Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1911-01-19
NEW VOL. 46-No. 3.
A Leper. But


Syria, was great man with his master
and honorable-he was also a mighty
man in valor; but he was leper."
Mary Richards, sitting in the back seat,
was not thinking OF Naaman the Syrian;
still less was she thinking OF any message
TO herself. She had slipped in the open
door simply TO have an hour alone
something that the little house never gave
her except late at night. She wanted an
hour in which 10 be miserable over all
the hard conditions OF her Iite-the seven
years she had spent trying TO make
home for father and the children, crowd
ed, tired, discouraged years, with no
room for girls happy times, much less
for the education OF which she had once
dreamed. And now, just when Il seemed
as il things ought 10 be getting easier,
with Tom in good place. and Sadie al
most through high school, Tom had be-
come engaged, and Sadie was declaring
that she would not 90 TO the normal school
she would rather 60 into store. Per-
hapS il was not strange that Mars Rich
ards was not interested in Syrian leper
who had died nearly three thousand
years ago.
Now Naaman was a leper. But The
word rang out through the chnrch like a
trumpet. Mary Richards, startled, forgot
Tom and Sadie for moment. And IN
that moment the preacher captured her
He described Damascus first, lying, a Sil-
yer city, upon the heart OF a desert,
dreaming lis tmeleSs dream" today as
three thousand years ago, place OF beau
ty and enchantment. He pictured Naa-
man the first gentleman OF Damascus
honored, courted the favored OF the king,
the hero of the people. And then the
sudden horror; the mockery OF il all IN
the face OF The hideous death creeping
relentleSsly upon him. Small wonder Il
heart and hope and courage tailed and he
sank into life OF bitter idleness. But
did he ?
Naaman was lepcr. lie knew il
knew what was certainly before him;
but he was a great man and honorable,
and a captain of the host. No faltenng
here-no cowardlce OF the soul. Death
was before him-death in its most loath-
some and dreaded form, but the man who
had faced ms country's foes faced his
own with the same undauntcd front. lie
must Gle, ut he would die fighting lie
must die, but all the more reason that he
should do a mans full work in the time
that was left
Yes, Naaman was leper, but-up in
the little back hill country OF Judea was
a man said TO possess strange powers.
II was even nmored that he could restore
the dead 10 life II Naaman should go 10
him with gifts
Now the girls thoughts were running
double. Hai-consciously she followed
The story of the iourney-Naaman's con-
tempt OF the directions that came TO him,
OF his consent finally TO make trial oi The
command, OF his complete healing. Halt
consciously she was thinking Of the lep-
rosy, not OF ilagrant sin, but OF doubt,
Encouragement, discomfort. Naaman
was leper, but-noi duty did he relax,
not task did he slight for the awful
handicap. And she ? What. after al.
were her troubles compared with those
OF hundreds of others all about her2 She
was young and strong, and she was need
ed. And was there not One 10 help2
When the service was over, the girl in
the back sea. slipped out, her tired young
face full OF fresh courage.