Mr. World and Miss Church-Member Part 11

He read this sign a few times and also heard the voice of a good friend who told him that he had seen thousands go to ruin by not heeding this warning. Nevertheless he was urged by curiosity and carnality, and being hardened by former acts of disobedience and seeing nothing but innocent pleasure before him, he yielded to his baser desires.

"O! rescue me, Mr. Law, I am in the clutches of this woman," was his beseeching cry, not long after. But I saw that no one came to his help.

There were many such places in this valley where men, both young and old, were enticed; many of whom could not have been caught by the snares of vice at other places along the Broad Highway.

I saw also, farther down the valley, that Satan used all manner of traps and nets to catch the silly and the foolish. That which attracted my attention the most was a series of stations built close to the King's Highway. At each place Satan employed a company of expert men who were trained to use a la.s.so. I saw certain men and women of the King's Highway who became so inflated with their own vanity and imaginations that they rose head and shoulder above their humbler comrades, thus enabling the la.s.so of Pride to get hold of them. Some, by heeding advice, escaped; others submitted to the drawing power and landed in the kingdoms of the World where they could wors.h.i.+p their new G.o.d with increasing ardor.

There was also a certain young man who doted so much on his own ways that his head rose unusually high. He was, therefore, easily caught by a la.s.so called Conceit. Good friends came to his rescue and told him to realize at once that he was nothing, and thereby he would suddenly become so small that he would drop completely out of his trouble.

But he said that he could not believe a lie, whereat the la.s.so tightened still more about his neck, and he succeeded by still further struggling to remain a very brief time on the King's Highway; but being in pain, he soon yielded to the inevitable and went to wors.h.i.+p before the shrine of his own G.o.d.

I also saw that the women of the King's Highway were an exceeding great army, mighty in battling against the foe, much to the discomfiture of Satan and his allies.

To counteract the influence of this s.e.x Satan has plied his ingenuity ever since the beginning. In his Pharaoh fas.h.i.+on he has so manipulated the customs of the world that woman is trampled under foot in uncivilized lands, and in lands of light she is ostracized by sections of the Christian church and despised in the civil realm. And yet, with a faithful heart, she suffers this indignity and, looking up from underneath this weight, she offers to the powers that crush her down the holiest sacrifice that one can give.

O spirit of the age, like flowers of Heaven, Thy fragrance will not die, but live eternal; And woman shall, some holier, happier day, Attain her highest glory in the world.

Yet notwithstanding all these means wherewith Satan has made the path of woman so hard to travel, he has discovered that he can not disgrace her by any means so effectually as through the old temptation.

Consequently Satan has kept the seed of the central tree of the garden and still raises, on the broad uplands of h.e.l.l, _forbidden fruit_ which, through engrafting processes, has come to many varieties.

This mysterious product of the tree, so suited to the natural palate of womankind, is provided abundantly on each side of the King's Highway along the whole length of the Valley of Temptation, and is offered, ostensibly, free of charge.

I watched, with chagrin and horror, the subtle influences of this fiendish work, seeing young women and those of riper experience go down alike under this intoxication of h.e.l.l.

As I looked again at the whole Valley, what sad sights of intemperance painfully greeted my eyes!

The intervening ground was a veritable bed of iniquity, for it swarmed with half-clothed inebriates who patronized the miserable and filthy hovels of lowest resort, while inebriates, in finer array, entered the apartments which were decorated and finished in all the beauty that wealth could afford, and supplied with alcoholic beverages under a fas.h.i.+onable bill of fare.

I could see the same Devil controlling all, and the same gutter or the same h.e.l.l receiving all who did not yield to the agencies of eternal life.

Among the many temperance organizations that operated throughout the valley I observed a band of women who threatened to overthrow the evil.

They had, by long persistent effort, discovered the underground connections between the distillery and the saloons, and therefore they were endeavoring to kill the traffic at the head. This movement at first created laughter in the ranks of the foe, but the women have continued patiently and have built a thousand batteries from which they hurl projectiles of death into the camp of intemperance. Since then the agents of darkness have ceased their laughter and instead have set to building defences behind which they hope to carry on their business with impunity.

But the bands of women have entered into an eternal agreement, pledged their faith one to another, and have been calling upon Heaven for help; therefore they declare that no flag will be lowered, and no gun will be silent until the great wall around the city of their foes shall fall, either at a long blast of the horn or a continuous volley from their ramparts.

CHAPTER IX.

THE TOWER OF TEMPTATION.

1. The tower affords the most advantageous view of the world and a most discouraging view of the King's Highway.

2. The triumphant flight of Mrs. Discouraged from the tower's top to a place on the King's Highway called "Victory by Faith."

3. Mr. World and Miss Church-Member ride from the tower's top in Satan's new air s.h.i.+p.

Mr. World and Miss Church-Member continuing on the Broad Highway, entered the Valley of Temptation with all its gaiety and outward happiness. This valley is known by the pilgrims of the King's Highway as the Devil's Heaven, for here the tinsel of the world, the pomp of society, and the wealth of material grandeur are manifested in all their glory.

"An exceedingly pleasant valley," said Mr. World as they drew nearer to the scenes of activity on each side of the way.

"Beyond my antic.i.p.ation, indeed. Our journey is growing more and more delightful," she joyously replied.

As they journeyed on Miss Church-Member came into agreeable fellows.h.i.+p with some of her former Christian a.s.sociates who, by looking over into the territory of the World, coveted its ways and were snared by one or another of Satan's devices to catch the unwary. The larger portion of these new recruits were firmly convinced that they were still traveling on the road to Heaven, even though they had fully left the Narrow Way.

Miss Church-Member congratulated her comrades of earlier years on their happy choice of a wider and more pleasant path, and they accepted her invitation to spend a season together in the valley.

These new a.s.sociates were welcomed most cordially by Mr. World who left nothing undone that might add to their comfort or pleasure.

The merry company pa.s.sed down the valley and paused at a magnificent temperance saloon which occupied nearly the whole s.p.a.ce between the two Highways. Into this place of attractive rooms I saw many enter from the King's Highway, much to the displeasure of their great Master.

In this infernal guise Satan seduces many an unsuspecting traveler to take one more step downward toward the lowest service of his kingdom.

Mr. World courteously offered refreshments and conducted his friends into the "Ladies Parlor" where they drank alleged unfermented wines, and admired the sculpture and works of art which adorned the place.

They were then offered their choice of porter, sweet cider, root beer, hot punch (special for a cold), or eggnog for a weak heart. Thus each one was enabled to find a beverage directly suited to his need or taste, for some had contracted a cold, while others were suffering with cardiac troubles.

Not far from this respectable place, and connected secretly therewith, stood a group of buildings patronized by the lower order of criminals and inebriates. These haunts bore a black reputation.

Mr. World and his joyous companions, by reason of their refined natures and good standing in the church, would not so much as look at such despicable resorts, but continued their journey until they came to a wider section of the valley where they saw numberless rescue bands at work, but especially a great army of Endeavorers presenting a formidable front.

"Whence came this company so great that it cannot be numbered?" asked Mr. World in a state of nervous agitation.

One of the new companions quickly answered: "They come from the King's Highway and are trying to capture the kingdom of this world and bring it into subjection to G.o.d. I know all about them and can testify that they are a mighty and glorious band." The regiments of this great host were marching on, each soldier equipped with the full panoply of his station. Many of the pilgrims on the Broad Highway trembled at the presence of so powerful an army. It has caused the enemy much concern how to meet and, if possible, conquer this foe. This army of Endeavorers constantly grows and, according to the claims of the enemy, the most successful plans to oppose it are not yet matured. Satan has promised his forces that he would utterly rout these daring legions as soon as some new inventions of war can be perfected.

The merry companions, not being moved with anger, endured the gigantic display of this host without chagrin.

Mr. World quieted his rising fears and urged his comrades onward past the Tobacco Station until they reached the centre of the valley where the King's Highway was the roughest, and the Broad Highway the smoothest.

Here was built the most remarkable structure of the valley. A high tower of imposing strength occupied the whole s.p.a.ce between the two highways. Its foundations were broad and totally covered the King's Highway with a ma.s.sive arch.

This was known amongst Christians as the Devil's Tower, or Tower of Temptation. It was built by Satan, and was said to afford the finest view of the world to all who would consent to take a ride upward in its electric carriage.

The location of the tower was perfectly adapted to the purpose intended.

Scarcely any pilgrims _en route_ for Heaven pa.s.sed by without taking a view of the sights.

Before this mountain was built, a high mountain-cliff, on one side of the valley, was used by the agents of darkness for the same purpose.

Thereon David ascended and saw the prosperity of the wicked until envy filled his soul, and his "steps had well-nigh slipped." Had it not been that by faith he looked to a mountain far away, and understood the end of the prosperous worldly minded, he might have there fallen to his death.

Upon this mountain Satan took Christ, the Son of G.o.d, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, and said unto him: "All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and wors.h.i.+p me."

From this tower Judas saw the wealth of the world, and there was begotten within him an inordinate craving for earthly gain which at last dragged him down to a miserable end.

As time rolled on, Satan erected this magnificent tower higher than the loftiest crag of the mountain. I saw that Mr. World and his companions were looking at the exterior finish of the tower, after which they stepped to the base and spent some time in watching the many schemes that were employed to induce disheartened Christians to take the Broad Highway after descending the tower.

They saw that one of the most successful of these schemes was a series of little offices occupied by fortune tellers of reputed ability. In one of these they saw an old woman with a mysterious face. She professed to be able, by her strange conjuring, to reveal the future of any life.