Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1909-10-29

e.. 10. "A
On this planet
Lure of the Sea.
It's all-encompassing embrace, its
mystery, its Gains, its storms, its rest
less motion, its heaving tides, its eter-
nal secrets have allured and baffied
peopled its depths with gods and god
desses; ignorance and superstition
have made it the abode of enhancing
sirens and seductive mermaids. Art
lists have raved over it. poets have
sung it's praises. scientists have writ
ten learnedly Of it's value, explorers
have pushed their prows into its bays
and inlets, or dropped their sounding
lines and dredges into its fathomless
depths, commerce has whitened its
bosom with the sails of its merchant
men, and countless muicItudes have
pitched their tents upon its beach in
search Of health and vigor, or, crowd
ed its floating palaces of light, which
by day and by night, pant their way
through its healing waters
The Bible is full of references to
the sea, and some of its most drama
tic incidents relate to that natural
wonder, David, who perhaps never
saw the ocean in a storm, in one of
his Psalms has one of the most vivid
descriptions of a mid-ocean hurricane
that has ever been penned. One of
the books of the Old Testament,
q wi ioic
has centered. deals with the interrupt
ed voyage of preacher on the stormy
Mediterranean, and no more accurate
and vivid story of shipwreck was
ever written than the account, by the
Amanuensis Luke, of the laundering
Melita on which the apostle Paul was
being conveyed, prisoner to Rome.
Up to this time Paul had been
land traveller. On foot, he had
tramped all over Asia, with only oc-
casional excursions by water on short
trips from shore to shore, but his ap-
peal to Caesar, at his farcical trial
at Caesarea, made it necessary that
he should appear at the capital at
Rome. That meant a long and dan
gerous voyage in the winter season
through a sea, swept by equinoctial
storms, in merchant vessels, and any
and every sort of crazy craft, whose
owners dared or could be persuaded
to take the risk of tempest and break
ers.
Ancient and Modern Ships.
In these days of swift ships and
modern improvements voyage to
Europe is about as pleasant at one
season as another. The accommoda-
tons are palatial. every comfort and
luxury of life is provided, every wish
is gratified, there is instant and con-
slant communication with the hemi-
spheres ahead and astern, the news of
the world is found at the breakfast
table in a newspaper damp from the
press, and it is only little matter of
four days and a half from the shore
Of America to the shore of Europe,
5000 miles apart. But Paul had no
such conveniences on his historic
voyage, 1000 years ago. He was
prisoner under guard OF a Roman
soldier. The fare was of the coarsest,
the accommodations were of the poor
est herded with the imperial prison
ers from all parts of the empire, be-
ing transported to the capital to an
swer for their crimes, TO considera-
ton was shown the man whose name
was destined to endure forever; in
hunger, cold, and WEAKNESS this dis
tinguished prisoner took his Mediter-
ranean voyage from Caesarea to
Rome.
Personal Influence.
And yet before that voyage was
ended, that solitary man, little, and
prematurely old, was rrovidentially
put into position, where his person
atty and influence, permeated and
controlled the whole situation. In
the midst of a fourteen days cyclonic
tempest, the captain lost his head. the
sailors were panic-stricken. the sol
diers were ready to assassinate their
discipline prevailed. AT that juno
ture, when all nope Of being saved
had expired in every breast, this
unknown and unskilled in
sea craft, assumed command of the
ship, put heart into the hopeless, by
his calmness soothed the panic of the
hysterical, and stopped their at
tempts to abandon the passengers,
gave directions about life-preserv-
ing methods when the ship struck
the beach and began to go to
pieces under the pounding of the
waves, and by his christian fortitude,
calm trust. cheerful words. sensible
directions. and general, all-around
manhood brought passengers and
crew all safe to land without the loss
of soul.