Article July 13, 1907 Issue

THE OLD TRAIL

J. RAYMOND PROSSER

The shepherd who reaches the mountains with his flocks in June or July of each year soon finds the old and familiar trail that he knows will take his sheep to the "green pastures." As he winds his way among the trees and rocks, he suddenly notices new "blazing" upon the trees, and notes that most of the footprints on the old trail have turned to the new. Which shall he follow? He who is wise will take the new, soon to find himself on the old trail again, though not always knowing of the hours of delay and hardships he has escaped by so doing. He who is foolish is sure that the old trail is the right one, and believing it to be the only right way follows it, only to find that during the storms of winter trees have fallen across the pathway. After much labor he gets over or around the obstruction, and presses on. A little farther on, however, he finds that a swollen torrent has washed away the bridge which should covey him toward the desired pastures. He begins to realize that the one who has "blazed" the new trail knew of the obstructions along the old way, and had marked out a new path that those who followed might be saved time and trouble; and that he must either search for the new path or retrace his steps.

Most of us have spent weary days and years in trying to remove the doubt and fear which have fallen across our pathway during the long winter of materialism, or in trying to find a bridge which would carry us safely across the yawning chasm caused by belief in the reality of sin, disease, and death, until Christian Science came to us as the newly "blazed" trail. Should we not, therefore, feel the deepest gratitude to her who has "blazed" a way by which we may escape from the doubts and fears of mortal sense, and go steadily forward into the path long ago marked out by the great Wayshower, Christ Jesus.

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