THE-
-A.N EXCELLENT 1
Official Organ of Washington County.
' TIBST OP ALL THE NEWS.
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Circulates extensively In (he Counties el V
Washington, Martin, Tyrol! and BsaoforL
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"FOR GOD, FOR COUNTRY, AND FOR TRUTH."
SINGLE COPY, 5 CENTS.
VOL. X.
PLYMOUTH, N. C., FRIDAY, MARCH 24, 1899.
NO. 27.
4
1
THE GIFT
When sorrow comes with waiting breath.
And sinks beneath its weight of years,
Nor finds that hope can save from death.
God gives the blessed gift of tears.
If gladness floods the heart and brain.
And passion born of love appears
Till pleasure almost kisses pain,
God gives the blessed gift of tears.
r
AN ARIZONA EPISODE.
J
BY COSMOS
I was sitting iu my tent one after
noon in November absorbed in some
mathematical calculations connected
with my work, when I heard a tre
mendous splashing in the river a few
hundred yards below, followed by
shots and yells and the sound of gal
loping horses. A moment later four
men rode into camp like a whirlwind.
Loud cries of "Where is he?" "Don't
let him get away!" "Who's got the
rope?" gave me an inkling of what
they were after. They wanted me.
The camp was a large one, and gen
erally there were eight or ten white
men and forty or fifty Indians about;
but this happened to be a holiday, and
all the men had goDe away except my
tent mate, Barton, and myself. We
were building some large irrigating
ditches, and I had come out to take
charge of the work only a short time
before. I had found it necessary to
discharge a number of the men and
replace thein by others. Only the
day before I had had trouble with one
of the men, Leonard by name. He
went a little too far, and I knocked
him down. As he arose he picked up
a heavy club and came at me with it,
but throwing up my left hand to guard
my head I caught the blow on it and
kuocked him down again with my
right. That settled the matter, I sup
posed, for the fellow went off to his
tent, swearing roundly and calling
for a gnu with which to clean out the
;amp.
Bnt when I heard the splashing at
the ford I remembered the incident of
the day before, and on the instant it
flashed into my mind that I had no
weapon of any kind and that I might
need one. I slipped out quickly, and
running down to a tent near the end
oE the line I seized a revolver and
belt of cartridges which I knew were
there and was back when the men rode
up.
: I remained in my tent while the
men dismounted and tied their horses
together. Leonard appeared to be the
leader of the gang, for I heard him
say:
"Look here, boys, I'm the captain
of this outfit, and you've got to do
just what I tell you. We'll do all
that we came down here to do before
we leave; you must leave it to me."
"All right," responded another.
'We're here for fun."
"We'll have our fun all right," re
plied Leonard. "Come into my tent
and talk it over. You, Miller, stay
here with the horses and watch that
tent there so he can't get away,"
Leaving oue of their number out
side with the horses under the big
tree, the men went into the tent next
to mine.- They had all been drinking,
and as I was separated from them
only by two thin canvas walls and
twenty feet of space, their conversa
tion was easily audible.
The conversation I heard was amus
ing, even under the circumstances.
Leonard was laying out the program
to be followed "and telling his com
panions what a "worthless cuss" I
was, the burden of his accusations
being that I wore white shirts in
camp and was "a long-legged cuss
from the east. "
The man left on guard outside I
knew; he was one of our own men.
While the talking was going on in the
next tent hi came in to see me and to
explain that he had been forced to
come down with the others against
his will. He added that if I wished
to get away he would make no effort
to stop me.
My plan was to run out just as the
rifle was fired and bringing down the
man who had it, for I could hardly
miss him at twenty feet distance, get
in one more shot as the others crowded
to the door and were well bunched to
gether and then break for the big tree,
from behind which as a shelter I would
stand as good a chance as two men in
' the open.
Filling my coat pocket with loose
cartridges and taking my revolver in
my right hand, I was on the point of
stepping outside and opening the pro
ceedings when I heard one of the men
say :
"That's no fun. Let's make him
put up his fists before we hang him;
or, if he won't do that, we'll make
him wade the river."
"That's great," replied another.
"We might as well have some fun out
of him first. Come on."
Remembering the old western
maxim, "Never show a gun until you
use it," I tucked my revolver into my
vest so that it was out of sight, but
with the butt not more than two inches
from my hand as I held my pipe to my
IQuth. I turned to Barton, who was
Trembling, and cautioning him to con
trol himself I lighted my pipe and re
named ray stool near the front of the
OF TEARS.
Though trouble rises Gorgon-wise,
Or bristles like a host of spears,
And Nature stares with sphinx-like eyes,
God gives the blessed gift of tears.
Where tigers roam, or sen birds call,
Or where man wrestles with his years,
In palace, waste or cottage small,
God gives the blessed gi.t of tears.
MINDELEFR
was thrust aside and a man entered,
followed by two others.
The first comer was a little fellow,
slender and not much over five feet in
height, bnt he had a wicked look in
his eyes and the face of a professional
desperado. I learned atterward that
he was considered the "bad man" of
the neighborhood. Behind him was
a big man in a flannel shirt and no
coat, with a .45 Colt tucked into the
waistband of his trousers. He was a
saloon keeper in a small town near by
and had provided the "courage" for
the expedition. "Back of him came
Leonard, his face inflamed with drink.
I remained seated, while Barton backed
off to the rear of the tent.
The little fellow looked at me, and
I looked at him. Neither spoke for a
minute or more. Finally the suspense
became too great; he shifted from one
foot to the other and presented such a
picture of uneasiness that I laughed.
At this he recovered his self-possession
and said:
"Good day! I haven't been intro
duced to you; my name is Carter.
Leonard, introduce me to this gentle
man." Leonard yelled out my name,
and Carter resumed: "We've come
down with our friend Leonard here to
see that ho gets satisfaction for the
way you've treated hrm. WVve de
cided that you'll either have to put up
your dukes against all three of us or
wade the river three times."
"Very well," I replied. "In that
case I will fight. I expect you to act
as my second and see that I have fair
play. Draw a ring outside, and I will
join you iu a moment." I knew that
I would have to remove my coat and
vest, and I wished to get rid of my re
volver without letting them see it.
As they went out I turned to Bar
ton and, to my consternation, found
him the picture of abject fear. Put
ting my revolver into the holster I
handed it to him and told him to stand
by the door with it when I went out,
to closely watch the men during the
fight aud if either of them raised his
gun, or if more than one at a time at
tacked me, to fire into the crowd, and
in the confusion following the unex
pected shot I would have an opportu
nity to break for the tent, snatch the
revolver from his hands and from be
hind the shelter of the big tree hold
my own against them.
Barton said he understood and
promised to follow my instructions.
Afterward I learned that as soon as I
turned my back he dropped the pistol
and ran out into the bushes, where he
hid himself. But not knowing this at
the time I went out with confidence
and stood up before Leonard in the
ring.
Leonard was almost exactly my
height and weight, and as he stood be
fore me stripped to a tight-fitting
undershirt, trousers and moccasins, I
could see the movement of his muscles
as he put up his guard aud made play
with his bauds. He seemed no mean
antagonist, and I thought as I exam
ined him critically that I would have
to do my best, disabled as I was, if I
held my own in the coming struggle.
But I noticed that his face was flushed
with drink and excitement, and in that
I felt that I had an advantage.
The ring had been drawn nearly in
the centre of the open space; Carter
and his companion stood a little to one
side with their pistols in their hands,
"to see fair play," and they notified
me that if I made the slightest move
which they considered unfair they
would take a hand in the fight. Car
ter came up and examined my clothing
to see that I "had no weapon. Then,
turning to Leonard, he said:
"We'll see that you do him up,"
and a moment later asked him, "Are
you ready?"
By this time a number of Indians
and Mexicans had appeared, attracted
by the sound of the firing, and they
stood in little groups some distance
off, ready to break away into the
bushes if pistol play recommenced.
"Play ball!" shouted Carter, and I
advanced and put up my guard. Leon
ard made a pass at me, but failed to
laud. 1 had been a good boxer in my
boyhood days, and tho knowledge now
stood me in good stead.
While the sparring was going on I
kept one eye on Carter and the big
man. I was afraid that a straight
knockout blow delivered by me would
be the signal for two pistol shots and
that Barton might not be quick euough
to lire first, I temporized, sparring
lightly, until Carter called out:
"Kick him, Leonard; kick the stuf
fiug out of him."
"Hold on," I cried, "kicking is not
allowed;" fori had been notified that
"this was to be a fair fight, no rough
and tumble."
ter in a surly tone. This angered me,
and as Leonard made another rush at
me I met him half way, aud striking
through his guard I lauded my right
full in his face. Leonard spun around
aud around and finally measured hi3
length on the ground, fully twelve feet
from where I stood. As he fell I
whirled upon his two companions and
cried out, "One for me."
"Yes, that's one for you," replied
Carter. "But it's my turn aext. "
"Wait a moment," I replied. "I'm
not through with Leonard yet, nor
will I be until he has said he has had
enough."
"I've had euough," rejoin d Leon
ard, rising to his feet. "It's Carter's
turn now. Give me that gun, and if
he hits you the way he hit me I'll blow
his head off."
"If Leonard has enough, so have
I," was my reply. "I shall certainly
not fight with men I never saw be
fore." "Well, if you won't, you won't," he
rejoined. "Let's call it square."
Joining the two men I moved with
them toward the tent into which Leon
ard was just disappearing. I noticed
one of our Indians standing by the
door, a magnificent specimen of a
man, over six feet tall aud a noted
warrior. Apparently he had just ar
rived.aud I nodded to him as we came
up, for we were great friends. It did
not occur to me that there was any
thing peculiar about his standing
there at the door, but his experience
was greater than mine as the sequel
will show.
Just before we reached the tent, and
when perhaps twelve feet away from
it, one of the men stopped me a mo
ment to emphasize some remark, and
as I turned again the canvas flap of
the tent was thrust aside, aud I found
myself looking straight into the muz
zlp of a Winchester.
As I looked the little black hole
seemed to grow and expand; all the
interest of my life seemed centred in
that spot. The perspiration started
out on me, and it ma- be that my
hair use. I thought of a great many
things, but above all I remember I
longed for something to happen that
black hole was maddening. Tho time
seemed very long, but it could not
have been more than a second when I
saw flame leap from the muzzle of the
gun. I heard the ball , whiz over my
shoulder; my Indiau friend had seized
the muzzle of the rifle at the very mo
ment when the trigger was pulled.
Had he been but the fraction of a sec
ond later some one else would have
had to tell this story.
I had seemed under a spell as. I
gazed down into that little black hole,
but the sight of the flame and the
noise of the discharge restored me. I
cleared the intervening space with a
spring. As I came through the door
like a wild duck on the wing I saw
my Indian friend and the fourth man
of the gang struggling with Leonard.
They had just taken the rifle away
from him, and a moment later he
broke down and became hysterical.
The men assured me that the gun
had been accidentally discharged, and
although I knew better I accepted the
explanation. Leonard's state was pit
iable. He seized my hand and press
ing it convulsively between his own
again and again asked my pardon and
wailed, "Why did you hit me so hard?"
For over an hour we worked to
soothe and quiet him, aud finally I saw
them all out of camp, just as a wagon
filled with our own men returned.
Barton also turned up as the wagon
pulled in, and then I learned for the
first time how frail my dependence on
him had been. New York Commer
cial Advertiser.
Queer Way to Quiet Babie.
That humanity can benr anything to
which it i3 accustomed in early life is
proved by the selection of sleeping
places for the children by the native
women living in the slopes of the
Himalaya mountains. They are ob
liged to work iu the fields for the
greater part of the day, and have
lighted upon this extraordinary ex
pedient for keepiug their children
quiet while they are away from home.
Before going to work they swaddle
their infants completely in bandages,
leaving only the face exposed. Then
they place them under a ledge of rock
from which water is dripping. By
means of a bamboo rod, a tiuy stream
of water is made to fall on the baby's
forehead. The dripping of the water
seems to have a lulling effect upon
the children, for they drop asleep al
most immediately and remain mo
tionless until the mother's return.
Then they are unwrapped, dried aud
fed.
The natives declare thi3 system to
be most beneficial tothe child's health,
aud, oddly enough, very few of them
succumb to the treatment, growing
up, for the most part, into strong,
healthy meu and women. Pearson's
Weekly.
Lake Level Figures,
Lake level figures received for the
past year by Heci etary Keep of the
Lake Carriers' association show that
Lake Superior has been above its
average for the past 12 years; Lakes
Huron and Michigan one foot below
the level of the last 28 years; Lake
Erie holding her own. These reports
confirm the theory that rainfall alone
determines the lake level, and that
deepening chanuels has nothing to do
DEWEY AND VON DIEDERICH.
The Hero of Manila's Message to the
Meddlesome German Admiral.
In the article "With Dewey at
Manila," by Joseph L. Stickney in
Harper's Magazine, the first detailed
account of how our admiral put a stop
to the ill-mannered behavior of the
Germans after the battle of Manila, is
given as follows:
Our courteous and courtly commo
dore made no sign. He was waiting
until he could put an end to the whole
annoyance with one crushing blow.
At last the opportunity came. He
learned on unquestionable authority,
that one of the German vessels had
landed provisions in Manila, thereby,
violating neutrality. I was not pres
ent when he sent his message to Ad
miral von Diederich, and therefore I
do not speak from personal knowledge
concerning it; but I learned the facts
from a perfectly authentic source, as
follows:
"Orderly, tell Mr. Brumby I would
like to see him," said Admiral Dewey
one forenoon.
"Oh, Brumby," he continued, when
the flag-lieutenant made his appear
ance on the quarter-deck, "I wish you
to take the barge aud go over to the
Germau flagship. Give Admiral von
Diederich my compliments, and say
that I wish to call his attention to the
fact that the vessels of his squadron
have shown an extraordinary disre
gard of the usual courtesies of naval
intercourse, aud that finally one. of
them has committed a gross breach of
neutrality in lauding
Mauila, a port which
provisions in
I am blockad-
ing."
The commodore's voice had been as
low and as sweetly modulated as if he
had beeu sending von Diederich an
invitation to dinner. When he stopped
speaking, Brumby, who did not need
any better indication of the commo
dore's mood than the unusually formal
and geutle manner of his chief, turned
to go, making the usual official salute,
and replying with the customary, "Ay,
ay, sir."
"And, Brumby,"continuedthe Com
modore, his voice rising and ringing
with the iutensity of feeling that he
felt he had repressed about long
enough, "tell Admiral von Diederich
that if he wants a fight he cau have it
right now!"
Brumby went with his message, and
the commodore paced the quarter-deck
in silence for a considerable time, evi
dently working off some of the high
pressure that had brought forth this
emphatic message to the German ad
miral. The latter seut back the ex
traordinary reply that he had not
known anything about these actions
of his captains, and that they would
not be repeated. When oue considers
the rigidity of discipline that is sup
posed to exist in the Germau navy, the
character of Admiral von Diederich's
apology is all the more incomprehen'
sible.
WIDE-AWAKE AMERICANS.
Bir William Van Home on Their Part in
Developing: Canada's Resource.
Though the pulp and paper industry
at Grande Mare on the iSt. Maurice
river, in which Secretary Alger is
largely interested, is the most exten
sive of its kind iu Canada American
enterprise is about to give Canada a
still more important establishment of
the same kind. It will be situated at
Grand Falls in New Brunswick.
SirJWilliau Van Home, president of
Canadian Pacific railway, who is in
terested with Secretary Alger in the
Grande Mare concern, pointing out
the remarkable fact that both that and
the undertaking at Grand Falls were
due to the tourist travel to Canada.
Secretary Alger came here a few years
ago for pleasure, aud while up the St.
Maurice saw the water power and
pulp wood fcide by side and grasped
the opportunity presented. Senator
Proctor of Vermont comes up to Can
ada hunting moose very often. His
guides took him to Grand Falls and
he conceived at once the idea of the
powerful syndicate that he has formed
t operate the water power. What
Canadians are failing to do for them
selves, said Sir William, Americans
are doing for th:m. He could not
understand, when he first came to
Canada, how Cauadians failed to take
advantage of what nature had done
for them. They see their natural ad
vantages every day aud do nothing
with them. American tourists, on the
other hand, come here for rest and
recreatiou. They are never too tired
to use their eyes, however, and whila
recuperating health aud energy in
Canada they quickly see and appreci
ate opportunities lor enterprise. Many
of the finest buildings in Vancouver
aud Winnipeg, he said, have beeu
erected by tourists, who when pass
ing through those cities foresaw their
future. New York Sun.
To Harness Whirlpool l!npiU.
A company has been organized foi
the purpose of developing the powet
of the Whirlpool Rapids by means oi
a canal built inside or beneath the
tracks of the Gorge road. This canal
will start 300 feet below the lowei
arch and will be 350 feet long and IOC
feet wide. It will give 000 elec
trical horse power in a station at the
Whirlpool. The cost is mentioned at
$2,000,000. Enormous quantities oi
rock will hare to ba excavated if th
project goes through, i
DR. TALMAGFS SEEHON.
SUNDAY'S DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject: "Bundles of Life" Inspiration
Drawn From a Homely Phrase Life,
Spiritual and Physical, is Divinely Pro
tectedBundles Which Are Blessings.
Text: "The soul of my Lord shall be
bound In the bundle of life with the Lord
thy God." I Samuel xxv., 29.
Beautiful Abigail, In her rhythmic plea
tor the rescue of her Inebriate husband,
who died within ten days, addresses David,
the warrior, in the words of the text. She
suggests that his life, physically and in
t9llectually and spiritually, Is a valuable
package or bundle, divinely bound up and
to be divinely protected.
The phrase "bundle of life" I heard many
times in my father's family prayers. Fam
ily prayers you know, have frequent repeti
tions, because day by day they acknowl
edge about the same blessings and deplore
about the same frailties and sympathize
with about the same misfortunes, and I do
not know why those who lead at household
devotions should seek variety of composi
tion. That familiar prayer becomes the
household liturgy. I would not giv9 one
of my old father's prayers for fifty elocu
tionary supplications. Again and again,
in the morning and evening prayer, I heard
the request that we might all be bound up
in the bundle of life, but I did not know
until a few days ago that the phrase was a
Bible phrase.
During the last spell of cold weather
there were bundles that attracted the at
tention and the plaudits of tho high heav
ens, bundles of clothing on the way from
comfortable homes to the door of the
mission room, and Christ stood In the
snowbanks and said as the bundles passed:
"Naked, and ye clothed me. Inasmuch as
ye have done it unto one of the least of
these my brethren ye have done it
unto me." Those bundles are mnltlbly
ing. Blessings on those who pack them.
Blessings on those who distribute them.
Blessings on those who receive them.
With what beautiful aptitude did Abigail
in my text speak of the bundle of life! Oh,
what a precious bundle is life! Bundle of
memories, bundle of hopes, bundle of
ambitions, bundle of destinies! Oncein
a while a man writes his autobiography,
nnd it is of thrilling interest. The story of
his birthplace, the story of his struggles,
the story of his sufferings, the story of his
triumphs! But if the autobiography of the
most eventful life were well written it
would make many chapters of adventure,
of tragedy, of comedy, and there would
not be an uninteresting step from cradle
to grave.
Bundle .of memories are youl Boyhood
memories, with all its injustices from play
mates, with all its game with ball and bat
and kite and sled. Manhood memories,
with all your struggles in starting ob
stacles, opposition, accidents, misfortunes,
losses, successes. Memories of the first
marriage you ever saw solemnized, of the
first grave you ever saw opened, of the
first mighty wrong you ever suffered, of
the first victory you ever gained. Memory
cf the hour when you were affianced, mem
ory of the first advent in your home, mem
ory of roseate cheek faded and of blue
eyes closed in the last sleep, memory of
anthem and of dirge, memory of great
pain and of slow convalescence, memory of
times when all things were against you,
memory of prosperities that came in like
the full tide of the sea, memories of a life
time. What a bundle!
Bundle of hopes and ambitions also Is al
most every man and woman, especially at
the starting. What gains he will harvest,
or what reputation he will achieve, or
what bliss he will reach, or what love he
will win. What makes college commence
ment day so entrancing to all of us as we
see the students receive their diplomas and
take up the garlands thrown to their feet?
They will be Faradays in science; they will
be Tennysons In poesy; they will be Willard
Parkers in surgery; they will be Alexander
Hamiltons in national finance; they will be
Horace Oreeleys in editorial chair; they
will be Wepsters In the Senate. Or she
will be a Mary Lyon in educational
realms, or a Frances Willard on reforma
tory platform, or a Helen Gould in military
hospitals. Or she will make home life
radiant with helpfulness and self-sucrifloe
and magnificent womanhood. Oh, what a
bundle of hopes and ambitions! It Is a
bundle of gariands and scepters frpm
which I would not take one sprig of
mignonette nor extinguish one spark of
brilliance. They who start life without
bright hopes and inspiring ambitions
might' as well not start at all, for every
step will be a failure. Bather would I add
to the bundle, and if I open it now It will
be because I wish to take anything from
it, but that I may put into it more coronets
and hosannas.
Bundle of faculties la every man and
every woman! Power to think to think
of the past and through all the future, to
think upward and higher than the highest
pinnacle of heaven, or to think downward
until there is no lower abysm to fathom.
Powertothink right, powerto think wrong,
power to think forever, for, once having
begun to think, there shall be no terminus
for that exercise, and eternity itself shall
have no power to bid it halt. Faculties to
love filial love, conjugal love, paternal
love, maternal love, love of country, love
of God. Faculty of judgment, with scales
so delicate and yet so mlgbty they can
weigh arguments, weigh emotions, weigh
worlds, weigh heaven and hell. Faculty ot
will, that can climb mouutains or tunnel
them, wade seas or bridge them, accepting
eternal enthronement or. choosing ever
lasting exile. Oh, what i; is to te a man!
Ob, what it Is to be a woman! Sublime and
infinite bundle of faculties! The thought
of it staggers me, swamps me, stuns me,
bewilders me, overwhelms me, Ob, what
abundle of life Abigail of my text saw iu
David and which we ought to see in every
human yet immortal being!
Know, also, that this bundle of life Is
properly directed. Many a bundle ha3
missed its way and disappeared because
the address has dropped, aud no one can
find by examination for what city or town
or neighborhood it was intended". All great
carrying companies have so many misdi
rected packages that they appoint days of
vendue to dispose of them. All intelligent
People know tu importance of having a
valuable package plainly directed, the
name of the one to whom it is togo plainly
written. Baggage waster and expressman
ought to know at the first glance to whom
to take It.
The bundle of life that Abigail in my
text speaks of is plainly addressed. By
divine pnmaDsbip it Is directed heaven
ward. However long mny b? the earthly
dts-tauoo it travels Us destination is the
eternal city of God on high. Every mile it
goes away from that direction is by some
human or infernal fraud practiced against
it. There are those who put it on some
'other track, who misplaeeit in some wrong
conveyance, who send it off or pend it pack
by some diabolic miscarriage. The value
of that bundle is so well known all up and
down the universe that there are 1,000,000
dishonest bands which are trying to detain
or divert it or to forever stop its progress
i ' t r rr 'ytt. Th r so mucv
Influences abroad to ruin your body, mind;
and soul that my wonder Is not that eoi
many are destroyed for this world and thej
Dext, but that there are not more who go
down irremediably. I
Know also that a bundle may have in It
more than cne invaluable. There may bo
in it a photograph of a loved one and a.
jewel for a carcanet. It mey contain an;
embroidered robe and a D ore's illustrated ,
Bible. A bundle may have two treasures.
Abigail in my text recognized this when
she said to David, "The soul of fiy lord is
bound in the bundle of life with the Lord
thy God." And Abigail was right. We '
may be bound up with a loving and sympa
thetic God. We may be as near to Him as '
ever were emerald and ruby united in one
ring, as ever were two deed? in one pack
age, as ever were two vases on the same
shelf, as ever were two valuable in the
same bundle. Together in time of sorrow.
Together in time of joy. Together on,
earth. Together in heaven. Close com
panionship of God. Hear Him, "I will v
never leave thee, nor forsake thee." "For
the mountains shall depart and the hills be
removed, but My kindness shall not depart
from thee, neither shall the covenant ot
My peace be removed, salth the Lord that
hath mercy on thee." And when those
Bibie authors compared God's friend
ship to the mountains for height and
firmness they knew what they were
writing about; for they well knew what
mountains are. All those lands are moun
tainous. Mount Hermon, Mount Gilboa, '
Mount Gerizlm, Mount Engedi, Mount
Horeb, Mount Nebo, Mount Pisgah, Mount
Olivet, Mount Zion, Mount Moriah, Mount
Lebanon. Mount Sinai, Mount Golgotha.
Yes, we have the divine promise that all
those mountains shall weigh their anchor
age of rocks and move awuy, from the
earth before a loving and sympathetic God
will move away from us If we love and
trust Him. Oh, if we could realize that
according to my text we may bound up
with that God, how independent it would
make us of things that now harass and an
noy and discompose and torment usl In
stead of a grasshopper being a burden, ft
world of care would be as light as a
feather, and tombstones would be marble
stairs to the King's palace, and all the
giants of opposition we would smite down '
hip and thigh with great slaughter.
Know, also, that this bundle of life will
be gladly received when it comes to the
door of the mansion for which it was bound
and plainly directed. With what alacrity
and giee we await some package that has
been foretold by letter, some holiday pre
sentation, something that will enrich and
ornament our home, some testimony of ad
miration and affection! With what glow
of expectation we untie the knot and take
off the cord that holds it together in safety,
and with what glad exclamation we un
roll the covering and see the gift or pur
chase in all its beauty of color and propor- ,
tion. Well, what a day it will be when'
your precious bundle of life shall be opened
in the "house of many mansions," amid
saintly and angelic and divine inspection!
Tho bundle may bo spotted with tha marks
of much exposure, it may bear inscription
after inscription to tell through what or
deal it has passed, perhaps splashed of
wave and scorched of flame, but all it has
within undamaged of the journey. And
with what shouts of joy the bundle of life
will be greeted by all the voices of the '
heavenly home circle.
In our anxiety at last to reach heaven
we are apt to lose sight of the glee or wel
come that awaits us if we get in at all. We
all have friends up there. They will some
how hear that we are coming. Such close
and swift and constant communication is
there between those uplands and these
lowlands that we will not surprise them by
sudden arrival. If loved ones on earth ex
pect our coming visit and are at the depot
with carriage to meet us, surely we will
be met at the shining gate by old friends
now sainted and kindred now glorified. If,
there were no angel of God to meet us and
show us the palaces and guide us to our
everlasting residence, these kindred would,
show us the way and point out the
splendors and guide us to our celes-'
tial home, bowered and fountained and
arched and illumined by a sun that never,
sets. Will it not be glorious, the going in
and the settling down after all the moving:
about and upsettings of earthly experience?
We will soon know all our neighbors, king
ly, queenly, prophetic, apostolic, seraphic,1'.
archangelic. The precious bundle of life
opened amid palaces and grand marches
and acclamations. They will all be so glad
we Lave got sately through. Theyaw us
down here In the struggle. They saw us
when we lost our way. They knew when
we got off the right course. None of Ithe
thirty-two ships that were overdue at New
York harbor In the storm of week before
last was greeted so heartily by friends on
the dock or the steam tugs that went out
to meet them at Sandy Hook as we
will . be greeted in the heavenly
world if bv the pardoning and pro
tecting grace of God we come to celestial,
wharfage. We shall have to tell them of
the many wrecks that we have passed on
the way across wild seas and amid Carib
bean cyclones. It will be like our arrival
some years ago from New Zealand at Syd
ney, people surprised that we got in at all, j
because we were two days late, and some
of the ships expected had gone to the bot
tom, and we had passed derelicts anl
abandoned crafts all up and down that aw
ful channel our arrival in heaven all the
more rapturously welcomed because ot the
doubt as to whether we would ever get
there at all. v
Once there it will bo found that the
safety of that precious bundla of life was
assured because it was bound up with the
life of God in Jesus Cbrist. Heaven could
not afford to have that bundle lost because
it bad been said in regard to its transporta
tion and safe arrival, "Kept by the power
of God through faith unto complete salva
tion." The veracity of the heavens is in
volved in its arrival. It God should fail
to keep His promise to just one ransomed
soul, the pillars of Jehovah's throne
would fall, and the foundations of the
eternal city would crumble, and infinite
poverties would dash 'down all the
chalices, and close all the banqueting halls,
and the river of life would change its
courso, sweeping everything with desola
tion, and frost would blast ull the g rdens,
and immeasurable sickness slay the im
mortals, and the new Jerusalem become;
an abandoned city, with no chariot wheel
on the streets and no worshippers in the
temple a dead rompeii ot the skies, a
buried Herculaneum of tho heavens. Lest
any oue should doubt, the God who cannot'
lie smites his omnipotent hand on the side
of his chrone and takes affidavit, declaring,1
"As I live, saith the Lord God, I have
no pleasure in the deathof him that dieth."
Oh, I cannot tell you howl feel about it
tho thought is so glorious. Bound up with
God. Bound up wUhlnftnitemercy. Bound
up with jnfluitejoy. Bound up with in
finite purity. Bound up with infinite might.
That thought is more beautiful and glori-
ous than was the heroic Abigail, who Rt
the foot of the crags uttered, "Bound in
the bundle of life with the Lord thy God!"
Now, my hearer and reader, appreciate"'
the value of that bundle. See that it is
bound up with pothing mean, but with the
unsullied and the Immaculate. Not with a
pebble of the shifting beach, but with the
kohinoor of the palace; not with some
fading regalia of earthly pomp, but wJtli
the robe washed and male whits la th
blood of the Lamb,