Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-09-28

and rule and compass, and he intended
this harbor not to be a repetition OF
anything that had ever been done and
to make it impossible for any human
engineering or landscape gardening or
hydraulics to initiate. IL is winding
splendor, an unfolding glory, a tran
scendent illustration Of what omnipo-
tence can do in the architecture Of an
ocean gate.
The day we entered it clouds Of all
hues were looking down into its mirror;
beauties of all styles were walking its
opaline pavement; grandeurs of all
chariots were rolling across its crystal.
line highway. On the captains bridge
we stood until near enough to the wharf
to see the deputation of clergymen and
prominent citizens who were waiting to
come aboard to greet US, and when they
thronged the cabin Of the steamer and
addressed us in welcoming words we
were compelled by our own feelings to
reply, Brethren and friends, after sail
ing against head winds and over very
rough seas, it is most delightful to get
into this beautiful harbor Of Sydney
and into the still more beautiful harbor
of Christian fellowship" ="
But l was.up before daybreak next
morning looking at the harbor. The
window Of my room in the Australia
hotel takes in the enchantment, and l
watched the coming Of the day into the
harbor. The whole sky first took on
pallor not sickly, but hcalthful, as
though there were white wings from
the other side shining through. Then
there came coruscations, and deep indi-
goes. and irradiations, and sadnesses Of
color. and unrolling scrolls prophetic OF
more light and somber and holy CLEANS,
and rhapsodies of advancing day, and
then banners of victory over the dark
ness. Then in this wall Of heaven the
gates began to swing open. 1t was no
sudden swinging back Of the panels OF
fire. There was no grinding Of the gates
on the amethystine hinges; there was
no clang of bolts hurled back from the
imperial portals, but slow and grad
nal and overpOwering movement that
made me feel there was moro to come,
and I wondered if 1 could endure the
expanding vision. As looked into the
gate | saw what described to my son
afterward as a scepter, scepter OF great
length and brilliance, such scepter as
no earthly emperor ever had III his
throneroom. The handle Of the scepter
had all the colors Of the prism. The
edges Of it were translucent The point
of it was tipped with waving light all
the time changing Yet what scepter!
What king would dare to handle 1t:
What monarch would dare to lift 1t:
But while wondered the question was
answered. The king of day, the rising
sun. took hold Of it, and the scepter
which | had seen q few seconds before
living on the shelf Of heaven was flrst
hoisted, as though to command the hid
den glories Of the skies to come down,
and then it was pointed to the harbor
as the place Of their destination, and on
that sapphire Of the waves both the
scepter that 1 had seen and the crown
of the king who took it were put down,
and from green island to green island,
and from beach to beach, and all up and
down the promontories, and from sky to
water, and from water to siy, 1t was
morning in Sydney harbor.
Have you ever realized that there Is
only one being in the universe who can
scoop out and mold and buttress and
build a harbor? At Napier, New Zea-
land. where we sailed in and staid
only long enough for an hour and a
balf's address, hundreds Of thousands
of dollars wero expended in building a
breakwater. And so at Osborne and at
different points on the Australian coast
harbors have been constructed by hu-
man hands. but the storms looked at
these defiant ramparts, and in the night
tumbled the costly works into the Pa
cific. Harbor building is the reserved
right Of the heavens Gates OF palaces
and gates of fortresses may be turned
ont from earthly foundries or pounded
together by hammers Of human mechan'
ism. but an ocean gate like that near
which am now seated needs omnlpo-
tence and omniscience and infnity to
plan and construct it.
No one but the Eternal knows where
such a gate is needed. He sees the his
tory Of a continent before it is populat'
ed. and he only can decide where 1t:
front door ought to be hoisted and
swung. Besides that the gate must cor
respond with the size and greatness OF
the main building. The door Of the
Madeleine church would be absurd al
the front of Quaker meeting house
Bronze and gold would make an inap
nronriate entrance to a roOkery. Suct
an entrance to Australia as Sydney har'
Dor would be something for all time
and eternity 20 jeer at II the country
thus entered were not something I'M
measurable for wealth, resource ano
grand opportunity. Had l known moth
| ing of the history Of Australia what
saw between the doorposts Of this har'
bor and the wharf of our disembarka
ton would have convinced me OF th(
present and coming opulence OF thi;
fifth continent Of the world.
With such an ocean gate l am not sur
prised that Australia is IA times as large
as France and 33 times as large as Eng
land. Scotland and Wales. IL has beer
estimated as capable Of supporting 100,
600. 600 people. All wealth Of mining
and agriculture and commerce and ar'
and scenery are here. Caves larger thar
I the Mammoth cave Of Kentucky; lake.
like Como Lucerne and Geneva; bot
any so rich in flowers that Captain
Cook called one Of the entrances Bot
any bay; whole Pennsylvania OF Goa
, mines, discovered by shipwreoked sail
or in 1897, but now defying tho crow
bars Of the earth to take one-half o.
their treasures and having enough ma
D terial to warm a continent and keel
D aglow the steamship furnaces OF al
! ocean; enough sheep pasture in the vale
and on the hills TO clothe with theii
l wool whole nations. These sheep, kill
e ed and frozen in refrigerators here, ar
transferred In carts which are refrigera