The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-04-29
AN OLD FASHIONED SUNDAY,

Win HO 0bIllTuitS night IOE u lHEeSuOlu
was the poet thinking of; not day with
q railroad running through the middle oI
it, and an engine shrieking up and down
from morning bell to vcspers.
Neither WIS it the gray, grim day the
Puritans made Of it, who, and with sOmt
small show Of truth, the Westminster Re
view declares, invented the sin OF Sabbath
breaking, but just dear, old-fashiOned
Sunday. --.-.- --
Such an One-it was longer ago than
yCsterday-sllIncs IKE n star just ready to
set, out Of the fur Past, of which it seems
we arc writing out Of tho flIllness Of Our
own heart, in our own words and moi an.
others, f
, Sweet day, no pure, 30 calm, 70 bright,
The bridal Of the earth and sky!
q And, now, MS we think, tue fear posses
sing lis that such days have fallen out OIL
the calendar, that the gold devil has got
into this Eden OF Time, and fig leaves
and apron makers obtained full sway in
Paradise. .r ..r,
Very beautiful used to be the approach
es to that Sunday in those old days. Tho
tide Of passion and the glow Of ambition
went down with Saturdays sur. and life's
fever was followed by a sleep. The black.
smiths bellows grew brcathlcSs, and his
hammer lay silent on the anvil; the fitful
tlnkIing orH bell denoted the Inst wander.
or Of the flock safe in tho Hold; the mills
"big Wheel" stood still, and the upper
and lower sections Of its battered door
were closed; the "ironing" of the old.
fashioned mother was hid away; the Inst
loaf was withdrawn from the glowing
cavern Of the old brick oven; the boys
had come back from the creek, their
brown feet twinkling whittier in the grass,
and their damp hair n shade darker than
II went; h light glimmes dimly through
the great windows of the church; young
men and maidens go in pairs, and pretty
soon, through the shNdowy air, there
fonts the blended voices that VIC used to
love, in Windham, Near, and Silver
Street, "Dundce's wild, warbling measures
rise" and sweet old Corinth falls upon
the car; the moon surmounts the woods,
and rides q moment like ship upon the
lCaIy waves Of June, then bears away for
"lho blue whtcr" Of Gods Aegean, and
over all that scene md night It rules.
The dew grows radiant and restless in
the grass beneath 1t, us il earth were our
mother, and she really breathed; in the
mists Of gray, that with the willows
fringe the stream Of silver; and the mem.
DRY Of that hour Is gold.
Morning comes, and with It tho robins
sOng-thGy did not eat the robins then
u little flock Of white clouds Craze silent
ly In the eastern field OF Heaven, und the
hills ut the west Of us arc red with Days
new sacrifice, the first lamb from It's fold
Of ours, East across the river-perhaps il
will do no harm to name it-across the
Black MVer-stand in majesty, rank after
rank, the eternal woods, and among their
CorOnAls, and wrGathel with leaves, there
always lie in such Juno mornings, three
silver Clouds-three breaths of beauty,
from three forest lakes beneath They
always seemed to us three syllables Of
thanksgiving the Sun discovered on their
nightly way to God,
The Lombardy pOplars, in long array,
TINT seem forever going over ClintOn's
hill, wear CROWNS Of flame; and there
with sentry Lombarls round about, amid
a wilderness OF woods, hard by the river,
in the Valleys heart, lies tho sweet vii
lage, the sweeter Day did find. That was
a haunt for Sunday, and might have been
its homestead.
There under the risen sun, the village
lay in Sabbath slumber. The blinds Of
the two windows Of the store, the eyes Of
commerce, unspeculativc, were fast closed:
the village school and village mill had
grown murmurless together; not wheel
ratified down the street; not shout or Il
bOisterous song tloated up the valley; Il
was six O'clock, and sunday morning.
And soft wore away until the hour Of
worship, then over the village, over the
clearings, over the woods, the music oil
the bell fOated all abroad, and from the
hills there came IN answer back, and
voices OF bells from among the trees. And
then from the country round they came
on horseback, by 'twos-there were pill.
lions then-On foot in groups, in wagons
by families, and now then u chaise, and
went up-for it was set upon q hlll-tC
the House Of the Lord in company. Guilt
less of adjoining, there it stood, grown
gray in time and storm, its spire like q
solemn finger pointing ever unto heaven
its pulpit, like n swallows nest, fast to the
wall, midway 'twixt earth and SKY; It's
seats naked as Truth, for the luxuries o.
religion were not kept at the one store
its unexpected aiSles, its unguilded hymn,
books, its ungullded congregation. I'm
fashionable they may have been, but they
are gone, the most Of them We cannoI
doubt, where the styles do not change
with the moon, and robes Of white, and
harps Of gold are the fashion forever.
How, midsummer though it was, the
heads of that congregation were sprink,
led with snow. And the miniSter-the
gifts Of gray hair and Of wisdom were his
strange that lie should die; we did moi
think hG could. How simple was his
doctrine, how clear his reasoning, how
earnest his eXhortation and homely his
phrase, but how beautiful his spirit. He
might have stood on Mars Hill; he NIGH
have taken the place and the pillow O
"thc beloved disciple" but "the prayer
Of David, tile son ofJcssie, arc ended, ;
and We shall hear his voice nomore.
And the hymns they used to sing then
and the singers that sang them united tC
the music and the choir Of heaven! The
blacksmith that sung bass has exchanged
iron for gold, and the girl that sang ali
has put off the blue dress she then wore
for a garment Of glory. J.r.t.
The morning services done, then came
the incoming" and in groups, in church
and out Of doors under tho trees, and a
the ncighbors hard by, and in the place
tOfgraves, they passed the hour, and thert
was the fragrance Of Caraway, Of new ap
pies, and roses.
The sermon done, as did the deciples o.
old, "thcy sang u hymn, and went out
Kind words were said by the way, ant
hands were Clasped by honest handl
again, and the inquisition Of friendship
was satisfied; "the corn was promising
the sheep was sheared; the baby was well!
one twas waiting" he said "for hio t,Ir,