Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-05-16
found Tom, the drummer boy. leaning
| AGAINST n stumn and dead


Thatlymn, "Oh, for Thousand Tongues
to Sing" was suggested to Charles Yves
ley by Peter BOILER, who, after his CONVEX.
sion. said, 81 had better keep silent about
it," NO" said Wesley. "if you had ten
thousand tongues you had better use
them for Christ" And then that angel OF
hymnology penned the words:
Oh, for a thousand tongues 20 sing
My dear Redeemer's praise,
The glorles Of my God and king,
The triumphs of his grace.
Jesus tho name that Gains our fears,
That bids our sorrows ceases
'Tis music In the sinners ears,
TITS life and health and peace.
While much Of the modern music is a
religious dOggerel, a consecrated nonsense,
q sacred tomfoolery, | would like to 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
and 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 had
our lives sometimes touched by the evil
spirit of the teXt-this awful dumb devil
We had Just one opportunity OF saying a
Christian word that might have led q man
or woman into 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 1t 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 nuts.
Though God had given us the physiology
cal apparatus for speech, and our lungs
were filled with nir which, by the COM
mand Of our viii, could have made the
laryngeal muscles move and the vocal or
gans vibrate, we were wickedly and fatally
silent. For all time and eternity we missed
our chance. Or 1t was q prayer meeting
and the service was thrown open for prayer
and remarks, and there was dead halt
everything silent as n graveyard Mt 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 ST.
| lence, but they were not praying at ALL
They were busy hoping somebody else
would do his duty.
I The women flushed under the awful
| pause and made their fans more rapidly
flutter. Some brother with no cold
coughed, by that sound trying TO fill up
the time, and the meeting was slain. But
what killed it2 The dumb devil. This is
the way I account for the fact that the
stupidest places on earth are some prayer
meetings. | do not see how man keeps
| any grace II he regularly attends them.
They are spiritual refrigerators Religion
| kept on ice. How many of US have lost oo-
casions Of uscfulnessl
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 rs to completely cover it, and
there were wings to the feet. When asked
why ne so represented Opportunity, Tho
sculptor answered, "The face of the statue
Is thus covered up because we do not REQ
ognize Opportunity when 1t comes, and the
wings to the feet show that Opportunity is
swiftly gone"
THE DUMB DEVIL IN POLITICA
But do not let the world deride the
church because of all this, for the dumb
devil IS just rs 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 will come in with a ring
Ing report, "W hereas" and Whereas" and
with the one idea of getting the most votes.
All expression in regard to the great
moral evils Of the country ignored. No ex-
preston about the liquor traffic, for that
would lose the rum vote No expression
in regard to the universal attempt at the
demolition of the Lords day. No recogni-
ton 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,
If they avoid platitudes and tell the
honest truth in their prayers, they will
say: go Lord, we want to be postmasters
and consuls and foreign ministers and
United States district attorneys. For that
we IRE 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
at the wrong time. In other words, Is il
NOT time fDr ristianity to become prO-
nounc,G and aggressive as never beforeP
Take sides for God and sobriety and right
eousness. "If the Lord be God, follow
him; II Baal, then follow him" Have
you opportunity of rebuking q SIM Re
Duke it, Have you chance to cheer q
disheartcned souli Cheer it. Have you O
useful word to spcakS Speak It.
BE out and out, up and down for right
eousncss n your ship Is afloat on tho
Pacific ocean Of Gods mercy hang out
your culors from masthead. Show your
passport If you have one. Do not smuggls
your soul into the harbor of heaven. Speak
out for Godl This morning close up tn.
chapter of lost opportunities, and pitch IT
into the East river, and open new chap
ter. Before you get to the door on your
way cut this morning shake hands with
some one and ask him to join you on the
road to heaven. Do not drive up to heaven
In two wheeled "sulky," with room only
for one and that yourself, but get the big
gest Gospel wagon you can find, and pile it
full of friends and neighbors, and shout
till they hear you all up and down the
skies, Come with us, and we will do you
good for the Lord hath promised good
concerning Israel"