The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1914-03-05
SATURDAY.
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gEySAMUELW. pUPy1S,D.D.
BLAZING The TRAIL.


They showed me road in Lamar
county, Miss, where my great grand
father. had blazed his way as a pioneer
through swamp and forest OF the old
Bayou State. He was but type OF
the iron hearted pathfinders who.
through hardship and deprivation,
with the spirit Of high adventure and
romantic glory. cut the trees and broke
the twigs in the virgin Businesses OF
the new western world. Not only We're
there gold and free lands and home
steads, but there was the lure Of some
thing beyond the range" over prairie,
mountain and desert. the wanderluSt
and the quest for something new. From
the eastern seaboard the dusty prairie
schooner slowly crept along river bot
tom and over mountain. From the
blue Juniata to where rolls the Ore
gon' they left dying ennbers and often
tiny graves. And that pioneer Wo
man! like that statue to her in Den
ver babe in her arm. musket in hand.
defending child and home. 1t thrills
me yet. No wonder Colorado is wo-
mans suffrage state Its earliest wom-
en- were east in heroic mold
The Start Of the Trail.
How simply is the way begun!
stood on the corner Of swarming
street of a great western city. Back
of the passing crowds | looked and
saw. not the paved street aud heavy
motor truck but lone deer on its way
to salt lick. breaking through the
underbrush A wolf shifted the tracks
in the soft earth. Soon buffalo bruised
their cumbrous way. A band of soft
footed Indians pl ssed the path. Pic
neers and trappers cut their mark On
tree bark Pony riders loped wider
the trail. White covered prairie wagon
enlarged the road. Soon there's Il vii
lage street with struggling stores To
day crowded thoroughfare with 100.-
600 pedestrians The crook in the
street at that magnificent skyscraper
is where the deer turned his head to
browse on some tender leaves Human
at last leads to the city of our God
Countless generations are born igno
rant of their whereabouts. bringing no
compass, no knowledge of pole star to
guide. only rising and setting sun and
many hours Of darkness Most are
glad to follow the trail blazed by the
| centuries before Now and then a
youth strikes ont for himself If he
succeeds there's new highway If he
fails his bones do but whiten the des
ert or act as warning to some in
trcpid one in forest brake
| The Pathfinders.
Shortly ago ! stood on the New Jer
sey sands where great airship had
burst into flames and plunged with
sickening speed into the sea, carrying
its five horror bound navigutUrs Loo
feet through the rays of II rising sun
to their death. Before their eyes
passed in a single flashing moment Of
terror q .stupendons allesory of life. of
the soul of man When afterward
looked on the tragic wreck of the air
ship that was to cross the ocean the
spirits of Melvin Vaniman and his
brother Calvin and their three mech
anicians filled my eyes. In each was
embodied supremely the instructive
vision and human courage which con-
ceives of triumph in untried spheres
and goes willingly to death to test
their dreams From the ranks OF
these have come the pathfinders. the
trail breakers, Of human achievement
Where imagination leads they will fol
low. Fenimore Cooper's Pathfinder
whether it be John G. Fremont or any
of the 300 aeronauts who mp to this
of the air. are of one blood They
died Alright A Columbus sailing nm
charted seas, Commander Pe;lry in the
arctic. Lieutenant Scott in the ant
arctic. Dr. Grenfell in Labrador. Johr
Brown ut Harpers Ferry. Father Ma
thew and Neal Dow in New England
Paul. the pioneer missionary, al the
Hellespont; Carey in India. Living
stone in Africa. are part Of those wht
with bleeding feet and aching hear
have carried forward the banner Of tb.
cross or the standards Of humanity.
"Via Crucis."
like John the Baptist. Yes. he wa,
crude, with his garment of camel hal
and his fare of locust and wild honey
He was crude. But don't laugh mt
man because he is crude and uncontl
and has sledge hammer ways of doinl
things The men who blazed the wa,
across our continent to where smiling
grainfields and trim hedges and com
Portable homes of some of IFS roy
stand We're crude men, They drove OK
carts that would make your high pow
cred touring car or luxurious Pni
man curl its lip. but there never wonl
have been Pullman or traffic to SUI
port Pullman without the trait blazers
Dynamite does what silk floss neve
could accomplish. John the Baptis
was the road breaker: be prepared tn
way for the Christ. The kingdom q
God is a democracy. Divine paradox
1t levels the mountains. The crooke
places are made straight. Roug
places are made smooth. Are you
trail breaker? Blazing the way &c
others? Sunday schoolteacher Chri
tian Endeavors worker. Kings Daugl
ter? Do markings on trees grow fair
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