Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-05-27

4
green cases. These rapidly heightened
into many-colored spikes, which were
formed of delicate folds. These burst in
great numbers with every new touch of
| the wand, till at last the thing was COM
plete; hung all over with cups or bells
of white purple, pink, or crimson
streaked with darker tints or softly
| shaded. They were not made of wax,
or crystai, or porcelain, or anything
else you ctsSld name; nothing you ever
saw made - these could equal it in
smoothness ana ssauty of finish
Herman gazeo N rapture. 'Ohp he
cried, it is lovely it " marvellous! How
did you dot? Could you ever teach me
to do such wonderful shing?.'
"But the dumb man shook his head at
Herman, pointed upward, and then.
| clasping his hands, looked reverently to-
ward heaven.
"' But who did it, then? What is it,,
persisted Herman
1.-The man took his pencil and wrote:
The great God above only can do such
things
1T is called-what?" asked Aunt Kate,
looked around upon the faces of her lis
teners.
They had been so absorbed in the
story that her question took them by
surprise.
"Why-I don't know" said Harry,
hesitating, 81 thought it was real story
about magicians you were telling US. |
don't know of anything God does that
seems like that" And Harry looked
rather Disguised at the turn the story
had taken.
"Teu US what the old man called it,
though, auntie," said Fanny
" 1t was called-morning glory"
"What you don't mean that common
vine that is running all over the back
porch?"
eyes, do, indeed" said Aunt Kate.
Let US go and look at it."
She broke off a long spray of the vine,
still laden with dew, and they gathered
round to examine it. "Now," she said,
" [ know that the early growth of this
vine is Iust as | have described it to you.
AS you look at it now can you tell me of
single thing have told you about it
which is not true?"
But thought you were telling us
about some great wonder. This doesn't
happen as quickly as L thought the thing
in the story did"
" did not say, you know, how long a
time it took. That makes it none the
less a great wonder. Dear children, /
am trying to make you think a little of
all the wonders there are in creation
and of the Great Magician's hand, whose
touch works them. Look have you ever
seen any colors made by men which
were like these in this common little
plant? Have you ever noticed what
beauties it unfolds each morning at the
new touch of the golden wanda"
"Ah, that wand then that means the
sunshine, and those mystical crystal
drops-yes, yes, Aunt Kate, you GER
tainly have trumped up great story to
try TO make us believe there is more than
flower in a flower. | remember now
you did not really tell us the wand was
in the dumb mans hand-though we
all thought so-only that it aOo5 used and
that vessel, that was neither cup, bowl,
stewpan, tefskettle, or anything else
but fower-pot; and the dark docking
powder, too; well, I must say, you have
managed to play a pretty good joke on
US, auntie"
You may call it joke, dear, if it only
helps little toward teaching you to see
great hand and a great purpose in
every trifing thing. 1t is rather
clumsy little story, to be sure; but [ hope
1t may open your eyes to see a little
further than just the outside of things. |
think we get so used to what we see
about us every day-these common
things, as you call them-that we forget
to notice what wonders are constantly
going on under our careless sigh. Did
you ever try watching a plant closely
from the time its first leaf appeared till
1t was complete in the flower, and per-
fected and finished in the end? You
would find it much more curious than
the work of stage magician. There is
no substance in what they show, and it
lasts but for the moment, and they have
all the help which lumsily-contrived
machinery and deceptive light can give
them. But I'm not going TO do what
used to hate so much in Hsop's Fables
make my application longer than my
story; and, as I see Harry feels little as
if he had been swindled, will send you
off to school with short story which
shan't pretend to be anything but Just
what it is:
"There was man lying under tree,
greatly bewailing himself that he had not
hand in creation, declaring he could
have ordered things much better than
the Creator mad succeeded in doing. At
ter exposing many of the mistakes in the
general plan of things he went on:
What most absurd arrangement that
yon slender vine should be obliged to
bear pumpkins, while this gigantic oak