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KATE SHELLY’S BRAVERY

Six years ago Miss Shelly won a gold medal from the Iowa Legislature, “and a wealth of admiration from all who read of her act of heroism.” The facts are these In a fearful thunder-storm and a torrent of falling rain, she looked out of her window in the darkness of the night, and by the vivid flashes of lightning shining on the scene, she saw that a railroad bridge near her home had been swept away by the storm. Just then she saw the headlight of a locomotive swiftly approaching the spot where the bridge had just been swept away, and plunge into the abyss below.

She lighted her lantern, and alone, amidst the thunder, and lightning, and storm, she crept up a rocky steep, and with her clothes torn to rags, and lacerated flesh, she reached the rails, and on her hands and knees crept out to the last tie of the fallen bridge, swung the lantern back and forth over the abyss, until she heard the faint voice of the engineer, who, though in the greatest peril himself, cried to her to go quickly and give the alarm to save the express train, which was then coming toward that perilous spot, and some help also, to rescue him. She started for the nearest station, which was a mile away. To reach that station she had to cross a high trestle bridge of five hundred feet in length. She had gone but a few steps when a fearful gust of wind put out her lantern, which she then threw away, knowing that she could not relight it in the storm.

She then dropped upon her hands and knees, and crept along from tie to tie over the trestle. Her way was lighted only by frequent flashes of lightning. After crossing the bridge she hastened along the rails by the flashes of lightning to the station, and with what strength she had left told her story, and then fell in a dead faint at the station-agent’s feet. Help went quickly to the poor engineer’s rescue, and telegrams flew up and down the line, notifying all that the bridge was gone. While Miss Shelly lay yet unconscious, the express train came rushing into the depot.

When the passengers learned what perils the brave girl had passed through to save them, and saw her still lying in an unconscious state, they took her up tenderly, and bathed her torn and bleeding limbs, and soon brought her back to consciousness.

Oh, how the scene beggars description, as the men and women gather about this brave girl of sixteen, looking upon her pale face, her torn and bleeding form. As they think how she went through all this to save their lives, words are too weak to express the deep gratitude of their hearts. They laid a substantial expression of their appreciation at her feet.

Then, as the best they could do, they embalmed her memory in their warmest affections, while the world placed a wreath of lasting honor on her brow. And Kate Shelly, living or dying, with her approving conscience, can say: “I did what I could.” What an example to all Christians, who see so clearly the dark abyss just a step before unconverted men, and they rushing with great speed towards it.

Let us swing the lamp of truth before them, and cry with great earnestness: “Danger ahead! Bridge gone! No crossing but through the bleeding victim of Calvary!” May we all learn a lesson of sacrifice and effort to save others, from this incident, that in the coming day Christ, may say of us: “They have done what they could.” – A. B. Earle.

JOHN WESLEY HEALED IN ANSWER TO PRAYER

An illustrious example of constancy and power in prayer, we find in John Wesley : “It is said that ‘as a matter of habit and rule, John Wesley’s ordinary private praying consumed two hours a day.’ At times he would gather his company and pray all night, or till the power of God came down. Nothing was considered too great or too small to take to the Lord. Seized with a pain in the midst of his preaching, so that he could not speak, ‘I know my remedy,’ he says, and immediately kneeled down.

In a moment the pain was gone, and the voice of the Lord cried aloud to sinners. Being seized with a pain, fever and cough, so that he could scarcely speak, ‘I called on Jesus aloud to increase) my faith. While I was speaking my pain vanished away, my fever left me, and my bodily strength returned.’

“The elements, as well as sickness, were often in his way, and prayer removed the hindrances. ‘Just as I began to preach the sun broke out and shone exceedingly hot on my head. I found if it continued I should not be-able to speak long, and I lifted up my heart to God.

In a minute or two it was covered with clouds which continued till the service was over.’ And he says: ‘Let any one who please call this chance, I call it an answer to prayer.’ It was raining, and Wesley and his congregation were crowded out of the church, and the rain ceased the moment they came out. He says in regard to this incident: ‘ How many proofs must we have that there is no petition too little, any more than too great, for God to grant?’

“Wesley moved things mightily, because he moved God mightily. He became the prince of evangelists, because he was the prince of prayers. He stirred the world with the -fire of his zeal, because he had stirred heaven by the fire of his prayers. His pleas had access to men’s consciences, because they had access to God. If more men prayed as John Wesley prayed, there would be more of John Wesley’s thoroughly spiritual work done. ” – Prevailing Prayer, by Wigle.

JOHN KNOX’S PREVAILING PRAYER FOR SCOTLAND

Among the mighty men of faith and prayer whose names will stand forth until this world’s history is completed, is that of John Knox. The days of turbulence developed their holy zeal and courage. Summoned before the highest of earth’s great ones, true everywhere to God, and a man mighty in prayer, Queen Mary of Scotland once said of Knox that she feared his prayers more than an army of ten thousand men. On England’s throne sat Mary, the daughter of Henry VIII., who had been brought up by her mother, Catharine of Aragon, in the dark faith of Rome, a complete tool in the hands of the priests, whose one design was to destroy the Protestants. Soon the jails were filled, the fires kindled in Smithfield, and the whole land was one scene of desolation, and the Protestants were hunted as partridges on the mountains. The great heart of John Knox was stirred. On his knees, on his face for hours together before God, he pleaded for Scotland. “All Scotland for Christ! ” was his ceaseless cry.

In one of these seasons of mighty taking hold of God, he sprang to his feet with the cry: “Deliverance has come! Deliverance has come!” As soon as the courier could speed his way from London to the city where John Knox lived, he made the proclamation: “Mary, Queen of England, is dead!”

Pray ye the Lord of the Harvest, to raise up such men in our days, when the tide of worldliness threatens the whole church, and Catholicism is spreading her baneful influence over the free institutions of our land; only waiting for the chance to re-enact the scenes of St. Bartholomew’s day in France, or the massacre of ten thousand Protestants in one day as in Ireland, to crush out the religion of our fathers, to burn the Bible, and plunge the whole land into papal darkness — Sarah A. Cooke.

JOHN BYERS’ PREVAILING PRAYER

Maggie, an Irish girl of about twenty years, burned herself by lighting the morning fire with kerosene. Dr. Benjamin, the leader of the infidel club here, was called, who bound her up in cotton and oil.

A neighbor sent for John Byers, an old Scotch shoemaker, to pray with her. As he came into the house, the doctor was coming out, and ordered him away, saying, he didn’t want any praying done about any of his patients. But Brother Byers paid him no heed, and taking the girl’s hand, asked her: “Maggie, are you in great pain?” “Oh! Awful, sir,” was her answer. “Well, we will ask God to take it away,” he said; and falling upon his knees at her bedside paying no more attention to the room full of women that stood about, than if they had been so many flies, he asked the Lord to take all the pain away, so that he could talk to her about her soul; and very soon he got the perfect assurance that his prayer was heard. So he arose and said:”Do you feel any pain now, Maggie?” “No, sir, it has all gone away.”Then he presented a Savior to her mind, as dying for Maggie, so that she, by believing on Him, might live forever; and soon she accepted Him as her Redeemer. After a little while she opened her eyes, and looking around, said to the women: “Don’t you hear it?” “No, we don’t hear anything, Maggie,” they replied. “Oh, I never heard such singing before! And the music! I can’t tell you how fine it is” And then she lay, listening till starting up, she sat up in bed, and pointing upward, said: ” Don’t you see them? Oh, how beautiful they are! What are they?” “They are the angels, coming to take you home, Maggie,” said Brother Byers. Then she laid back again on her pillow perfectly quiet, as if fearing to lose sight of the beautiful vision. Brother Byers turned to go home, but had not got a hundred steps from the house, when one of the women called out to him: ” She’s gone, sir.” But the case of the doctor lay heavily on John Byers’ mind; and that night, he did not go to bed until he had made the case a subject of earnest prayer, and had received the assurance that he should be converted, Seeing the doctor a few days after that, he told him of his answer to prayer for him. But the doctor laughed at the idea of such a fool getting any such a promise from the Maker of the universe.

But the next fall the doctor went to Florida for his health, and within two months, the news came back that Benjamin had knelt at a Methodist mourner’s bench, and was converted.

The next spring he died, rejoicing in the faith. — Dr. H. Durham.

JESSIE FINDING JESUS

A little girl in a wretched tenement in New York stood by her mother’s death-bed, and heard her last words: “Jessie, find Jesus.”

When her mother was buried, her father took to drink, and Jessie was left to such care as a poor neighbor could give her.

One day she wandered off unmissed, with a little basket in her hand, and tugged through one street after another, not knowing where she went. She had started out to find Jesus. At last she stopped, from utter weariness, in front of a saloon. A young man staggered out of the door, and almost stumbled over her. He uttered passionately the name of Him whom she was seeking. ” Where is He?” she inquired eagerly. He looked at her in amazement. “What did you say?” he asked. “Will you please tell me where Jesus Christ is? For I must find Him ” this time with great earnestness.

The young man looked at her curiously for a minute without speaking, and then his face sobered; and he said in a broken, husky voice, hopelessly: “I don’t know, child; I don’t know where he is.” At length the little girl’s wanderings brought her to the park. A woman, evidently a Jewess, was leaning against the railing, looking disconsolately at the green grass and the trees.

Jessie went up to her timidly. “Perhaps she can tell me where he is,” was the child’s thought. In a low, hesitating voice, she asked the woman: “Do you know Jesus Christ?”

The Jewess turned fiercely to face her questioner, and in a tone of suppressed passion, exclaimed: “Jesus Christ is dead!” Poor Jessie trudged on, but soon a rude boy jostled against her, and snatching her basket from her hand, threw it into the street. Crying, she ran to pick it up. The horses of a passing streetcar trampled her under their feet and she knew no more till she found herself stretched on a hospital bed.

When the doctors came that night, they knew she could not live until morning. In the middle of the night, after she had been lying very still for a long time, apparently asleep, she suddenly opened her eyes, and the nurse, bending over her, heard her whisper, while her face lighted up with a smile that had some of heaven’s own gladness in it: “O Jesus, I have found you at last!”

Then the tiny lips were hushed, but the questioning spirit had received an answer. Selected.