The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1910-11-04
<4A,SATURDAY
o.. .1s4:et.> NIGHT
! I SERMONS
BY
s.. REvMNUELW.PURWsDl
SHADOWS.

shadows we are! What shadows we
pursucV He might have added, by
what shadows are we pursued" We
Americans are called very material
iStic people, supposed not to take stock
in anything unless we can see II and
feel It, Don't you believe It, Wc,are
as sensitive to shadows as n ground
hog in February. Shadows are mighty
real sometimes. At least they seem So
The engineer dying along through tun-
nciS and around curves breads the
shadow across the track. 1t may be u
man; 1t may be, Il tie spiked there
The treasurer of the lodge hurriCS
homeWard along the deserted street;
stops; grips the canvas money bag in
his pocket Il little tighter. What's that
near the corner? Footpad? Thank
goodness, only n shadow! The money
was taken from the employers desk.
Your son was the last one seen at the
drawer. He telephones Father, come
quickly" Heavens, your own boy I'M
der The shadow of suspicion TO the
person concerned the shadow is MS full
OF portcnt as the substance itsel&
Living In Shadows.
In the quaint little story OF "The
Land of the Shadow People" Elaine
found that the people walked and
worked with their backs to the sun.
In the morning they faced west; in the
afternoon they faced east. \ strong,
husky man groancd because he was SO
dark and thin. He was looking at his
shadow a beautiful girl moancd as
she locked at the ground because she
was so Shrunkon ana dCfurncd. But
she was looking at her shadow. "Oh,"
said Elaine, turn your faces to the
sun and yea won't see those ugly
shadows" Sister Black was an Jaw
fur good Christian, conscientious. eX-
acting. Her keynote was the old hymn
and Am Born to Die" No one
doubted her goodness. But, my, you
wouldn't want to live in the same
house. Gloomy? She was dolcful as
a deaf mute 1T Il funeral. She kept in
the narrow way all right, but she
walked on the shady side. 70 dress
neatly and HttrUCtively was sin.
Her hair wasn't bad, but she cOnsid-
cred it vanity TO learn "the sweet de-
ceit of a Wunan's art" She lived in
the shadows. Brother Chance and his
wife were "hHnted" by superstitions
He didn't dare walk under ladder,
sit at the table with thirteen or attend
business on Friday. She went to the
fortune tcllcrs to get lucky charm to
ward off the Spooky effect Of breaking
looking glass. When her baby came
its life and hers were made miserable
by dread of what was "unlucky." The
same faith toward their God would
have kept them in sunshine, but they
lived and suffered in shadow land.
Pursued by Shadows.
Hence. horrible shadow, Unreal
mockcry, heHcc! cries Macbeth when
the ghost OF Eanquo fits across the
boards of his mental stage. Only a
shadow, of course. Such shadows are
awful things though. You can bar the
windows and barricade the doors
against the burglar and the thief, but
you can't bar out such shadows. They
will creep in through cracks and GREY
ices which do not exist. What dun
gGon is so black, what jaiIer is so mer-
CHESS? Many lash in the dark does
he give. The lie told to a trusting
mother. The blow struck at n kind
father. DR.. Johnson may stand in the
market place ut Litchfeld in his bare
head in the pelting rain but it doesn't
bring back the cutting taunt to his old
father on that spot years before. Shad-
ows, Jacobs sons sinned greatly
against their brother Joseph, and TWEEN
ty years after the ghost of their foul
doings rose out Of Egypt like II shad-
ow. Ahab put Naboth to death cruel
~ and falsely slew him. He forgot
his deed for many year, when 10!
lie trembles before the ghost of his
bloody crime. BelshaZZar, with terror
In eye and fear writ on every feature,
sees The shadow creep along the wall
and the fingers of mans hand write
ows of a crooked past! Shadows of
sins unsatisned! Shadows of death
and the dark valley!
The Shadows We Caat
Coming events cast their shadows
before them" So do men, and behind
them too. Life doesn't begin at the
cradle, nor end ut the grave. Luke
tells us in the Acts of the Apostles
that one day when Peter passed along
the street the people brought out sheir
sick that the shadow of Peter pass
ing by might Ovcrshadow some of
them" and heal them. That makes
one think Coal throws off heat, VIC
lets give perfume, fruit gives refresh
ment and this mysterious bundle of
forces called man carries shadow
for good or ILL., 1t goes with us wher-
ever we GO If we don't like our house
we can move into the next street. or
the next town, but not from our shad-
Ow. It's the projection of ones own
self. 1t is so powerful. Needn't say.
"ThCrC is no God" Just live rs If it
were 80. Needn't cry. "Crucify him."
Just stay away. Toward evening the
shadow ought to grow longer 1t may
be flung across the grave. Dwight l.,
Moody's shadow is still here. SO is
InpprSOll'S "pilrrin'S prpprpSS" IL