The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-12-10
THE BRAVE O'ERHANGING FIRMA-


the upper air, the blue vault the clouds,
the heavens, is stimulating. Frightening,
enlivening, and charging; makes us feel
little more honorable, and is suggestive
OF a higher sphere OF life. Yet, the man
that talks about them runs a Iisk or be-
Ing counted a visionary, an oddly, pc
GUITAR and impractical sort OF man. We
think the man that does that some
thing of a poet in a fine frenzy. lie may
be something OF a saint, but he is candi-
date for the poor house. He is star
gazer." He can't smoke or chew the best
brands or tobacco. or drink toddes and
lager beer, as everybody else does, or be
a good business man. The general world
marks the man who is, at all, given TO
looking at the Skies as a kind Of crank;
hardly even an intellectual or literary
man; for that sort have an eye TO the main
chance; the intellectual man works his
intellectually 10 account and the literary
man makes his thought and sentiment
matter OF trade and sucks profit out Of
his sensibilities; the other fellow is only
compensated by his delight in the beautt-
full things that have been hung up for his
race. 1t is a strange thing, that it should
be so. But the Great Creator that made
the world has covered us in from horizon
to zenith, all over with the armament,
and made IT surprisingly beautiful. The
70 fuyfp wifi
light. The night is glorious enough. with
its moon and stars, to the common eye,
brilliant, golden fires set in an awe-inspir-
ing background TO the more Intellectual,
bespedking innnife wisdom and power and
order. But, after this, the dawn, rosy
fingered, with rosy light, dshering in the
great sun in It's Majesty, seems to tell
OF nothing but resurrection, the novus or
do saeclosum, the coming kingdom-the
great day or the Lord.
The armament, in all its glory and beau
ty, is the most practical and unavoidable,
the plainest, the most necessary thing IA
all our iife's experiences. 1t is the open
book OF God, the spread-out proclamation
OF the living, intelligent, kind, wise, and
powerful King OF Kings. Its language is
the universal language, whose grammar
and dictionary are the mind and heart,
the soul OF man. No human words could
express what the heavens express,-and
keep before us-the greatness, the good
ness, the wisdom, the mighty power OF
hot 10 II
set the world in our hearts. He has set
the face or man 10 look Heaven-ward,
and meant to keep Heaven always before
our eyes. 1t is the flesh that shuts It
out, beclouds the eyes, blinds the sensi-
bilities, that they cannot see, or feel, or
hear the harmonies OF creation, the voice
or the Most High. Through the nrma-
ment which He called Heaven" the Rul-
er pleads with us. 1t declares His attri-
butes. The habitual and constant teach
ings are gentle and loving, cheering, COM
fortins, enlivening. But, at times, with
the glitter and flash OF tightening, the roar
OF the thunder and the rush Of the ey-
clone, it tells of His terrible Majesty. Is
there anything more familiar than these
things, so common, but so beautiful and
sublime
Now. suppose we could be business"
enough to wipe away the glorious canopy.
to shut out its teachings, TO dispense with
ts'poetry, 10 bring things to a business
basis. and pread out, in its place, cheap,
grayish canvass covering, or the most
wonderful achievement OF art, of machin- |
cry and electricity, how would we like IL:
cultivated or uncultvated7 o, what race |
OF animals, OF puppets, of dry bones, Of |
fossils and works OF trade We would be! |
Like vermin under a plank. Any how, J
this arrangement seems 10 be the tenden- /
cy or professional. trading and manufac- |
turing advance; to shut men, women, and |
children up In close places, offices. labora-
tories, counting rooms, warehouses:
walled In by lath and plaster or hardwood
finish, or stone, handsomely ornamented.
And these splendid cages, and handsome
cells and prisons keep the officers and
men and women and children confined IN
travel on their treadmites and grind their
souls at their special grind-stones and
mills. or rake over their rubbish with
their undertakes, while they and their
masters call themselves civilized and pros-
porous. and pity the barbarians. who
work In natures business, out In the
nelds and woods. or the birds and animals
that have good time. and wonder what
Fellow creature man Is driving at. o,
there IL Greatness and cruelty ana mis-
cry enough In advancing civilization after
the ways OF this world. And anarchy
forebodes great new shufis and deal.
The armament was made beautiful for =