These rays are
not so much concentrated by the morn
ing clouds into one great ball OF fire
as they are sometimes scattered to
produce the strangest pictures and the
most enhancing delusions.
The mirages seen at sea and those
which have lured to death the lost
traveller looking for oases in the des-
ert may he caused by the reflections OF
the morning clouds. Monge, the noted
savant who accompanied Napoleon
Bonaparte on his African journey,
tells how the French army one day
saw a beautiful mirage when on an
Egyptian march. The soldiers had been
for hours without water No sooner
did the aerial delusion appear than be-
fore their eyes they saw beautiful
woodland. Out Of this woodland was
flowing clear stream. Upon the
banks of this stream the cattle were
coming down to drink. Not only one
man saw this mirage, but the whole
army saw II. At once the soldiers and
war chargers broke ranks and ran on
toward the supposed river bank, where
they expected to quench their thirst.
They ran on and on until they dropped
from exhaustion. Napoleon nearly
met his Waterloo on that awful day.
Had the future conqueror been destroy
ed then it would not have been by the
hand Of a Wellington, but by the de-
stroying finger Of the morning clouds.
A Deceiving Messenger.
Hermes was not only the messenger
Of the NEUROLOGICAL gods, but because
he was also supposed to be the god OF
the morning clouds he was called by
the Greeks the god Of deceit. The
morning clouds are deceiving clouds.
Hermes was the god Of the mists, the
god who was able to deceive by his
fantastic reflections Of the light of the
sun. But Hermes, with bis canvas or
morning clouds, never drew more false
|
Christ draws when he declares that
the life of q moralist is the life which
shall inherit eternal peace. What says
the Bible? do not be drunkard and
YOU shall be saved? Do not be thief
and you shall be saved? Do not be
murderer and you shall be saved? DO
not be a llbertine or liar and you
shall be savedY" No, no. That was
not the message which Christ gave unto
his disciples. Read the sixteenth chap
ter of Mark: And he said unto them:
Go We into all the world and preach the
gospel to every creature. He that be-
lleveth and is baptized shall be saved,
but he that believeth not shah be
damned" To live the He Of a cure
moralist is not enough. With his left
hand Christ brushes away the morning
clouds of an earthly repentance, and
with his right hand he points to the
star Of Bethlehem, which shines IN the
darkness Of the night, and says, THAT,
O sinner, that is thy guide TO lead
thee into paths Of eternal joy and peace,
that and that alone" Oh, my friends,
will you cease here and now to rest
your eternal hopes upon the white
feecy mist Of a morning cloud repent
ance?
Among the pictures Of the late Ve-
reschagin, the great Russian artist
there is not one which has a more In
tense interest for art students than
that which was painted above the
clouds. The noted artist wanted to
climb to the top Of one of the Hima-
laya mountains, but the guides re-
fused 10 go with him because the dan
ger was too great. Go Vereschagln
did. He went alone. He lived among
the snow and ice until he saw them
resplendent in their most gorgeous COL
ors. Then he painted his wonderful
picture entitled above the Clouds"
Higher than all the sea Of clouds,
Vereschagln portrayed the mighty
peaks of the Himalayas lifting them
selves. Thus may we be gospel We
reschagins today. May we climb
the Himalaya heights of Calvary. May
we put our hand in Christ's hand and
go higher and higher until we climb
above the morning clouds OF vapory
repentance May we climb higher and
higher until we browse at the foot or
the cross. Then may we paint the
mountain peaks of Gods mercy. We
may paint his mountain peaks OF love
and forgiveness. Then, like Moses.
may we come down from the cloud
lands and give to the sinful world
this picture, in the center Of which we
are to be found kneeling at the foot of
the cross. wilt thou do this, o i'm
mortal mau? Is your repentance to
be of longer duration than the morn
ing clouds, or shall we give our
whole nature, mind and soul and
heart, into his hands to be made
new creation, all attuned TO his will,
changed In everything TO his nature?
Then shall we know what the apostle
meant when he said, "Beholding as in
glass the glory of the Lord, we are
changed into the same image from
glory to glory, even as by the spirit OF
the Lord" May that be our passion
ate desire, and then we can say with
the psalmist, Il shall be satisfied
when awake with thy likeness"
fcopyright, 1906. by Louis Klopsch.l