Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-04-30

teuJ IclRuclH.
That song Of love, now low and far
Ere long shall swell from star 10 star
That light. the breaking day which tips
The golden spired Apocalypse.
Importance Of Little Things.
Again. | learn from my subject that
events which seem to be most insignifi-
cant may be mOmentous. Can you i'm
agine anything more unimportant than
the coming of poor woman from Moab
to judah? Can you imagine anything
more trivial than the fact that this Ruth
Just happened TO alight-as they say
just happened to alight on that field Of
Boazg Yet ali ages, all generations,
have an interest in the fact that she
was TO become an anccstress Of the Lord
Jesus Christ, and all nations aud king
doms must look at that one little incl
dent with a thrill Of unspeakable and
eternal satisfaction So it is in your
history and in mine. l., ,ents that you
thought Of 10 Importance at all have
been of very great moment That casual
conversation, that accidental meeting
you did not think Of it again for long
while, but how it changed all the
phases of your life.
It seemed to be Of no importance that
Jubal invented rude instruments Of mu-
sic, calling them harp and organs. but
they were the introduction Of all the
worlds minstrelsy, and as you hear the
vibration Of stringed instrument even
after the fingers have been taken away
from il, so all music now Of lutte and
dram and cornet is only the long con-
tinued strains Of Jubal's harp and Ju-
bal's organ. 1t seemed to be matter Of
very little importance that Tubal CalD
learned the uses Of copper and iron, but
that rude foundry Of ancient days has
its echo in the rattle Of Birmingham
machinery and the roar and bang OF fac
tories on the Merrimac.
1t seemed TO be a matter Of no impor-
tance that Luther found Bible in a
monastery, but as he opened that Bible
and the brass bound lids fell back they
Jared everything, and the rustling OF
the wormed leaves was the sound OF the
wings Of the angel Of the reformation.
It seemed TO be a matter Of no impor-
tance that woman whose name has
been forgotten dropped a tract III the
way of a very bad man Of the name OF
Richard Baxter He picked up the tract
and read it, and it was the means OF
his salvation. In after days that man
wrote book called THE Call to the
Unconyerted, that was the means OF
bringing multitude 10 God, among
others Philip Doddridge. Philip Dod-
bridge wrote a book called 1.-THE Rise
and Progress Of Religion, which has
brought thousands and tens OF thousands
into the kingdom Of God and among
Others the great Wherefore. Nllber-
force wrote book called \ Practical
View of Christianity, which was the
means Of bringing a great multitude 10
Christ. among others Leigh Richmond.
Leigh Richmond wrote a tract called
1.-The Dairyman's Daughter, ~ which
has been the means of the salvation OF
unconyerted multitudes And that tide
of influence started from the fact that
one Christian woman dropped Chris
tian tract in the way Of Richard Bax-
ter. the tide Of influence rolling on
through Richard Baxter, through Phil
ip Ooddridge, through the great Wlloer-
force. through Leigh Richmond, on, on,
on, forever, forever So the insignih-
cant events of this world seem, after
all, TO be most momentous.
Female Toilers.
Again, see in my subject an Illus
tration Of the beauty Of female industry.
Behold Ruth toiling in the harvest
field under the hot sun or at noon TAX
ing plain bread with the reapers or eat
inc the parched corn which Boaz handed
TO her. The customs Of society, OF
course, have changed, and without the
hardships and exposure TO which kuth
was subjected every intelligent woman
will find something to do.
| know there is a sickly sentimental
ity on this subject. In some families
there are persons of no practical service
10 the household or community, and,
though there are so many woes all
around about them in the world, they
spend their time languishing over new
pattern or bursting into tears atmidnigh'
over the story Of some lover who sho'
himself. They would not deign to look
at Ruth carrying back the barley on heE
way home TO her mOther-in-law, Naomi.
All this fastidiousness may seem TO &c
very we'll while they are under the smell
ter Of their fathers house, but when the
sharp winter of misfortune comes what
Of these butterflies Persons under IN
dulgent parentage may get upon them
selves habits of indolence, but when
they come out into practical life theii
soul will recoil with disgust and cha
grin. They will feel in their hearts
what the poet so severely satirized when
he said:
Folks are so awkward things SO impohte,
They're elegantly panied from morning un li
night.
Through that gate Of Incidence how
many men and women have marched
useless ON earth, to destroyed eterni y
sninola said to Sir Horace We're, "Oi
what did your brother die,' "Ot haY
ing nothing to do" was the answer
"Ab" said spinola, that's enough 4
kill any general Of usp' Oh, can it b
possible in this world, where there Is $
much suffering to be alleyiated, so mucl
darkness to be enlightened and SO man
burdens to be carried, that there Is an.
person who cannot find anything to dor
Nine. de Stael did a world Of work !
her time and one day, while she wa
seated amid instruments Of music, a.
Of which she had mastered, and ami
manuscript books which she had VIII
ten, some one said to her, How do 20
find time to attend to all these things.
= "Oh, " she replied, "these are not u
things | am proud Of. My chief boast
in the fact that have 7 trades, by an
one Of which could make livelihoo
3 IL necessary" And. if in secular spher'
l there is so much to be done, IN splrl
: nal work how vast the 6eldl How man
! diving all around about us without oi
s word of comfort We want more Ao
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