The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1911-02-09
II o NJ E..


What is this that we call home? You
go into your own home, you sit down at
your ireside, you look into loving faces,
you speak, you hear the common words OF
everyday life, but they are the very &C
cents of music to which angels would listen.
You are together, husband and wife,
parents and children, brothers and sisters
and friends-do you ever stop to think
what all these ties are to you, and what
home means?
Home is earth's heaven-the Paradise
which is left to men here. "There is no
place like home" You cannot rest but at
home. If sick, you must be at home.
When we'll, home needs you, and your
energies are best exerted there. If bust
ness takes you away, you leave your heart
and cast many a thought behind; and as
soon as you can you are back again home.
If for social enjoyment you 60 out, the
enjoyment is just in proportion to the
amount of home you take with you; and
even then you return eagerly, with an ever
new delight in the approach to-the sight
of home.
What is home to US then, that it should
be so dear? Home? 1t is consecrated by
all the experience of life. 1t has been bap-
tized with our tears; it has been hallowed
with unuttered throbbings of heart. Death
has made it holy: our loved ones have gone
on to heaven before us from its portals.
Birth has glorified it; the smiles and the
prattle of our babes have filled it with ra-
dance more than earthly. Our songs have
filled its dwelling rooms; our prayers have
gone up from its bedsides. It's walls have
witnessed the deepest movings of our souls;
only its walls have witnessed many things
which are between us and God alone.
Home is our sanctuary-our holy of holes !;
others come into its outer courts, but inside
a mystic veil it is only ours-only ours, and
Gods.
But, most of all, home is what it is be-
cause love dwells there. Others endure us,
or respect US, or esteem US, or haply hold
us in the strong and blessed ties of a pure
wv
love-we keep that by US, we have that
with us, and in US, and over US at home.
Alas for home, when love has fled; that
must be hell! But home where love
dwells-love conjugal, paternal, filial, fra
ternal-when love is what it ought to be-
that is-no other word can speak it-home
Our hope for our land, our pride in oul
land, is in the homes that are in 1.-THE
sacred, blessed, love- sancti6ed, Christian
homes of our common people. In our free
and noble institutions? Only so long az
the pure homes of our people are beneath
and behind our institutions. Only so Ions
as pure religion dwells in our homes; fo
even behind our churches are our homes
the first and the hottest churches of all.
Society is what the homes of the peopl'
are. The nation is what citizen home
shall make it. The church is what tn
churches in our homes are. When the tru
home-sprit leaves the earth, then chaos i
come again.
God keep our homes pure! God kee
our love bright and burning! God dwel
with us in our families, and be himself be
nignant and all-gracious Father! Out Q
our homes, God make a faith and love t
grow which shall refresh our churches
which shall overflow upon our communities
which shall bring blessing down upon on
nation, which shall demonstrate fror
household to household, from communit
to community, from State to State, over a
our land, and before all the world, that W
are apeople whose God is the Lord! Hap
by is that people that is in such case.
So may it be! So shall it be; for in GU
Christian homes dwells One-that make
them Christian homes-who once had nc
where to lay his head, but who, in GU
homes and in our hearts to-day, is NOR
than honored guest and more than welcom
inmate-He is King; and all his name, an
all his will, and all his work is Love.
Volume /, Number /, of "Marston' Th
State Weekly" published in Shreveport b
Capt. B. w. Martson, reached this offc
Monday looking as bright as a new silve
dollar. May it live long and prosper.
Southern Churchman: There are pei