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Title: The Witch Hypnotizer
Author: Zena A. Maher
Release Date: January 24, 2014 [EBook #44748]
Language: English
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THE WITCH HYPNOTIZER
BY
ZENA A. MAHER
PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOR
SAN FRANCISCO
THE BANCROFT COMPANY
1892
COPYRIGHT, 1892
BY
ZENA A. MAHER
Issued from the Press of
THE BANCROFT COMPANY
_To My Husband, the Truest and Noblest of Men_
THE WITCH HYPNOTIZER
CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
XII.
XIII.
XIV.
XV.
XVI.
XVII.
XVIII.
XIX.
XX.
XXI.
XXII.
XXIII.
XXIV.
XXV.
XXVI.
CHAPTER I.
Let there be light. Genesis i, 3.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven. Matthew v, 16.
In the world of imagination many Witches have lived and died since the
one of whose existence and wonders I am about to relate, came into
prominence.
She lived quite alone in a little cottage on the outskirts of a large
city in America, of course, and why should not the free soil produce
all sorts when it is the dumping ground for all creation?
Alone, with the exception of her dog and several cages of canaries
which, by the way, were a new departure in the line of pets, for the
old-time Witches were supposed to favor cats and parrots, she commanded
the respect of all, but there was something so very peculiar about her
that some of her more superstitious neighbors looked upon this woman as
a kind of good Witch.
There was nothing remarkable about her personal appearance and the
peculiarity was not visibly noticeable. It was nothing tangible, but an
indescribable something which gave her influence over other minds, to
bend them to her will.
Every one felt this more or less in her presence; a giving up of pet
hobbies, even, to her ideas, which fortunately were very liberal.
There was that also about her sympathetic nature which invited
confidence, and many who were not given to complaining found
themselves, they hardly knew why, telling her their secret sorrows.
For years this Witch or woman was herself unconscious of this power,
but when she fully realized it, her work to her conscientious heart was
laid out, and that must be in doing all the good possible through this
genius that was hers.
She had always endeavored to do her best, ever ready to lend a helping
hand to any one in trouble.
CHAPTER II.
While attending to her birds one morning, the Witch was interrupted by
a knock at the door and a summons from one of her neighbors, who had
sent a child to ask if this good soul would come over.
Yes, she would be there directly.
Donning her sombre colored bonnet and shawl the Witch started for her
neighbor's. The unhappy little woman craved sympathy, and had sent for
her who knew so well how to render it.
She told the oft-repeated story of a drunkard's wife. Her husband had
left home the previous evening and had not returned, and after these
prolonged sprees she feared his coming, who was the kindest of men when
himself, but very savage when under the influence of liquor. Then, too,
she was afraid that he would lose his position, which his employer had
threatened if he did not attend to work better.
The Witch told her to be of good cheer; that all would be well with her
yet.
She looked at the shabby furniture and still shabbier clothing of the
children. This family had once been in comfortable circumstances, but
were brought to this state of poverty through intemperance, the
prevailing evil.
For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty. Proverbs,
xxiii, 21.
And yet how much good these beverages might do if used in moderation,
but too many are with this, like all their other appetites over which
they have no control. The mind should be made to strive harder after
the knowledge of God in order to subdue these carnal desires.
For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh;
but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is
life and peace.
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not
subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Romans viii, 5, 6, 7, 8, 14.
Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may
follow strong drink, that continue until night, till wine inflame
them!
Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to
mingle strong drink. Isaiah v, 11, 22.
He that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but
he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life
everlasting. Galatians vi. 8.
All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth
with offense.
It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything
whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.
Romans xiv, 20, 21.
Whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. II
Corinthians v, 6.
Be not drunk with wine wherein is excess; but be filled with the
Spirit. Ephesians v, 18.
Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Galatians v, 16.
Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly,
righteously and godly in this present world. Titus ii, 12.
About midday this fallen image of God came home partially sobered and
ferocious as a wild animal. The Witch mentally compared man with beast
and gave her dog the preference.
He had commenced his wicked profanity, when a hand was laid on his arm
and reproachful eyes looked into his.
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging; and whoever is deceived
thereby is not wise. Proverbs xx, 1.
God created man in his own image. Genesis i, 27.
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of
God dwelleth in you?
If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the
temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. I Corinthians iii, 16,
17.
After this he sat quietly for a long time apparently lost in thought;
then this truly penitent one arose, stood beside his wife and vowed
that in future he would be a better man, and their home should be happy
as in the old days before this false friend took possession.
Tears of happiness were streaming from the little woman's eyes, and our
Witch withdrew, thanking God in her heart for this power he had given
her.
CHAPTER III.
On reaching home she found a neighbor waiting outside, who entered with
her, in the meantime pouring into the ever sympathetic ears her
trouble.
She was bewailing over the downfall of her boy who heretofore had been
exceptionally dutiful, invariably spending his evening at home, but of
late all was changed. He had contracted the card disease with all its
adherent vices, which was rapidly developing into a mania. His salary,
which was the home support, was being sacrificed on the gambling altar.
Here was more work. The only son and mainstay of a widowed mother fast
going to ruin. Yes, something must be done.
Early the following evening the Witch made it her business to pay a
visit to the widow about tea time. The son was hurriedly finishing his
meal preparatory to starting out for the night, when somehow he changed
his mind and stayed at home instead, and our friend, the Witch, knew
that in future he would have sufficient strength of will to pass by his
old haunt and on home to his waiting loving mother with his earnings in
his pocket, which meant more home comforts, more books and evening
reading, and happiness to both.
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left; remove thy foot from
evil. Proverbs, iv. 27.
The Witch went home well satisfied with her day's work, and that night
thought and planned for the good of humanity. Why not venture further
into a wider range for action?
She might peddle her songbirds from door to door, and in this capacity
gain access into houses where she could more readily acquaint herself
with those in need of her assistance.
CHAPTER IV.
The next morning our Witch opened her Bible and read as she was wont to
do before any new undertaking. Her eyes rested on these lines:
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your
children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy
Spirit to them that ask him? Luke xi, 13.
She knelt and prayed long and earnestly for an abundance of this Holy
Spirit to guide and help her. She took her birds and started out.
I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my
statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them. Ezekiel
xxxvi, 27.
Her first stopping place was at a dwelling that stood back some little
distance from the street and was surrounded by flowers.
What drew her attention most was the appearance of a little child whose
innocent face reminded her that purity still existed. She entered the
grounds and rang the bell.
A young woman opened the door and kindly invited her in. The Witch made
some remark about the pretty boy outside, when she saw an expression of
pain flit over the lady's face. Something wrong here, she thought.
Yes, the child was hers; she had loved not wisely but too well, Her
betrayer, a prosperous business man who was as yet unmarried, was
allowed to move in the very best of society, but the finger of scorn
was pointed at her from all sides.
She was the only daughter of parents who thought very fondly of their
lovable grandchild, still felt keenly the disgrace that had been
brought upon the hitherto spotless family name.
Does the seventh commandment demand more obedience from one sex than
the other? It reads as if it was spoken to both alike. Our Witch
learned the man's name and business address, and departed.
CHAPTER V.
She was so in sympathy with this family that she felt in a hurry to get
to work, and so signalled a passing car to stop, and entered. It was
well filled, but two seats remaining unoccupied she seated herself in
one of them.
Presently a little colored girl came in and took the other. A high-bred
dame sitting next elevated her aristocratic nose and pulled her skirts
aside as if fearing contamination.
Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud; for the Lord hath spoken.
Jeremiah xiii, 15.
There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! Proverbs xxx,
13.
Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, saith the Lord God of
Hosts. Jeremiah 1, 31.
Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord.
Proverbs xvi, 5.
I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low
the haughtiness of the terrible. Isaiah xiii, 11.
The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men
shall be bowed down. Isaiah ii, 11.
Why draw this color line so tightly? What of this outer covering? Have
not these people immortal souls which may be white as the whitest; and
in many cases, brilliant talents?
The Witch remembered a circumstance where a king of oratory, holding a
high official position, was debarred from sitting at table with a
ship's crew on account of this same color, which was only a heavier
shading; and is not all creation a matter of shadow and coloring?
And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all
the face of the earth. Acts xvii, 26.
A shabbily dressed woman came in. The stamp of labor was on her
gloveless hands, and she looked weary, indeed. But no attention was
paid her whatever.
Then came two flashily attired females. No less than five gentlemen
arose to offer seats. Were they more in need of rest than this poor
laboring woman?
Ah, well! perhaps they were more heavily burdened with their follies
than she with her cares.
For once the Witch was too busy with many thoughts to concentrate her
mind on any individual in particular, and passed on and out of the car
to finish her day's work.
CHAPTER VI.
She went in to a business establishment and made her way to the office.
The proprietor, a busy man of the world, was at his desk. He looked in
surprise at the cage of birds; a rather unusual place, certainly, to
attempt the sale of a bird, the business house of a man without family.
"I have no use for pets myself, and have no one to give them to."
No one? Then memory stirred; he thought of the one whom he had so
cruelly wronged, and of his innocent child in disgrace. Why were these
new and better impulses taking possession of his mind? He did not know,
but the Witch did.
She saw the result of her work a few days later when his marriage
notice was published in the paper. Another family put to rights.
CHAPTER VII.
Next, a respectable looking place that might belong to the occupants,
for there was not that unkempt appearance about it that is peculiar to
rented property.
Our Witch opened the gate and went in. A scowling woman came to the
door who looked daggers at the unwelcome peddler, and said she would
not have one of those noisy birds in the house.
About this time her tired-looking husband came home from work, and
judging from the tirade of abuse heaped upon him, it was evident that
she certainly would not tolerate any noise about the premises that she
could not make herself.
It was only a matter of time when this quiet, hard-working man would
tire of his home life. Husbands with such life partners are not so much
to blame if they do prefer the company of other women, the gambling
dens and saloons, or any place rather than their homes.
It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop than with a
brawling woman in a wide house. Proverbs xxi, 9.
How many wives, instead of trying to make home attractive, drive
happiness away with their cruel tongues?
Who have said with our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own
who is lord over us? Psalms xii, 4.
Hold thy tongue. Amos vi, 10.
The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity.
It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. James iii, 6, 8.
A soft answer turneth away wrath; but grievous words stir up anger.
A wholesome tongue is a tree of life; but perverseness therein is a
breach in the spirit. Proverbs xv, 1, 4.
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil
speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
And be ye kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one
another, as even God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians
iv, 31, 32.
The Witch is yet at her work. She proceeded on her way, thankful that
she has made one less shrew in the world.
CHAPTER VIII.
On her way along she observed a boy sitting on the walk near some
shrubbery. He seemed very intent on whatever he was doing. She
approached nearer and saw a poor butterfly denuded of its wings lying
quivering in his hand, and he was looking at it with the most intense
satisfaction.
"My lad, do you know that--
The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the
good. Proverbs xv, 3.
Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and
whether it be right. Proverbs xx, 11.
"Understand that it is sinful to torment any living thing."
The boy slunk away, realizing for the first time that it was wrong to
torture anything so small as a butterfly.
The disposition to torture seems to be inherent with many boys and if
allowed to grow on them will in time predominate over all good
impulses, and prompt them to commit the most terrible crimes.
For the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of
violence. Ezekiel vii, 23.
If they were taught to cultivate will power to subdue these evil
impulses what a blessing would be derived! How prone to wickedness is
all human nature, and how much we need to pray for help to overcome it!
Watch and pray. Matthew xxvi, 41.
CHAPTER IX.
The Witch noticed a girl in the regulation uniform of white cap and
apron marshalling several children. How oft seen in the want column: "A
nurse girl who will wear the cap." Why was this headgear exacted as a
badge of servitude? Why ape the Old World customs?
Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down;
for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your
glory. Jeremiah xiii, 18.
Thus saith the Lord God: Remove the diadem and take off the crown;
this shall not be the same; exalt him that is low, and abase him
that is high.
I will overturn, overturn, overturn it; and it shall be no more
until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him. Ezekiel
xxi, 26, 27.
And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. Isaiah ii, 11.
Was not this government founded on the principle of equality? Did not
the Pilgrim Fathers estimate one good as another if their righteousness
was equal? And the distinction was made only between good and evil
doers.
A nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of
their God. Isaiah lviii, 2.
And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight in
proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbor; and ye had made a
covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:
But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his
servant, and every man his handmaid, whom he had set at liberty at
their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be
unto you for servants and for handmaids. Jeremiah xxxiv, 16, 17.
Then, again, should it not be more essential for these mothers to look
more after the morals of the persons who were to be companions for
their children and to be less watchful of Mrs. Grundy's edicts?
For the customs of the people are vain.
They are altogether brutish and foolish; the stock is a doctrine of
vanities.
They are vanity, and the work of errors; in the time of their
visitation they shall perish. Jeremiah x, 3, 8, 15.
The Witch recalled an instance where a distinguished political leader
married a sewing woman, and his bride was ostracized from society when
it leaked out that she had labored for a livelihood. Had all these
aristocrats as clean a record?
Am afraid one's hands would be somewhat soiled by too close
investigation.
Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth
your hearts. Luke xvi, 15.
For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed; neither
hid, that shall not be known. Luke xii, 2.
For God shall bring every work into judgment with every secret
thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil. Ecclesiastes xii,
14.
The just Lord is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity;
every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not.
Zephaniah iii, 5.
CHAPTER X.
One day when passing the jail our Witch was moved with an impulse to go
inside. The warden allowed her to pass in. Her heart ached for these
poor wretches whose faces from behind the bars looked so hopeless and
unhappy, and whose blasphemous language chilled her. She longed for the
time when:
Every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. II
Timothy ii, 19.
Who knew but these criminals were as innocent in the light of God's
All-Searching Eye as those who less tried have committed less evil?
For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Romans iii,
23.
If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth
is not in us. John i, 8.
Some have better childhood memories of good influences brought to bear
on their susceptible innocence, and would not humanity, begot and
reared in iniquity, have a natural inclination to evil, and
consequently be pardonable for greater crimes than those of a healthier
nourishment? And would not those stronger ones with great mental gifts
have more to answer for accordingly than those of weaker natures? Well,
it is beyond any human comprehension to execute perfect justice.
Then hear thou from Heaven, thy dwelling place, and forgive, and
render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou
knowest; for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men.
II Chronicles vi, 30.
I, the Lord, search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every
man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his
doings. Jeremiah xvii, 10.
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. Psalms
xix, 9.
But why dost thou judge thy brother? Or why doth thou set at nought
thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of
Christ. Let us not therefore judge one another any more; but judge
this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to
fall in his brother's way. Romans xiv, 10, 13.
Thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art, that judgest; for
wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself. Romans ii,
1.
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged; condemn not, and ye shall
not be condemned; forgive, and ye shall be forgiven. Luke vi, 37.
Therefore judge nothing before the time until the Lord come, who
both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will
make manifest the counsels of the hearts. I Corinthians iv, 5.
But crime will come to an end in that happy time when we will know each
other's innermost thoughts.
What a grand and awful time will be the day of judgment, when the
Spirit quickens the dust of centuries! Grand for those who have
sincerely tried to serve the King!
Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He that walketh
righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of
oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that
stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from
seeing evil: he shall dwell on high; his place of defence shall be
the munitions of rocks; bread shall be sure. Isaiah xxxiii, 14, 15,
16.
Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with
the whole heart. Psalms cxix, 2.
They that feared the Lord spake often one to another; and the Lord
hearkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written
before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his
name.
And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I
make up my jewels; and I will spare them as a man spareth his own
son that serveth him. Malachi iii, 16, 17.
Awful for the hypocrites when God's magnetic eyes burn into their
souls. In this way the world of sin will be dissolved, but space, in
which we move and have our being, will never be destroyed.
One generation passeth away and another generation cometh; but the
earth abideth forever. Ecclesiastes i, 4.
For this hath the Lord said: The whole land shall be desolate, yet
will I not make a full end. Jeremiah iv, 27.
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath;
for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall
wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in
like manner; but my salvation shall be forever, and my
righteousness shall not be abolished. Isaiah li, 6.
Who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he
appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire. Malachi iii, 2.
Every man's work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare
it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try
every man's work of what sort it is. I Corinthians iii, 13.
For our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews xii, 29.
The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved; I bear up
the pillars of it. Psalms lxxv, 3.
All the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
Zephaniah iii, 8.
Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,
and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue
shall consume away in their mouth. Zechariah xiv, 12.
As wax melteth before the fire; so let the wicked perish at the
presence of God. Psalms lxviii, 2.
Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned and few men left.
Isaiah xxiv, 6.
All the hosts of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall
be rolled together as a scroll. Isaiah xxxiv, 4.
Woe unto you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour
widow's houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore ye
shall receive the greater damnation. Matthew xxiii, 14.
For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire
shall consume the tabernacles of bribery. Job xv, 34.
I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will
I plead with you face to face.
And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein
ye have been defiled; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own
sight for all your evils that ye have committed. Ezekiel xx, 35, 43.
CHAPTER XI.
The Witch was not a regular attendant at any house of worship of any
set creed, but preferred ones of lesser grandeur, feeling that she met
with more sincerity within. But one Sabbath morning her steps led to
one of the largest and most fashionable churches in the city. The
ushers were busy seating the well-dressed throng. She slipped along and
took a seat by the side of a sumptuously dressed lady who shifted and
spread her drapery a little more as a hint to the intruder that her
presence was undesirable.
Many haughty glances of derision were shot at the poorly clad stranger
who had presumed to come in their midst. She looked about her on the
throng.
All is vanity. Ecclesiastes i, 2.
Richly attired matrons, conscious only of their extreme style; fair
young girls, not a whit less extravagantly garbed than their elders,
with cramped waists and all the accoutrements belonging to devotees of
fashion.
A pity that such fair flowers like the rose could not remain longer in
bud, for both fall into decay all too quickly after maturity. But Dame
Fashion seems in a hurry and holds to artificial development.
Make not my Father's house a house of merchandise. John ii, 16.
What more was this great display of finery than one way of advertising
goods?
Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me;
the new moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot
away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from
before mine eyes; cease to do evil.
Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the
fatherless, plead for the widow.
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your
sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow; though they be
red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.
But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured. Isaiah i, 13, 16,
17, 18, 19, 20.
Their land also is full of idols; they worship the works of their
own hands that which their own fingers have made. Isaiah ii, 8.
The daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth
necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a
tinkling with their feet.
In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling
ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires
like the moon.
The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers.
The bonnets, the headbands, and the earrings.
The rings.
The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantels, and the wimples,
and the crisping pins.
The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the veils.
Isaiah iii, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23.
That women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness
and sobriety; not with broidered hair, or gold, or pearls, or
costly array;
But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. I
Timothy ii, 9, 10.
The eloquent and eminent divine preached a flowery discourse with no
reproof pointing to the vanity and frivolity of the hour.
They are shepherds that cannot understand; they all look to their
own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. Isaiah lvi, 11.
Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard; they have trodden my
portion under foot. Jeremiah xii, 10.
The pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the Lord.
Jeremiah x, 21.
Woe unto you, ye blind guides. Matthew xxiii, 16.
Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching
things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. Titus i, 11.
Ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at
the law. Malachi ii, 8.
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove,
rebuke, extort with all long suffering and doctrine.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine;
but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers
having itching ears;
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be
turned into fables.
But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an
evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. II Timothy iv, 2, 3,
4, 5.
The great organ reverberated through the building. The choir sang of
God's love to all creatures alike. Two women sat side by side, and the
one of loftier mien bowed her head, and for the first time in her life
felt the love of God in her heart; and the Witch went out from church
happy, knowing that through her influence one soul was redeemed this
Sabbath morning.
CHAPTER XII.
Marching along the road came the Salvation Army. A crowd of juveniles
bent on hilarity followed in line, mimicking and ridiculing them. The
crowd on the sidewalk jeered, and a high dignitary in church affairs
joined his voice with the rest, remarking that this rabble never ought
to be allowed to parade the streets Sunday. Who knows how many degraded
lives have been elevated by this much ridiculed religious body who do
good work in the slums where religion is most needful, and in so doing
follow more closely in the footsteps of the Christ than those who spend
their energy in striving among themselves for precedence in the public
schools and everywhere?
Why all this contention? Should not real Christian worshippers work in
harmony?
Have we not all one Father? Hath not one God created us? Malachi
ii, 10.
And there was also a strife among them which of them should be
accounted the greatest.
But ye shall not be so; but he that is greatest among you, let him
be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.
Luke xxii, 24, 26.
Do all things without murmurings and disputings. Philippians ii,
14.
Shun profane and vain babblings. II Timothy ii, 16.
Be at peace among yourselves. I Thessalonians v, 13.
Seek peace and pursue it. Psalms xxxiv, 14.
Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory. Philippians ii,
3.
Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and
of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.
From which some having swerved have turned aside into vain
jangling. I Timothy i, 5, 6.
Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith; prove your own
selves.
Be of one mind, live in peace. II Corinthians xiii, 5, 11.
Avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and
strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. Titus
iii, 9.
For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil
work. James iii, 16.
Now I beseech you brethren by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no division
among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same
mind and in the same judgment. I Corinthians i, 10.
I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands,
without wrath and doubting. I Timothy ii, 8.
Behold, ye fast for strife and debate.
Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of
wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go
free, and that ye brake every yoke?
Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the
poor that are cast out to thy house?
When thou seest the naked that thou cover him; and that thou hide
not thyself from thine own flesh?
Then shall thy light break forth as the morning; and thy
righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be
thy reward.
Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry,
and he shall say: Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of
thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking
vanity;
And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry and satisfy the
afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy
darkness be as noonday;
And the Lord shall guide thee continually. Isaiah lviii, 4, 6, 7,
8, 9, 10, 11.
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep
his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes
xii, 13.
He hath showed thee, O Man, what is good; and what doth the Lord
require of thee but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk
humbly with thy God? Micah vi, 8.
CHAPTER XIII.
The Witch resumed work Monday morning. There was more stir in the
streets than usual. On every corner were groups of excited men. Nothing
but whisky and election would cause so much commotion.
The carriages of the different candidates were out scouring the town
for voters.
Some of these aspirants for office had almost impoverished themselves
by daily treating the crowd of loafers who are always ready to trade
their votes for whisky.
They go about electioneering for themselves. Bosh! if a man has the
elements of greatness he will find his place without all this
self-praise.
For men to search their own glory is not glory. Proverbs xxv, 27.
For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he
deceiveth himself. Galatians vi, 3.
Election day and no mistaking it; the saloons are supposed to be
closed, but there is a back door to some of them.
It is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:
Lest they drink and forget the law and pervert the judgment of any
of the afflicted. Proverbs xxxi, 4, 5.
Is it any wonder that the women of our land clamor for a voice in the
affairs of state and nation?
But a woman's place is not at the polls. She can do more good at home
in training the minds of her sons, the future voters, and in making her
husband's home-coming pleasant, that he may prefer it to haunts of
vice. And it is to be hoped that man through debauchery will not become
altogether inefficient and make it necessary for woman to take the lead.
But I suffer not a woman to teach nor to usurp authority over the
man, but to be in silence. I Timothy ii, 12.
CHAPTER XIV.
In the evening at that most entrancing hour between daylight and dark,
when all creation seems in a dreamy mood, the Witch found herself at
the entrance of a gilded palace of sin. A number of the inmates were
flitting about the flower-laden, well-kept grounds. She approached one
of exquisite beauty of person whose face was not yet passion-scarred.
She was dressed in some soft, flowing, white material which gave her
more of a seraphic appearance than one of sensualism. The Witch asked
what brought her to this stage of immorality. The woman's reply was
that she had been reared in wealth, but her father through some unlucky
speculation lost everything. She had never learned to work, but had
been taught that any labor was most degrading, and she had not
qualified herself to teach any branch of learning, never having made
allowance for the swift wings of vanishing wealth.
When thrown on her own resources she was at a loss to know what to do,
when a wealthy gentleman friend came to her assistance at the sacrifice
of her honor.
He soon tired of her, however; her father had died broken-hearted, and
her mother was staying with a distant relative who had kindly offered
her a home.
The Witch persuaded her to leave this life of disgrace, to learn honest
work and brighten her mother's remaining years.
Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not
to be ashamed. II Timothy ii, 15.
She said that it would be hard for her to face the world with this
stigma of shame on her character; that all those bearing any claim to
respectability would scorn her.
The Witch told her that God was judge and not the people, and their
lives were not altogether blameless.
God is the judge. Psalms lxxv, 7.
He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at
her. John viii, 7.
The woman was undecided, but the better mind prevailed and she
accompanied the Witch home, and the next day found respectable
employment.
And still the good work goes on.
Reader, I am only narrating a small portion of this woman's work which
she found as the days went by to be illimitable. _Vice versa._ If
one possessing this mysterious power was inclined to evil rather than
good, what a great amount of wickedness might be accomplished through
it. God only knows how much of the good and evil that has been done in
the world may be attributed to this hidden force.
Was the famed enchantress of the Nile gifted with this secret to a very
great extent, and many other characters of history celebrated in their
day for the influence they exercised?
CHAPTER XV.
The Witch heard of a murder trial that was going on in court and
arousing intense interest, owing to the high social standing of all the
parties concerned. She acted on impulse to a certain extent and,
leaving her birds at home, started at once for the court-house.
On her way there she turned her attention to a case of street pugilism.
A crowd of boys, ranging in age from seven to twenty, had congregated.
Two small urchins were fighting; their faces were scratched and
bleeding, and the crowd was urging them on to do each other more
injury.
These young ruffians made a study of wickedness which is more than
mischief, and this element is on an increase the world over.
Yea also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil. Ecclesiastes
ix, 3.
No wonder when they have for examples men in high places who take such
interest in prize fighting.
It would be more in keeping with their positions if their minds could
aspire to something more elevating. They are ready enough to censure
the Spaniards for their bull fights, but are themselves not far in
advance when they will encourage this barbarous sport which seems to be
gaining popularity.
The wicked walk on every side when the vilest men are exalted.
Psalms xii, 8.
For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are
led of them are destroyed. Isaiah ix, 16.
These are the men that devise mischief and give wicked counsel in
this city. Ezekiel xi, 2.
If they would exercise the spiritual nature more and the animal less
they could take no pleasure in such brutish doing.
For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against
the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other. Galatians
v, 17.
Even the Press takes a hand in it, and devotes whole columns of the
papers to explaining in minutest detail the movements of the
combatants.
Our Witch was wrapped in thought, but did not forget her work, and in a
few moments after she appeared among them the shamefaced crowd
dispersed.
CHAPTER XVI.
When the chief witness against the accused was called to give his
testimony there was one among the throng of spectators whose eyes never
left his face.
He started in a resolute manner, then wavered a little, and finally
broke down in the midst of it and confessed his own guilt. He was the
murderer.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Exodus xx,
16.
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another. James
v, 16.
He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth
and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Proverbs xxviii, 13.
If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. John i, 9.
There was a hush like the hush of death in the courtroom while he was
speaking. When the crowd passed out, a plainly garbed figure went out
also unobserved. The Witch had done her work for the day.
CHAPTER XVII.
She looked on the cars gliding over the electric road. What of this
occult power? And what of her own? Eventually would electricity impel
the entire universe?
Had this always existed and was yet to be brought out by masterful
minds? Was this the connecting link between God and man? Then it was
wisely said in ages past:
How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? Proverbs i, 22.
The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way before his works
of old.
When he prepared the heavens I was there; when he set a compass
upon the face of the depth. Proverbs vii, 22, 27.
He ruleth by his power forever. Psalms lxvi, 7.
In the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. Isaiah xxvi, 4.
Take hold of my strength. Isaiah xxvii, 5.
Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you
from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundation of
the earth? Isaiah xl, 21, 22.
For my people is foolish; they have not known me; they are sottish
children, and they have none understanding; they are wise to do
evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. Jeremiah iv, 22.
Understand, ye brutish among the people, and ye fools, when will ye
be wise? Psalms xciv, 8.
O ye simple, understand wisdom; and ye fools, be ye of an
understanding heart. Proverbs viii, 5.
Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for
understanding;
If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid
treasures;
Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the
knowledge of God. Proverbs ii, 3, 4, 5.
He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world
by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his
discretion.
When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the
heavens, and he causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the
earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind
out of his treasures. Jeremiah x, 12, 13.
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his
handiwork.
Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth
knowledge.
There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.
Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to
the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth
as a strong man to run a race.
His going forth is from the ends of the heaven, and his circuit
unto the ends of it, and there is nothing hid from the heat
thereof. Psalms xix, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory
thundereth, the Lord is upon many waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful. Psalms xxix, 3, 4.
The thunder of his power who can understand? Job xxvi, 14.
With thee is the fountain of life; in thy light shall we see light.
Psalms xxxvi, 9.
The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the
Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk ii, 14.
Who is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall
understand. Psalms cvii, 43.
At the resurrection, when the Lamb of God will rule the world as the
center of gravitation like the sun, who among us can study mischief in
secret when mind meets mind in one common thoroughfare of thought which
cannot be divided by land or sea?
As the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the
west; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. Matthew xxiv,
27.
And the city hath no creed of the sun, neither of the moon, to
shine in it; for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is
the light thereof. Revelation xxi, 23.
The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness
shall the moon give light unto thee; but the Lord shall be unto
thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.
Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw
itself; for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light. Isaiah lx,
19, 20.
There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and
unjust. Acts xxiv, 15.
As the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the
Son quickeneth whom he will. John v, 21.
Ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O
my people, and brought you up out of your graves.
And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live. Ezekiel xxxvii,
13, 14.
The dead men shall live together; with my dead body shall they
arise.
Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust; for thy dew is as the dew of
herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Isaiah xxvi, 19.
CHAPTER XVIII.
One morning when near a handsome residence the Witch stopped at the
sound of a musical instrument. The music ceased and a lady of forty or
thereabout answered her ring.
She was surrounded with every luxury, but our Witch soon learned that
here, too, was trouble. Yes, another mismated couple.
The lady said that her husband and herself had never lived very happily
together after the first few months of married life; and recently
another woman had come between them, and her husband, desirous of a
separation, was about to commence proceedings for a divorce from her.
As for herself it mattered little, but for the sake of her children she
had rather it would not be.
Presently the husband came. He was a fine-looking man of pleasing
address and unless appearance was deceiving he would do very well if
started on the right track.
Here was more work for the ever busy brain.
Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but
they have sought out many inventions. Ecclesiastes vii, 29.
Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed; how then
art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto
me? Jeremiah ii, 21.
He sat down facing the Witch, and after a little time was conscious of
a new train of thoughts. His better spirit moved. Would it not be as
well to live the remainder of his life with the mother of his children
whom he dearly loved?
What therefore God hath joined together let not man put asunder.
Matthew xix, 6.
Contract marriage is most suitable for the present age. That leaves the
contracting parties on a grade with the cattle and admits of their
changing companions whenever and as often as they like without breaking
God's holy vows.
And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the Lord with
tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he
regardeth not the offering any more, or receive it with good will
at your hand.
Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy
youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously; yet is she thy
companion and the wife of thy covenant.
And did not he make one? yet had he the residue of the spirit.
Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously
against the wife of his youth.
For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away.
Malachi ii, 13, 14, 15, 16.
If a man put away his wife and she go from him, and become another
man's, shall not that land be greatly polluted? Jeremiah iii, 1.
When a marriage is solemnized by the word of God, then no law on earth
is justifiable for breaking it; and when a couple truly love each other
what but death can separate them? For misfortune of any kind only binds
the tie of sympathy more closely.
If this tie was not so easily broken more persons would consider whom
they were marrying and what they were marrying for, and if less
deception was practiced beforehand, there would be fewer marriages
which prove such dismal failures.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked;
who can know it? Jeremiah xvii, 9.
We will be done with all this in the resurrection.
In the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage,
but are as the angels of God in heaven. Matthew xxii, 30.
When the Witch left this pair she was happy in the thought that they
would live together on better terms, and be like a re-united family.
CHAPTER XIX.
Later in the day our Witch was in another part of the city; while
walking through an alley, she saw a Chinaman carrying a large basket
full of clean clothes that he was returning to the owners. The Witch
also noticed several half-grown boys and heard one of them remark:
"Say we take a shot at that heathen."
So with one accord they commenced pelting him with everything
available. Their victim tried to defend himself to the best of his
ability, but the half dozen boys pounced on him, and in the fracas the
clothes were upset into the street.
It was hard to tell how far they would carry their vicious work, which
they considered a capital joke, when some one appeared among them who
was also at work. Very soon they all left off, not knowing why. The
Witch stood near while he gathered up the clothes, which necessarily
must be washed over again.
Then she tried to solve in her mind this Chinese problem:
These Mongolians are in a measure obnoxious, but as a rule are
peaceable and industrious, which is more than can be said of many other
people.
They have few opportunities for making a living in their own
over-populous country, but perhaps when they have become more
thoroughly Christianized, the race will be less prolific, which would
be beneficial to their own nation and others.
Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth. Psalms xcvi, 10.
For the more a man leans to divinity the less he cleaves to his animal
nature; and what is true of the Chinese applies to other densely
populated countries.
For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh;
but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
Romans viii, 5.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should
obey it in the lusts thereof. Romans vi, 12.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust
of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of
the world.
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth
the will of God abideth forever. John ii, 16, 17.
Her mind reverted to an incident which she witnessed in a cemetery. It
was the Sabbath and she was walking about in there as she often did on
this day, for what more forcible sermon can be delivered than a
thinking mind can feel while moving about among the dead?
After a time she was conscious of a disturbance of some kind going on
at one corner of the enclosure. A promiscuous crowd had gathered and
ere long there came a Chinese funeral train and stopped at the open
grave.
Then the crowd mocked them, and by this time it was evident that they
had gathered there to have sport at the expense of the mourners.
The children were cutting up all manner of antics, and the parents
stood by highly amused at the proceedings. It was almost impossible to
conduct the burial rites on account of the confusion made by the mob.
To be sure it was a peculiar ceremony, but some respect ought to have
been due the feelings of these sorrowing ones at such a time. These
children were wholly undisciplined in the matter of right and wrong;
their behavior was like so many young savages.
What were their parents teaching them? To selfishly enjoy the
discomfort of others, and this was all, never trying to encourage the
finer and better feelings in their natures.
Our Witch did not wait till the ceremony was over. Thoroughly disgusted
with human nature, she left the cemetery.
CHAPTER XX.
She thought still less of it that night when awakened from sleep by a
gang of boisterous picnickers who, full of liquor, were returning home
from a day of revelry. Women's and men's voices mingled together in
singing vile songs.
How wholly depraved are some natures, and how necessary that these lewd
minds should be purified by a closer communion with more spiritual
intellects!
When there are seven days in a week and our King only exacts from us
the Sabbath it does seem as if He is entitled to that, but where people
are confined to employment every day in the week but one, it is hardly
probable that the kind Father would object to their having an outing on
their one day of liberty out of a week of unremitting toil, if they
would conduct themselves properly.
Not in rioting and drunkenness; not in chambering and wantonness.
But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the
flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof. Romans xiii, 13, 14.
My Sabbaths they greatly polluted.
I am the Lord your God; walk in my statutes, and hallow my
Sabbaths. Ezekiel xx, 13.
Thus saith the Lord, keep ye judgment, and do justice.
Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth
hold on it; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth
his hand from doing any evil. Isaiah lvi, 1, 2.
If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy
pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy
of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own
ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee
to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the
heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken
it. Isaiah lviii, 13, 14.
But ere long a few cannot monopolize all the comforts, nor the masses
be obliged to struggle hard every hour for the bare necessities of
life, for who can defraud his neighbor when all minds will be a unit?
and if honesty was practiced to the letter, the good things of life
would not be so unequally divided.
The profit of the earth is for all. Ecclesiastes v, 9.
Yet ye say, the way of the Lord is not equal. Is not my way equal?
Are not your ways unequal? Ezekiel xviii, 25.
For every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to
covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest, every one
dealeth falsely. Jeremiah viii, 10.
Their tongue is an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit; one speaketh
peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in heart he layeth
wait. Jeremiah ix, 8.
As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit;
therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. Jeremiah v, 27.
Behold these are the ungodly who prosper in the world; they
increase in riches. Psalms lxxiii, 12.
Thus saith the Lord, execute ye judgment and righteousness, and
deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor; and do no
wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the
widow. Jeremiah xxii, 3.
Be renewed in the spirit of your mind; putting away lying, speak
every man truth with his neighbor; for we are members one of
another. Ephesians iv, 23, 25.
That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in
thee, that they also may be one in us. John xvii, 21.
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell
together in unity! Psalms cxxxiii, 1.
CHAPTER XXI.
Ever on the alert to do good the Witch stopped at a rickety tenement,
with nothing to recommend it but a climbing rose-bush, set out by some
flower-loving tenant a number of years before, and which twined its
long branches in full bloom over one end of the dilapidated structure;
it was an illustration of extremes meeting, this perfectly beautiful
rose-bush and the unsightly old porch. The landlady did not care to buy
a bird, and none of the occupants of her rooms were at home during the
day, except one, who poor boy, was always in, and a visitor would be
sure to cheer him up a bit, though it would be useless to try and sell
a bird there. She led the way up a flight of stairs to the room where a
little cripple was amusing himself with a few marbles that he was
rolling about on the table by which he was sitting.
He was delighted with the birds, but knew that his sister could not
afford to buy him one. He said she was employed up town in a store,
naming the business block of a well-known and very wealthy merchant,
and he could not go out and play like other boys, and the days seemed
very long sometimes.
Yes, thought our Witch, a day must be a long time to this poor weakling
with little to amuse him.
She gave him his choice of the birds, and after promising to bring it
back in the evening with a new cage which she would buy for him, the
Witch took her leave.
CHAPTER XXII.
A little way down the street in advance of her was a heavy wagon drawn
by one patient horse that looked as though it might have seen better
days, but now one could numerate every rib in its worn frame.
The driver was beating the poor animal unmercifully. It doubtless had a
history, and if allowed speech would tell of a gradual decline, of
careful nourishment and little to do in its prime, but when strength
and beauty began to wane, of a harder life, and now in old age when
attention was most needful, must fall in line with the great majority
of overworked, under-fed beasts of burden, and some day when no longer
able to hold up the harness, would be taken out and shot.
Our Witch could hear in her mind's ear the rebuke of old:
What have I done unto thee, that thou has smitten me these three
times? Numbers xxii, 28.
She watched the man intently for a few seconds, and then his arm
dropped to his side. Why this sudden sympathy so foreign to his
hardened nature?
The All-seeing Eye must often look down in tenderest pity on this
ill-treated animal creation, which is more deserving of His regard than
these inhuman beings, who by their cruelty place themselves far below a
level with the lower animals.
The Lord is good to all; and His tender mercies are over all His
works. Psalms cxlv, 9.
Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father is also merciful. Luke vi,
36.
The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel
troubleth his own flesh. Proverbs xi, 17.
Surely the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is one of
the noblest organizations of modern times, and for good work stands
second to no religious denomination that has ever existed, or ever will
exist.
CHAPTER XXIII.
Her next stopping place was not in a rookery part of the city, but was
where wealth abounds. It was just before the noon hour when she entered
the palatial home of a many times millionaire and was ushered into the
library where he was busy with some papers. "Would you care to buy a
bird, sir?"
"I have no time to talk with you this morning, madam." He looked at her
uneasily, and mentally resolved to administer a reproof to the servant
for allowing these tramping peddlers to enter the house.
The magnetic power was again brought into requisition.
The Witch might have used this influence for her own financial
advantage, but was too conscientious for that, and furthermore money
was not her aim in life.
Gradually there came stealing into this rich man's brain new thoughts;
was he doing right with his boundless wealth? He could not understand
why he was just waking up to the fact that he had not.
How many needy ones had he passed by?
Withhold not good to them to whom it is due, when it is in the
power of thine hand to do it. Proverbs iii, 27.
To endow some charitable institution at his death, as a monument to his
own memory, would hardly atone for neglected duty. Would God hold him
responsible for this neglect and bar him from the Kingdom?
Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. Daniel v,
27.
Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his
chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbor's service without wages,
and giveth him not for his work. Thine eyes and thine heart are not
but for thy covetousness. Jeremiah xxii, 13, 17.
Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your
gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a
witness against you and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye
have heaped treasures together for the last days. Behold the hire
of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you
kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which reaped are
entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. James v, 2, 3, 4.
Who so stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he shall cry
himself, but shall not be heard. Proverbs xxi, 13.
Let not the rich man glory in his riches. Jeremiah ix, 23.
Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them
in the day of the Lord's wrath. Zephaniah i, 18.
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not
high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God,
who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. That they do good, that
they be rich in good works, ready to distribute. I Timothy vi, 17,
18.
He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that
honoreth Him hath mercy on the poor. Proverbs xiv, 31.
As a partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that
getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of
his days, and at his end shall be a fool. Jeremiah xvii, 11.
CHAPTER XXIV.
Faithful to her promise, the Witch purchased a cage, and early in the
evening returned to the cripple's abode and was joyfully greeted.
"O, but you are a good lady to think of me, only a cripple boy!"
She felt that it was indeed more blessed to give than to receive (Acts
XX, 35) when one could do God a service at the same time.
As ye have done it unto the least of these ye have done it unto Me.
Matthew xxv, 40.
He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth to the Lord. Proverbs xix,
17.
In a short time the sister came. His face brightened up with pleasure
when he told her of the present he had received; now he would have a
companion all through the long days.
She was also in a happy mood. The head of the firm where she worked had
raised the salary of all his employes, and she was very thankful for
her good luck because of her brother who needed more books and toys,
for the poor child had to amuse himself the best he could during the
day. The Witch returned home. She saw the progress of her work many
times after in this millionaire's acts of benevolence which were so
liberal as to excite press comment.
Blessed is he that considereth the poor; the Lord will deliver him
in time of trouble. Psalms xli, 1.
CHAPTER XXV.
Our Witch read of the doings in the old world and was sorry that
distance and sea prevented this influence from being brought to bear
upon some of the crowned heads, who, born to almost absolute power,
showed no mercy to a religious sect, who according to Holy Writ are the
chosen people of God. But one alone cannot revolutionize the earth,
unless that one be omnipotent.
Some day this persecution must come to an end.
For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel,
and set them in their own land, and the stranger shall be joined
with them. Isaiah xiv, 1.
Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. Amos iv, 12.
The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly.
Zephaniah i, 14.
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the
Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand. Joel, ii, 1.
But of that day and hour no man, no not the angels of heaven, but
my Father only. Watch, therefore, for ye know not what hour your
Lord doth come. Matthew xxiv, 36, 42.
Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the Lord, which I speak unto
thee, so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.
Jeremiah xxxviii, 20.
Return ye now every one from his evil way and make your ways and
your doings good. Jeremiah xviii, 11.
And to wait for his Son from heaven whom he raised from the dead,
even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. 1
Thessalonians i, 10.
Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other
name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts
iv, 12.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ
Jesus who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Romans
viii, 1.
Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you;
Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double
minded. James iv, 8.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice,
and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him,
and he with me. Revelation iii, 20.
I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely. Hosea xiv,
4.
Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be
blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the
presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before
was preached unto you. Acts iii, 19, 20.
If ye thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye thoroughly
execute judgment between a man and his neighbor;
If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and
shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other
gods to your hurt;
Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land I gave to
your fathers, for ever and ever. Obey my voice and I will be your
God, and ye shall be my people. Jeremiah vii, 5, 6, 7, 23.
Therefore, turn thou to thy God; keep mercy and judgment, and wait
on thy God continually. Hosea xii, 6.
Depart from evil and do good, and dwell for evermore. Psalms
xxxvii, 27.
The redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come singing unto Zion;
and everlasting joy shall be upon their head; they shall obtain
gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. Isaiah
li, 11.
And it shall come to pass that he that is left in Zion, and he that
remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy, even every one that is
written among the living in Jerusalem. When the Lord shall have
washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have
purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit
of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. Isaiah iv, 3, 4.
Behold, I come quickly. And the Spirit and the bride say, come; and
let him that heareth say, come; and let him that is athirst come;
and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
Revelation xxii, 7, 17.
CHAPTER XXVI.
The Witch did not go about her work the next day, nor the next, for
somehow she contracted a severe cold which completely prostrated her,
and then pneumonia clutched her throat.
One morning, when the first golden rays of the sun glanced over the
sleeping city, they rested in benediction on her death bed. A neighbor,
whom in time past she had befriended, was at her side.
She knew that the end was near.
Will this influence stop here? or will it go on and on through all the
ages to come?
Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea,
saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their
works do follow them. Revelation xiv, 13.
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