Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1893-06-26

birds is y famly cong. Even those of
Tive foathored thfougs whlch have no
song NJ all mako what utterancos they
do in sounds ~ their own family Of
birds. The hOot of the owl. the clatter
Of the magpie. The crow Of The chant.
oleer. the drumming Of the grouse. the
laugh of the loon In the Adirondacks,
the oackle of the hen the scream of the
eagle, the croak % the raven, are sounds
belonging 10 each particular family.
But when you come 10 those which have
real songs, how suggestive that u "a NJ.
ways family songi All the sxyiarixs,
all the nightingales, all the goldfnches,
all the blaokbirds, sll the cuckoos, pre-
fer the song Of their own family and
never sing anything else.
SO the most deeply impressive songs
we ever sing are family songs. They
have come down from generation 10
generation. You were sung TO sleep in
your infancy and childhood by songs
that will sing in your soul forever.
Where was it, my brother or sister,
that you heard the family song-on the
banks Of the Ohio, or the Alabama, or
the Androscoggin, or the Connecticut,
or the Tweed, or the Thames, or the
Raritan? That song at eyentide, when
you were tired out--indeed too tired to
sleep, and you cried with leg ache, and
you were rocked and sung to sleep-you
hear it now, the soft voice from sweet
lips, she as tired, perhaps more tired
than you, but she rocked, and you slum-
bered. Oh, those family songsl
The songs that father sang, that moth
er sang, that sisters and brothers sang.
They roll on us today with reminis-
cenoe that fills the throat as well as the
heart with emotion. In our house in my
childhood it was always religious song
do not think that the old folks knew
anything but religious songs. At any
rate never heard them sing anything
else. 1t was "Jesus, Lover of My SOUL
or "Rock of Ages" or "There Is Foun-
tain Filled With Blood" or MARY to the
Saviour's Tomb" Mothers, be careful
what you sing your children to sleep
with. Let it be nothing frivolous or
silly.
Better have in it something of Christ
and heaven. Better have in it something
that will help that boy 80 years from
now to bear up under the bombardment
of temptation. Better have in it some
thing that will help that daughter 30
years from now when upon her come the
cares of motherhood and the agonies Of
bereavement and the brutal treatment
of one who swore before high heaven
that he would cherish and protect. Do
not waste the best hour for making an
impression upon your little one, the hour
of dusk. the beach between the day and
the night. Sing not doleful song, but
suggestive song, Christian song. q
song you will not be ashamed to meet
when it comes to you in the eternal des-
tiny of your son and daughter. The orr
ole has loud song, and the chewink
long song, and the bluebird short song,
but it is always family song, and let
your cleaning song to your children,
whether loud or long or short, be
Christian song.
These family songs are about all we
keep of the old homestead. The house
where you were born will go into the
hands of strangers. The garments that
were carefully kept as relics will become
moth eaten. The family Bible can 20
into the possession of only one of the
family. The lock of gray hair may be
lost from the locket, and in few years
all signs and mementoes of the old home
stead will be gone forever. But the
family songs, those that we heard at 2
years of age, at o years of age. at 10
years of age, will be indestrucible and
at 40 or 80 or 60 or 10 years of age will
give us mighty boost over some rough
place in the path Of our pilgrimage.
THE LOST RESTORED BY SONG.
Many years ago group of white chill
dren were captured and carried off by
the Indians. Years after, mother who
had lost two children In that capture,
went among the Indians, and there were
many white children in line, but so long
a time had passed the mother could not
tell which were hers until she began to
sing the old nursery song, and her two
children Immediately rushed up, shout
ing, Mammal" "Mamma!' Yes, there
is an immortality in nursery song.
Hear it, all you mothers, an immortality
of power TO rescue and save.
What an occasion that must have been
in Washington, Dec. II, 1850, when
Jenny Lind sang Home, Sweet Home"
the author of those words, John Howard
Payne, seated before her. She had rem
dered her other favorite songs, "Casta
Diva" and her ''Tlute Song" with fine
effect, but when she struck Home,
Sweet Home" John Howard Payne rose
under the power, and President Fillmore
and Henry Clay and Daniel Webster and
the whole audience rose with him. Any
thing connected with home ransacks our
entire nature with a holy power, and
songs that get well started in the nur-
sery or by the family hearth roll on after
the lips that sung them are forever silent
and the ears that first heard them for
ever cease TO hear.
Ipreach this sermon just before many
of You will go out to pass days or weeks
in the country. Be careful how you
treat the birds. Remember they are
Gods favorites, and If You offend them |
you offend him. He Is 80 fond Of their |
IL n a a