Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-06-29

tones and sopranos whose brillianCy in con
cert halls has has not been more famous
than their dcbauchcrcs. But there is II
kind of song which, like the song Of birds
is divinely fashioned Songs of pardon
Songs of divine comfort. Songs of wor-
ship. Songs in the night like those
which David and Job mentioned. Songs
full Of faith and tenderness and prayer
like those which the Christian mother
sings over the sick cradle. Songs Of
a broken heart being healed. Songs
Of the dying flashed upon by opening
portals of amethyst. Songs like that which
Paul commended to the Colossians when
he said "Admonish one another in psalms
and hymns and SPIRITUAL songs, singing
with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Songs like Moses sang after the tragedy of
the Red sea. Songs like Deborah and Barak
Mt the overthrow of Sisera. Songs like
Isaiah heard the redeemed sing as they
came to Zion Oh, God teach MS that kind
of song which thou only canst teach and
help us to sing it ON earth and sing it in
heaven. 1t was the highest result of sweet
sound when under the playing of Paganini
one auditor exclaimed revercntly, "Oh,
God." and another sohbed out, "Oh, Christ"
THE SONGS OF HOPE.
L
of birds that it is trustful and without any
fear of what may yet come. Will you tell
me how it is possible for that wren, that
sparrow. that chickadee, to sing so sweet !
when they may any time he pounccd on by a
hawk and torn wing from wing? There are
cruel bcaks in thickct and in sky ready tC
slay the song birds. llerods on the wing
Modocs Of the sky. As,assius armed with
iron claw Murdercrs Of song floating NJ
aud down the heavens. How can the birds
sing amid such pcrils? BESIDES that, how
is the bird sure to get its food? Mil
lions of birds have been starved. Yet II
sings in the dawn without any certainty
of breakfast or dinner or supper. W ould
it not be better to gather its food for the
dav before vocalizing? Besides that the
hunters are abroad. Bang. goes II gun in
one direction. Bang! goes gun in an
other direction. The song will attract the
shot and add TO the peril Besides that,
wonder is a tLundercloud, and there may
be hurricane and hail to he let loose, and
what then will become of You, the poor
warbler? Besides that, winter will come,
and it may be suitten down before it gets
tothc tropics. Have You never seen the
snow strewu with the birds Debated in their
migration? Thctltmouse uinGles its voice
with the snOWstUrms as Emerson describes
the little thing he found in tempcstuous
January;
Here was this atom in fun breath
lluriin. defiance at vast death;
This scrap of Nnlor just for play
fronts the north wind in wastcoat gray,
For every bird thousand perils and dis
a.ter, lowering and sweeping round and
round. Yet there it sings and it is Il trust
ful song. The bird that hGs it the hardest
sings the sweetest. The lark from the
shape Of her claws may not perch on tree
In the grass her nest is exposed to every
hoof that passes. one Of the poorest shell
tiers of all the earth is the lark's nest. II
She sing ut all, you will expect her to rem
der the saddest OF threnodies No, no
She sing, cXultingly an hour without a
pause and mounting 1000 feet without los
ing note. Would God we all might learn
the lesson. Whatever pcrils, whatever be
reavcments, whatever trials are yet tc
come sing-sing with all your heart and
singwith all your lungs. If you wait until
all the hawks OF trouble have folded THEN
wings and all the hunters of hate have I'M
loaded their guns and all the hurricanes Of
disaster have spent their fury, you viii
never sing at all. David, the pursued Of
Absalom, and the betrayed of Ahithophcl
and the depleted of sores that ran in the
night" presents us the best songs Of the
bible. John Milton, not able to see Iii,
hand before his face, sings for us the most
famous poem of all literature and some Of
the most cheerful people | have ever met
have been Christian people under physica
or domestic or public torment. The song,
Of Charles Wesley which we now calmly
sing in church We're composed by him be
tween mObs.
THE VOICES o" MANY MOODS
Further in the sky galleries there are
songs adapted TO all moods. The meadow
lark is mouwful, and the goldfinch joy
Gus, and the grosbc0l prolonged of note
BuU the libretto of nature is vOluminous
Are You sad, you can hear from the bowers
the echo of your grief. Are you glad, yor
can hear an echo Of your happiness. Ar,
You thoughtful, you can hear that whicl
will plunge you into deeper profound. Art
YOU weary, you may catch a restful air. -
the songs OF birds are administrative in al
circumstances. And we would DO well Il
have a hymnology for all changes of condi
ton. You may sing your woes into p &c,
and rouse your Joys into greater attitudes
Upon every condition Of body and soul Of
Us try the power of song The multitude
nous utteranccs Of grove and orchard anC
garden and forest suggest most delightful
possibilities
SONGS or lAMlL. LIFE.
Further | notice that the song Of birds i
family song. Even those of the feathercC
throng which have no song at all maxi
what utterances they do in sounds Of thc
own family of birds, The boot Of the owl
the clatter of the maybe the crow Of tn
chanticleer, the drumming of the grouse
the laugh of the loon in the Adrondacks, TIN
cackle of the hen, the scream of the eagle, tn
croak of the raven. are sounds belongin!
to each particular family, but when yol
come to those which have real songs, how
| suggestive that it is always family song
! All the skylarks, all the nightingales, nj
| the goldinchcs, all the blackbirds, all tn
! cuckoos, prefer the song of their own fami
! " and never sing anything else.
So the most deeply impressive songs w
over sing are family songs They hav
rome down from generation to generation
You were sung to sleep in your infancy ant
childhood by songs that will sing in you
! soul forever. Where was it, my brother O
/ gistpr that Vou hoard the fumilv snuo-ni