The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-09-13
THE BIRD WITH A BROKEN WING.
Story of Poem That Cheercd a Despair
ing Henrt-Com pensation for Loss.

Story OF n Poem That Cheered Despair
ing Henrt-COmpenSation for Loss.
One day a convict in Joliet prison
picked up scrap of paper from the cor
ridor, on which were these lines:
Iwalked through the woodland meadows,
Where sweet the thrushes sing,
And found on q bed of mosses
A bird with broken wing.
healed Its wound, and each morning
1t sang It's old sweet strain;
But tho bird with q broken pinion
Never scared as high again.
found young life broken
... By sims seductive art, .....-
And touched with Chrlstlike pity,
took him to my heart.
He lived with O noble purpose,
And struggled not in vain;
But the life that sin had stricken
Never SCARED as high again.
But the bird with broken pinion
Kept another from the snare,
And the life that sin had stricken
Raised another from despair.
Each loss has its compensation,
There is healing for every pain;
But the bird with broken pinion
Never scars as high again.
This man had been converted in the
early p t of his imprisonment and the
words came to him with great force
He thought of his sin and realized how
hard 1t would be henceforth to make his
way in the world. He copied the stan
zas and kept them carefully. When he
came ont of prison he resolved, God
helping him, to preach the Gospel. Many
looked upon him with suspicion, but
God gave him friends and he gained the
confidence Of people wherever he went.
IVNf fn1l l1, L.
cited "The Bird with Broken Wing"
Who the author was he did not know.
At length, however, it was learned that
the poem was written by Hezel,iah But
terworth, the we'll known editor Of The
Youths Companion. Hegives thisstory:
Rev. G. G. Lorimer, d. D., pastor Of
fremont temple Qe72-s), delivered a
sermon on "Samson Grinding at the
Mill, saying, with reference TO Samson
"The bird with broken pinion never
scars as high again" Mr.. Butterwortl
said the words came to him as light
ming fash Of truth. He went home and
wrote the poem.
DIR. Lorimer afterward went to Chi.
cago as pastor of the Emmanuel Baptist
church. There one Sunday evening he
preached on the Cincinnati Iiots. Speak.
ing of the insidiousness of sin he raised
his finger, saying, at may be tonight
there is a defaulter here" He happened
to point directly at defaulter. 1t was
Gods arrow convicting the guilty one
of sin. The man resolved at once to
make restitution, desiring to cover his
crime until able to restore all he had
taken. But his crime was discovered.
He pleaded guilty and took a two years
sentence to Joliet. This was the man
who found 1.-The Bird with Broken
Wing" 1t was a true picture of him
self.
He has been for several years now an
earnest Christian worker, preaching
much and with great power to su
diences of criminals. And it is true of
him as is expressed in the song:
But the bird with broken pinion
Kept another from the snare;
And the life that sin had stricken
Raised another from despair.
This be our loftiest aim, as it was of
our dear Saviour, to keep back the
young and unwary from the snares of
the devil and rescue those who are led
captive by him at his will.-F. NJ. Lamb.