The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1891-08-07

him on whose head are many crowns,
and all the celestial worship Is to come
up at his feet, like the humming of the
forest, like the rushing of the waters,
like the laundering Of the seas, while
all heaven, rising on their thrones, beat
time with their scepters; "Hallelujah,
for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth
Hallelujah, the kingdoms of this world
have become the kingdoms of our Lord
Jesus Christ ~
That song OF love, now low and far,
Ere long shall swell from star TO star;
| That light, the breaking day which tips
The golden spired Apocalypse,
Again, learn from my subject that
events which seem to be most insignia
cant may be momentous. Can you i'm
agine anything more unimportant than
the coming of a poor woman from Moab
to Judeaa Can you imagine anything
more trivial than the fact that this Ruth
just happened to alight-as they say
just happened to alight on that field of
Boazi Yet all ages, all generations
have an interest in the fact that she
was to become an ancestress of the Lord
Jesus Christ, and all nations and king
doms must look at that one little incl
dent with thrill of unspeakable and
eternal satisfaction, So 1t is in your
history and in mine: events that you
thought of no Importance at all have
been of very great moment. That
casual conversation, that accidental
meeting-you did not think of it again
for long while; but how it changed
all the current of your life
THE BEGINNING OF MINsTRELsY.
1t seemed to be of no importance
that Jubal invented rude instruments
of music, calling them harp and organ,
but they were the introduction of all
the worlds minstrelsy. And as you
hear the vibration of stringed instru-
ment, even after the fingers have been
taken away from it, SO all music now of
Lutte and drum and cornet is only the long
continued strains of Jubals harp and
Jubal's organ. 1t seemed to be mat
ter of very little Importance that Tubal
Cain learned the uses of copper and
iron, but that rude foundry Of ancient
days has its echo in the rattle of Biz
mingham machinery and the roar and
bang of factories on the Merrimac.
Again, see in my subject an illus
tration of the beauty of female indus
try. Behold Ruth toiling in the har
vest field under the hot sun, or at noon
taking plain bread with the reapers or
eating the parched corn which Boaz
handed to her. The customs of So
ciety, of course, have changed, and
without the hardships and exposure to
which Ruth was subjected every intel
ligent woman will find something to do.
| know there is a sickly sentimentality
on this subject. In some families there
are persons of no practical service to
household or community; and though
there are so many woes all around
about them in the world they spend
their time languishing over new pat
tern or bursting into tears at midnight
over the story of some lover who shot
himself! They would not deign to
look at Ruth carrying back the barley
on her way home to her motherin-law,
Naomi.
All this fastidiousness may seem to
do very well while they are under the
shelter of their fathers house; but
when the sharp winter of misfortune
comes, what of these butterfies2 Per
sons under indulgent parentage may
get upon themselves habits of Incidence,
but when they come out into practical
life their soul will recoil with disgust
and chagrin. They will feel in their
hearts what the poet SO severely satir
lied when he said:
Folks are so awkward, things SO impolite,
They're elegantly panied from morn till night.
Through that gate of Incidence how
many men and women have marched,
useless on earth, to destroyed eterni-
ty! Spinola said to Sir Horace We're,
"Of what did your brother die2" "Of
having nothing to do" was the answer.
"Ah, - said Spinola, that's enough to
kill any general of u.s." Oh, can it be
possible in this world, where there is so
much suffering to be alleviated. so
much darkness to be enlightened, and
so many burdens to be carried, that
there is any person who cannot find
to do2
Madame de Stael did world of
work in her time, and one day, while
she was seated amid instruments of
music, all of which she had mastered,
and amid manuscript books which she
had written, some one said to her,
How do you find time to attend to all
these things2" "Oh," she replied,
these are not the things 1 am proud
Of. My chief boast is in the fact that
have seventeen trades, by any one of
which l could make a livelihood if
necessary" And if in secular spheres
there is so much to be done, in spiritual
work how vast the field How many
lying all around about us without one
word of comfort! We want more Abb
gals, more Hannahs, more Rebeccas,
more Marys, more Deboraiis conse-
'rated-body, mind, soul-to the Lord
who bought them.
Once more learn from my subject
he value Of cleaning Ruth going
nto that harvest field might have said
There is "A straw, and there is straw,
out what is a straw | can't get any
barley for myself or my mother-in-law
'ut OF these separate straws" Not so
aid beautiful Ruth She gathered two
travis and she put them together and
more straws, until she got enough to
make sheaf. Putting that down she
vent and gathered more straws, until
he had another sheaf, and another, and
mother and another and then she
brought them all together, and she
hreshed them out, and she had an
phah of barley, nigh a bushel. Oh, /
hat we might all be gleanersl c
WE ARE ALL CLEANERS. '