Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-05-19

My sister died ten years ago, and my moth
er never was herself again and she died
soon after Last night dreamed ] was
killed in battle. and that mother and sis
ter came down 10 meet me-" After the
next battle was over, some one crossing
the field heard voice that he recognized
as the voice of Tom. hedrummer boy, sing
ing Jesus, Lover Of My Soul" But at the
end Of the first verse the voice became
very feeble and at the end OF the second
verse it stopped. and they went up and
found Tom, the drummer boy, leaning
against stump and dead.
ION. FOR a THOUSAND TONGUES"
That hymn "0h, for a Thousand Tongues
TO Sing" was suggested TO Charles Wes-
ley by Peter Boiler who after his CONVEX
sion siid, Il bad better keep silent about
H. !" No, " said Wesley. iii you had ten
thousand tongues you had better use
them for Christ" And then that angel Of
hymnology pcnned the words
Oh, for thousand tongues to sing
My dear Redeemers praise.
The glories Of my God and king.
The tlfumphs of his grace.
Jesus. the name that ealms our fears.
That bids our sorrows cease;
It's music In the sinners ears.
It's life and health and peace.
While much Of the modern music IS a
religious doggerel, n consecrated nonsense,
a sacred tomfoolery would like 10 see
some great musician of our time lift the
baton and marshal Luther's Judgment
Hymn Yarmouth, Dundee, Ariel Brattle
Street. Uxbridge, Pleyel's Hymn, Harwell.
Antioch. Mount Pisgah and Coronation,
with few regiments Of mighty tunes made
IN our own time, and storm Asia, Africa
aud America for the kingdom of God.
But the first thing TO do is TO drive out
the dumb devil OF the text from all our
churches.
Do not however, let us lose ourselves in
generalities Not one Of us but has bad
orr lives sometimes touched by the evil
spirit of the text--this awful dumb devil
We had just one opportunity of saying
Christian word that might have led man
or woman into "A Christian life The OPP
portunity was fairly put before us. The
word of invitation or consolation or warn
ing came to the inside gate of the mouth,
but there it halted. Some hindering power
locked the jaws together so that they did
not open. The tongue lay fiat and still in
the bottom of the mouth as though struck
with paralysis We were mute.
Though God had given us the physiology
cal apparatus for speech, and our lungs
were filed with air which, by the com
mand Of our will, could have made the
laryngeal muscles move and the vocal or
gans yibrate, we were wickedly and fatally
silent For all time and eternity we missed
our chance. Or it was prayer meeting,
and the service was thrown open for prayer
and remarks. and there was dead halt
everything silent as a graveyard at mid
night. Indeed it was graveyard and
midnight An embarrassing pause took
place that put wet blanket on all the
meeting. Men, bold enough on business
exchange or in worldly circles. shut their
eyes as though they were praying in 81
lenee, but they were not praying ut all
They were busy hoping somebody else
would do his duty.
The women flushed under the awful
pause and made their fans more rapidly
futter. Some brother with no cold
coughed, by that sound trying TO fill TAP
the time, and the meeting was slain. But
what killed it, The dumb devil. This is
the way ! account for the fact that the
stupidest places on earth are some prayer
meetings. | do not see how man keeps
any grace il ne regularly attends them.
They are spiritual refrigerators. Religion
kept on ice. How many Of us have lost oc.
casions of usefulness!
In sculptor's studio stood figure of
the god Opportunity. The sculptor had
made the hair fall down over the face of
the statue so as to completely cover it, and
there were wings to the feet. When asked
why he 50 represented Opportunity, the
sculptor answered, "The face of the statue
is thus covered up because we do not rec
ognize Opportunity when it comes, and the
wings to the feet show that Opportunity is
swiftly gone"
THE DUMB DEVIL IN POLITICS
But do not let the world deride the
church because of all this. for the dumb
devil is just as conspicuous in the world.
The two great political parties will soon
assemble to build platforms for the presi
Dental candidates to stand on. A commit
tee Of each party will be appointed to make
the platform. After proper deliberation
the committees viii come in with ring
ing report, ''Whereas" and Whereas" and
Whereas" Pronunciamentoes all shaped
with the one idea of getting the most votes.
All expression in regard to the great
moral evils of the country ignored. Noe
preston about the liquor traffic, for that
would lose the rum vote. No expression
in regard to the universal attempt at the
of the Lords day. No recogni- +
tion OF God in the history of this nation,
for that would lose the vote of the atheists.
But Whereas" and Whereas" and
Whereas Nine cheers will be given for
the platform. The dumb devil of the text
will put one wing over the Republican
platform and the other wing over the
Democratic platform. There is nothing
involved in the next election except offices.
The great conventions will be opened with
prayer by their chaplains.
II they avoid platitudes and tell the
honest truth in their prayers, they will
say: 20 Lord, we want to be postmasters
and consuls and foreign ministers and
United States district attorneys. For that
we are here, and for that we will strive till
the election next November. Give us Of
fee, or we die, forever and ever. Amen"
The world. to say the least, is no better
than the church on this subject of silence