Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1910-11-05
SATURDAY
I&E&| NIGHT
I SERMONS
BY
- ACKNOWLEDGMENT
SHADOWS.

the shadow."-Isaiah tx, 2.
Was it Burke who said: What
shadows we are! What shadows we
pursue?" He might have added, by
what shadows are we pursued" We
Americans are called very material
!stic people, supposed not to take stock
In anything unless we can see 1t and
feel 1t. Don't you believe 1t. We are
rs sensitive to shadows as n ground
hog In February. Shadows are mighty
real sometimes. At least they seem so.
The engineer flying along through tun-
nels and around curves breads the
shadow across the track. 1t may be
man; it may be a tie spiked there
The treasurer of the lodge hurries
homeward along the deserted street;
stops; grips the canvas money bag In
his pocket little tighter. What's that
near the corner? Footpad? Thank
goodness, only a 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 as full
of portent as the substance itself.
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, a strong.
husky man groaned because he was so
dark and thin. He was looking at his
shadow A beautiful girl moaned as
she looked at the ground because she
was so shrunkcn and deformed. But
she was looking at her shadow. "Oh. y
said Elaine, turn your faces to the
sun and you won't see those ugly
shadows" Sister Black was an "aw-
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 doleful as
deaf mute at a funeral. She kept In
the narrow way all right, but she
walked on the shady side. To dress
neatly and attractively was a sin.
Her hair wasn't bad, but she consid-
cred it vanity to learn 1.-The sweet de-
ceit of a woman's art" She lived In
the shadows. Brother Chance and his
wife were "hanted" by superstitions.
He didn't dare walk under a ladder,
sit at the table with thirteen or attend
business on Friday. She went to the
f,-t,, tnl1 10 frnf n rh
ward off the spooky effect Of breaking
a looking glass. When her baby came
It's 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
mockery, hcncew cries Macbeth when
the ghost of Banquo fits across the
boards of his mental stage. Only n
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 crew
Ices which do not exist. What dun
geon is so black, what jailer is so mer-
ciless? Many a lash in the dark does
he give. The lie told to trusting
mother The blow struck at a kind
father. DR.. Johnson may stand In the
market place at Litchfield In his bare
head In the pelting rain, but 1t doesn't
no tot fn htS 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 shad-
ow Ahab put Naboth to death cruel
ly and falsely slew him. He forgot
his deed for many year, when 10!
he tremblcs 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
his DOOM Shadows, shadows, shad
ows of crooked past! Shadows Of
sins unsatis6edI Shadows of death
and the dark valley!
ne SnaCo"S VNo SdSt'
Coming events cast their shadows
before them" So do men, and behind
them too. Life doesn't begin at the
cradle, nor end at the grave. Luke
tells us In the Acts Of the Apostles
that one day when Peter passed along
the street the people brought out their
sick that the shadow of Peter pass
ing by might overshadow 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 i'll. 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,
There is no God" Just live as If 1t
were so. Needn't cry, Cruelty 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
1ngersolrs. "Pilgrim's Progress" Is
Bunyan's shadow. The Age of Rea-
SON. is Paines. Surely we are the
people Of Shadow Land. Morning,
noon, evening of our little day comes.
sunset and evening star. then -slad