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June 9, 1909. THE PRESBYTERIj
Contributed
A PRAYER.
Oft In Thy purple twilight, Lord,
Wlstftil I linger, waiting there,
'Till the night-wind breathes a low sweet chord
Of mystic prayer.
For lo! the shadows steal across the skies,
And vainly we have walked when in the light;
When far within the West the sunset dies,
Guide Thou our steps aright.
Teach us, we pray Thee, how to pray,
In the evening cool, the morning bright,
In the quiet peace of Thy dreamy day,
Or the bush of night.
For now the rose has faded to the gray.
Like visions of our youthful long ago,
But far beyond, the darkened hills, away,
Return a last, faint glow.
Then, when the darkness dims the track
That leads where rippling rivers flow
., Round fcl.e distant isles of* peace, send back
Thine after-glow.
Lo! in Thy great dawn-burning. Lord,
The shadows flee from sea to sea,
My wandering soul, in a whispered word,
Goes out to Thee.
For now the wind that wanders off the dawn
Fans the faint flush into a rising flame;
O Lord, ere yet the spell of night be gone,
Absolve my soul from blame.
Benjamin C. Moomaw, Jr.
Washington and Lee University.
PROTESTANT WORK IN FRANCE.
Report From the Pastor Supported by the Huguenot
Society of Richmond, Va.
Our general activity has been intense and abundantly
blessed this winter. Our large Fraternity Hall at Sousle-Bois
was found several times too small and almost'
every Sunday evening it has been filled with calm,
thinking and touched listeners. What a blessing and
what an answer to our anxious prayers. The Sunday
morninc audiences have never heen en Inrore in cr?if?? r\(
the severity of the weather.
The two great events of the winter have been the
temperance campaign of the "Blue Cross" and the
rescue work attempted among fallen women and wayward
young girls. We have been able to help efficiently
several poor women, and we pray that God may save
them entirely. Among the men who have joined the
temperance society of the "Blue Cross," one, nicknamed
The Terror of Sous-le-Bois, committed every kind of
villainous deed to obtain drink. Several times he attempted
to kill his wife and children. "All happiness
comes together today," cried his wife, when their little
boy was baotized the same dav r?n whirh hie foi-h?.
joined the "Blue Cross." They have paid over 900
francs of debt in less than a year, rising at 4 o'clock
to go to work and going to bed at 10 at night. I fol ?
_
*N OF THE SOUTH.
lowed him like h- , shadoxy f<
overflowing with joy, he gave
to his Saviour with such h<
hall (5O0 persons), who kne\
applauded.
Another, a painter by trad<
day, was the despair of his ol
two members of the Society (c
absinthe drinker), he was take
returned every day to pray wit
he consented to be present at 1
was saved, he signed the pled
fully ever since. He never mi
TT_
ne carries joy and peace whe
a brewer, forty-four years old
glasses of beer a day, without c
16th year, a kind of premature
one evening by the above men
ing consisting mainly of brigh
prayer, depicting the shame wh
of a drunkard. Profoundly toi
the unfortunate man did not (
by tomorrow all would be fo
take a whole day to consider,
cerely. He has not had a sinj
moment. A fourth, a farm k
Aubenge. Not daring to shoi
account of his creditors, he ski
the church. They were singing
the sermon I denounced the s
manner that he believed himsel
rebuked. Nevertheless, he ren
on in his soul and before tl
promised to God, "I shall give
ever, and I shall return to this
in Thy way." He kept his w
workers, were indignant at th
wasted a great part of their li
told of the Gospel or spoken to
wne 01 one 01 tnem aiea a mar
man' drank alcohol for two w<
was made sick by it and on h
and children buy drink for hir
was gone, they sold all their f
which covered the children,
when through the "Blue Cros:
home.
I would never come to an <
rejoicings and triumphs recoi
of our reformed friends did m
as sergeant and organized scr
A sergeant-major, whose prom
for a long time by his intemp<
and at once began to convert
his evenings with his wife, doii
having a civil appointment ir
the age for his retirement. T
stopped drinking and the ca
Unly pne old adjutant continue
does not give up his hope of \v
get him," he says. We have
that, in our country if the evai
hard?modifying gradually the
7
jr over four years, then,
an evidence of gratitude
jartiness that the entire
v him well, cheered and
s, who was drunk every
d parents. Picked up by
>ne of them was a former
n home. The young men
h him until the day when
one of our meetings. He
ge and has kept it faith
HIV ilHTCHIIgS.
;rever lie goes. A third,
, drinking from 15 to 2c
:ounting alcohol, from his
:ly aged giant, was taken
tioncd painter to a meett
talks, with singing and
ich hangs over the family
jched, feeling his misery,
lare to sign, fearing that
rgotten. He decided to
meanwhile praying single
temptation from that
iborer, came one day to
v nimseir in the city on
rted the canal and passed
\ and he went in. During
in of drinking in such a
f recognized and publicly
lained. A struggle went
le sermon was over ]ie
up the cup to Thee forchurch
and learn to walk
ord. Two others, metal
e thought that they had
ves without having been
? about temperance. The
tyr to his vices. Another
;eks without ceasing; he
is bed he made his wife
n. When all the money
urniture to the last quilt
Everybody was happy
5" the Lord entered that
end if I wrote of all the
rded in this land. One
ilitary duty last summer
ne temperance meetings,
otion was made doubtful
:rance, signed the pledge
others. He now spends
ig algebra and geometry,
1 view when he reaches
he captain and sergeants
nteens were abandoned.
;s to drink, but the major
inning him over. "I will
proved a thousand times
igelist is willing to work
; family and social life?