Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1893-07-06

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, IL under
the power of the bird voices, you are
transported, as when DIR. Morgan play.
ed SO powerfully on the organ Mt St.
Johns that Richard Cecil said he was
in such blessed bewilderment he could
not find in his Bible the first chapter OF
Isaiah, you shall be so overcome with
forest harmony that you can not find
the psalms Of David. never mind. for
God will speak to 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 o~ut-of-d9ors religion. What
business had David with all the advan.
tages of costly religious service and
smoking incense on the alter TO be
listening TO the chantresses among the
tree branches? All. he wanted to
make himself and all who should come
after him more alert and more wor.
shipful amid the sweet sounds and
beautiful sights of the natural world.
There is an old church that needs TO
be rededicated. 1t is older than st.
Pauls or st. Peters, or st. Marks, or
st. Sophias, OF St. Isaacs. 1t 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 viii 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 sky will
be the blue ceiling. Again the sunrise
will be The front door and the sunset
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 habita-
ton which sing among the branches"
Saint Francis d. Assist preached Il SER
mon to birds and pronounced a bene-
diction upon them, but all birds preach
to us, and their benediction is almost
supernal. While, this summer, amid
the works Of God, let us learn respon-
~siveness. Surely il we can not sing
we can hum a tune, N If we can
not hum a tune, we can whistle. il we
can not be an oricle, we can be . quail.
In some way let us demonstrate our
gratitude to God. Let us not be beaten
by the chimney swallow and the hum
ming bird and the brown-threSher. Let
us try to set everything in our life to
music, and If we cannot give the carol
of the song sparrow, take the paint Of
thA nt.Yat 1hYay=l on M Hfn hn on
anthem of worship to the God who
created us and the Christ who ransom
ed us, and the Holy Ghost who Sancti-
fies us. And our last song! May it be
our best song! The swan was thought
by the ancients neye to sing except
when dying. In the time Of Edward
". no n was allowed to own a swan
except he were Il kings son, or had
considerable estate. Through 100 or
200 years of life that bird was said
never to utter anything like music, I'M
til its last moments were come, and
then, lifting its crested beauty, it would
pour forth d song of almost matchless
thrill, resounding through the groves.
And SO, although the struggles of life
may be too much for us and we may
find it hard 10 sing at all, when the
last hour comes TO you and me may
there be n radiance from above and n
glory settling round hat shall enable
us to utter a song on The wings of
which we shall mount to where the
music never ceases and the raptures
never die.
What is that, mother?' 'Tlie swan,
my love;
He is floating down from his native
grove.
No loved one, no Nesting nigh,
He is floating down by himself to die.
Death darkens his eye and unplumes
his wings,
Yet the sweetest song is the last he
sings.
Live so, my child. that when death
shall come,
Swan-like and sweet, it may Wait
thee hoIne!"