Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1892-02-06
.ome. Oh. God, BY Thy converting and

come. Oh. God. by Thy converting and
s%anctifying spirit make US right here and
now that we may be right forever.
wv ell. avs some one, othis idea OF n oral,
spiritual and eternal Echo is nex to me. is
there not sone way of stopping this Echos'
Ny answer Is, God can and He only Hit
ass cheerful Echo We do not want 1t stopped;
if q baleful Echo we would ike TO have it
stopped. The hardest thing IN the world to
do is ID stop an Echo. Many an Grafton has
been spoiled and many an orator COMPOUNDED
by al Echo. Costly churches, cathedrals,
theatres ana music halls have been ruined by
an Echo. Architects have strung wires
across euditoriunts to arrest the Echo, aud
hung upholstery against the walls. hoping to
entrap it. ard hundreds Of thousands of
dollars have been exoeniei in public build
ings Of this country to >keep the air from
answering when 1t ought % be quiet. =
Aristotle and Pythagoras and Isaac New
toy and La Place AMI our own Joseph Henry
tried to hunt down the Echo. but still the
UNEMPLOYED realms Of ? Oust:cs are larger
than the explored. Wnen our first Brook
Ign Tabernacle was being constructed, we
were told by architects that It was or such a
shape that the human voice could not be
heard in If, or, IL heard, it would be tangled
into Echoes.
In state of worrimant 1 went to Joseph
Henry, the president OF Smithsonian Insti-
tuition at Washington, and told him of this
evil prophecy. and he repiie]: II have proba-
bly, experimental m0r. with the laws OF
souad than any other man, and1 have got as
TAR as this. Two buildings may SEEM TO be
exactly alike and yet il one the acoustics
luav be good an in the other bad. Go on
with your church building and trust that all
viii be well.' Oh, this mighty law of sound!
Oh. this subtle EchK There is only one be-
ing in the universe Mat thoroughly under
stands lt-"Hhe sohnding again OF the
mountains
And If it isso had to destroy 9 natural
Echo, how much harder 10 stop q mora.
Echo. a spiritual Echo, an immortal Echo.
You know that the Echoes are affected by
the surfaces, and the shape of rocks, and
the depth Of ravines, and the relative posi-
ton of buildings? And one in heaven
Goa viii so arrange the relative position Of
mansions and temples and thrones that one
oJ the everlasting charms of heaven will be
t.a rolling. bursting, ascending, defending.
chanting Echoes. All the songs we ever
san5 deyoutN, all the prayers we have ever
| uttered earnestly. all the Christian deeds we
hallelu fahs. east side of heaven answering to
the west side, north side to south side, and
ali the heights. and all the depths, ana all
the immensities, AMI all the eternities jan-
ing in Echo upon Echo, Echo in the
wake of Echo.
In the future state, whether of rapture or
| ruin. we will listen for reverberations OF
have ever done will be waiting to spring
upon US in Echo.
The scientists tell us that in this world the
roar of artillery and the BOOM Of the thunder
are SO loud, because they are q combination
of Echoes-all the hillsides, and the caverTs
ana the walls furnishing a share Of the re
sonance. And never viii we understand
the full power and music Of an Echo unit
with supernatural faculties able to endure
them we hear all the conjoined sounds OF
heavenly Echoes-harps and trumpets
orchostras and oratorios. hosannahs and
earthly things and doings. Voltaire stand,
ing amid the shadows will listen, and from
the millions whose godlessness and libertin-
ism and debaucherYs were a consequence Of
ibis brilliant blasphe,nfes will come back q
weeping, wai!ing, dasparing, agonizing
n~,iiiion-voiced Echo. Paui will, while
standing in the light, listen, and from al
the circles of the ransomed, and from all the
many mansions, whom he helped to people
and from all the thrones he helped to occu
pants, and from all the gates he helpee
tfrong with arrivals. and from all the tenn
pies he helped fill with worshipers there
shall come back to him a glorious, ever &C
rumtilating, transporting and triumphant