Year: 1867

WlIuil.S AAO " shOo~ b"Sy


insects? With what precision
they advance-no tagging behind.


no skulking, still on and on they


come, one continued unbrolken


band, all fastening to the distant


goal. What think you, should one


of them forsake the beaten track,


would not the whole line be turn


ed aside and thus defeat the OBJ
.ject of their toil2 And thus dc


aoe fall naturally and easily into
the train of those about us-jusi


as these little insect subjects fol.


low the leading ones in their train,
just so do we initiate and pattern


after our fellow-comrades in the


march of life. Do they go brave


ly on the shining path of truth


and self-denial, we will fall in
their footsteps and together hand
in hand and heart to heart we'll


reach the blissfal goaI-yea, bless
ed, thrice blessed will have been


such companionship, such holy


healthful influence! But should


they wander off in by-paths, afar
from the only true and happy


way, there, too, will we follow and
down, down, step by step, we de-
scend with them to the gloomy
wildernesses of sin and disobe.


dience. Oh! when the fatal in.
fatuation is gone and we lie crush.
ed and irit-broken in the dreary
solieudes how, in all the hopeless
desolation of a misspent life, we'll
deplore such companionship, how


plainly will shine the blood-spots


Of SIM upon our tattered robes,


and how earnestly we'll plead for
a beacon light to guide US back to


the paths of peace and purity!


Oh, happy, thrice happy, they to


whom this awakening comes not
too late, but woe to him who has


led some confding one astray-
woe to him who not only himself


descendeth but drags another i'm
mortal soul down to the baleful


morasses of woe and ruin! How


all important then that we should


study well the paths we tread,
that each should feel he is in the


right, since there may be some


struggling spirit striving earnestly
yet all unaided, in the course Of


truth and right, clinging perchance


to our robes and going whittier


soever we go. Let us not make


wrong footprints to lead them as


tray, but let us rather flash light


across their paths and extend to
them a helping hand-let us throw


a kindly arm of protection around


them and with our own kerchiefs


wipe away the drops Of suffering,
the salt tears of. grief and disap-
pointment. Aye-"Let each for


each beacon be-" "Who knows
what earth needs from earth
lowest creature" and who knows


but each and every one Of us, hum


BILE though we be, might prove an
instrument of good, a blessing


and a light to some poor pilgrim


more humble, more travelworn
than we. Yea, who knows but


with our strength, feeble though
/ it be, we may lift up and support
| some faint comrade, some sick


and suffering soldier who has
given out on the march, has ground
| ed his arms and is trailing his life


banner in the dust. Verify there S


a work of mercy for the lowliest
child of earth to perform. The


wide, wide world is full Of mourn


ers and surely where there are
mourners there is need of com


forter. In every station In life


we find them, these weary ones


who sigh for the coming Of the


end which bringeth the calm and
the peace. In your pathway per-


hap5 there is some darkened sim


defeated spirit whose hands have
fallen powerless at his side and
who stands silently watching the
Amalekites of ruin bearing down


upon him, while perchance in my
way there may be another grief


stricken mourner watching with
fixed eyes and a face cold and tear


less the hand of destiny slowly
writing in blood-red letters the


"Mene, meme tekel' of his cloud
ed life! Oh, what Q blessed thing


if we could stay up those weary


hands and turn the tide Of battle,
what a blessed thing if we could