Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-06-26

ulSnt, auQ put on your mOIo sOOol az
tire, and move noiselesSly into the
woods, further and further from the
main road, aud have no conversation,
for many concert in and out OF doors
has been ruiued by persistent takers
and then sit down
on A NOISY BLNK,
Where a wild stream with headlong
shock
Comes brawling down bed OF rock.
And after perhaps half an hour Of in
tense solitude there will be tap OF
beak on a tree branch far up, sounding
like the tap of a musical baton, and
then FIRST there will be tap OF oeak
on tree branch far up sounding like
the tap OF musical baton, and then
first there will be a solo, followed by q
duet or quartet, and afterward by dox-
ologies in all the tree tops and amid all
the branches, and il you have Bible
along with you Md you can without
rustling the leaves, turn to the l4oth
Psalm Of David, and read: praise The
Lord, beasts and all cattle, creeping
things and flying fowl, and then turn
over quietly TO my text, and read, by
them shall the fowls OF the heaven
have their habitation, which sing
among the branches" or if under the
power Of the bird voices you are traus-
ported, as when DR.. Morgan played so
powerfully on the organ at st. johns
that Richard Cecil said he was in such
blessed bewilderment he could not ind
in his Bible the first chapter OF Isaiah,
though be leafed the book over and
over, and you shall be so overcome
with forest harmony that you cannot
find the Psalms Of David; never MIND,
for God will speak 10 you so nightly IL
will make no difference whether you
hear his voice from the printed page or
the vibrating throat Of one OF his
plumed creatures.
While this summer more than usual
out Of doors, let US have what my text
suggests, an out-of-dOors religion. what
business had David with all his advan-
tages OF costly religious service, and
smoking incense on the altar, 10 be lis
tening 10 the chantresseS among the
tree branches? All! he wanted to make
himself and all who should come after
him more alert and more worshipful
amid the sweet sounds and beautiful
sights OF the natural world.
THERE Is AN OLD CHURCH
that needs to be re-dedicated. 1t is
older than st. Pauls or st. Peters, or
ST. Marks, or st. Sophia, or st. lsaacs.
It Is the cathedral OF Nature. That Is
the church in which the services OF the
Millennium will be held. The build
ings fashioned out OF stone and brick
and mortar will not hold the people.
Again the Mount Of Olives will be the
pulpit. Again the Jordan will be the
Baptistry. Again the mountains will
be the galleries. Again the the skies
will be the blue ceiling. Again the sun
rise will be the front door and the sun
set the back door OF that temple.
Again the clouds will be the upholstery
and the morning mist the incense. Again
the trees will be the organ-loft where
1.-The fowls OF heaven have their
habitatiOn which sing among
the branches Saint Francis d Assist
preached q sermon to birds and pao7
nounced a benediction upon them, but
all birds preach to us, and their bene-
diction Is almost Supernal. While, this
summer, amid the works OF God, let US
learn re, ponSiveness. Surely II we can
not sing, we can hum a tune, and II
we cannot hum tune, we can whistle.
If we cannot be an oriole, We can be a
quail. In some way let US demonstrate
our gratitude TO God. Let US not be
beaten by the chimney swallow and the
humming-bird and the brOwn-thresher.
Let US try TO set everything in our life
to music, aud if we cannot give the
carol of the song sparrow, take the
plant of the hermit thresh. Let our
life be an anthem of worship to the God
who created US and the Christ who ran
somed us aud the Holy Ghost who sane
titled us. Aud our last song!
MAY IT BE OUR BEST SONG
The swan was thought by the ancients
never TO sing except when dying. In
the time OF Edward ". no one was a.
lowed 10 own a swan except he were
kings son, or had considerable estate.
Through one or two hundred years OF
life that bird was said never TO utter
anything like music until its last mo-
ment came. and then, lifting its crested
beauty, it would pour forth song Of
almost mstchless thrill, reSounding
through the groves. And so, although
the struggles Of life may be too much
for US, aad we may find it hard to sing
at all, when the last hour comes TO you
and me may there be q radiance from
above and a glory settling round that
shall enable US to utter song, on the
wings OF which we shall mount to where
the music never ceases and the raptures
never die.
What is that, mother?" "The swan, my love,
he is floating down from his native grove.
No loved one. no nesting nigh,
lie is floating down by himself 20 die
Death dsrSens his eye and unplumes his
wings,
Yet the sweetest song is the last he sings.
Live So my child, that when deStu shall come,
Swan like and sweet IL may watt the home!"