Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-03-20
TO WARM THE WORLD
CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY IS THE GLO-
RlOUS FURNACE.

Rev. DIR. Talmage Finds Lesson In the
weather-Christ the Great Warmer-A
Word 70 Frosty Christians-Good Deeds
Kindle the FIre-Come In Out of the Cold.
WASHINGTON, March 15.-The freez-
ing blasts which have swept over the
country at the time we expected spring
weather make this sermon especially
appropriate. DR.. Talmage's text was
Psalm cxlvii, II, "Who can stand before
bis cold?"
The almanac says that winter is end
cd and spring has come, but the winds,
and the frosts, and the thermometer, IN
some places down to zero, deny 1t. The
psalmist lived in a more genial climate
than this, and yet he must sometimes
have been cut By the sharp weather. In
this chapter he speaks Of the snow like
wool, the frost like ashes, the hail
stones like marbles, and describes the
congealment Of lowest temperature. We
have all studied the power Of the heat.
How few Of Us have studied the power
of the frost "Who can stand before his
oold?" This challenge Of the text has
many times been accepted.
Oct. 10, 1912, Napoleon's great army
began its retreat from Moscow. One
hundred and fifty thousand men, 90, 600
horses, 600 pieces Of cannon, O,OOO
stragglers. 1t was bright weather when
they started from Moscow, but soon
something wrathier than the Cossacks
rwooped upon their hanks. An army OF
arctic blasts, with icicles for bayonets
and hailstones for shot, and commanded
by voice of tempest, marched after them,
the flying artillery Of the heavens IN
pursuit. The troops at nightfall would
gather into circles and huddle them
selves together for warmth, but when
the day broke they rose not, for they
were dead, and the ravens came for their
morning meal Of corpses. The way was
strevn with the rich stuffs Of the east,
brought as booty from the Russian capt.
tai. An invisible power seized lOO,OOO
men and hurled them dead into the
Snowdrifts, and on the hard surfaces OF
the chillrivers, and into the maws OF the
dogs that had followed them from Mos
COW. Tt freezing horror which has ap-
nailed history was proof to all ages that
it is vain thing for any earthly power
10 accept the challenge OF my text
"Who could stand before his coldf"
Frigid Horrors.
In the middle Of December, l777, at
Valley Forge, 1900 troops were' with
frosted ears and frosted hands and frost
cd feet, without shoes, without blank
sp. living ON the white pillow of the
mow bank. As during our civil war the
cry was, ION to Riohmond!' when the
troops were not ready to march, so IL
tho Revolutionary war there was de-
mand for wintry campaign until Wash
iuQton lost his equilibrium and wrote
emphatically, II assure those gentlemen
It is easy enough seated by a good fire
aide and in comfortable homes to draw
out campaigns for the American army
but I tell them it is not so easy to lie Oh
q bleak hillside, without blankets anc
without shoes. Oh, the frigid horror;
that gathered around the American army
IN the winter OF 1777l Valley Forge
was one Of the tragedies of the century
Beuumbed, senseless, dead "Who car
stand before his coldg" "Not we, " say
the frozen lips Of Sir John Franklin anC
his men, dying in arctic exploration
mot we," answer Schwatka and hi
crew. falling back from the fortresses o
ice which they had tried in vain to cap
ture. "Not we" say the abandoned an'
crushed decks Of the Intrepid, the he
sistance and the 5eannette, Not we,
say the procession Of American martyr
returned home for American sepulture
De Long and his men. The highest pil
lars Of tho earth are pillars Of ice
Mont B,<hc, Jungfrau, the Matterhorn
The largest galleries Of the world ar
galleries Of ice. Some Of the might.
rivers much of the year are in captivit.
of ice The greatest sculptors Of the age
are the gaciers, with arm and hand AM
chisel and hammer Of ice. The cold
imperial and has a crown Of glitterinI
crystal and is seated ON a throne Of ice
with footstool Of ice and scepter Of ice
Who can tell the sufferings Of the winte
Of 1888, when all the birds Of German
perishedg or the winter of, 1858 in Eng
land, when the stages rolled on th
Thames and temporary houses Of mer