The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-09-11

| other good. Wnen ne ueprlVeS any
of earthly comforts, he offers spirit
ual treasures, and may quicken the
soul to gain them. When he afflicted
the Psalmist he taught him what
was of more worth than thousands
of gold and silver" When he with
holds acres, he stimulates brains or
strengthens muscles. When he fash
ions plain face or takes away cause
of pride in ones person, he leaves a
longing for other than outward
beauty and grace other than that of
bearing, even the grace of being and
the blessedness of doing. Men
might not think of the better when
their pride is satisfied with the she'll
of their soul. If God give both tenn
poral and eternal riches at once,
beauty of face or form and comliness
of character, each favored one must
feel that the inner self is the real
and the enduring, the outer the sub
ordinate and changing
When he denies plant blossoms, he
grants beauty unto the leaves. When
he makes its flower pale or unattrac-
tive in appearance, he gives it sweeter
fragrance. The common mugwort,
for instance, so small and insignifi-
cant, belonging to the same family
as the gorgeous sunhower, has a
fragrance which its stately relative
| lacks.
When a flower is neither large nor
sweet, it is clustered with its kind
When there is uncommon danger,
there is also uncommon provision to
avert it. Each of the eyes of house
fly has, we are told, 5000 facets, bis
two eyes being the same therefore as
| 5000 by which he is enabled to see
in all directions and to escape with
skill many dangers that threaten his
daily existence.
When there is an unpleasant task
to discharge, the doer is furnished
for it, the back is fitted to the bur
den. The vulture, the scavenger of
the land, is graciously denied the
sense of smell, and has wonderful
keenness of vision with which he
sights mis- food. Suffering that must
be endured in the flesh, is matched
by nerve and spirit. The study of
anatomy being forbidden by the re-
ligion of the Moors, surgery is a
clumsy process. But nature is kind
and gives iron resistance to pain.
The people are described as having
small nervous sensibility and also as
holding a fatali-tic faith which has
hardened them unto great endur.
ance.
The blind have large sense of touch.
The ends of their fingers are provided
with nerves that resemble brains.
HELEN Keller who can neither see
nor hear, may understand conversa-
ton by the placing of her thumb to
the throat and her finger to the lip of
the person who speaks. So sensi-
tive is her body to its environment,
that she can perceive presences in
the room, can read the character of
the people whom she meets like an
open book to the seeing eye. John
Milton with his sightless eyes, had
visions of Paradise Lost" and para
disc Regained," and dictated the
works which have brought him i'm
mortal fame. Beethoven with his
deaf ears could compose symphonies.
could arrange the notes upon the
staff and intone them upon the in
strument, and that with which he
charmed others was surely not bar
rem of pleasure to him. His mind
dwelt in the realm of harmonies.
Mrs. Browning lived an uneventful
life without; she lived within a life of
beauty. What her lot lacked in mat
ter was added in spirit She said her
story amounted to the knifegrinder's,
with nothing at all for catastro-
phe." "A bird in a cage would
have as good story" she continued;
most of my events and nearly all my
intense pleasures have passed in my
thoughts" When Celia Thaxter was
denied the pleasures of society, the
privileges of lectures, operas, con-
certs, and other accompaniment of
modern civilization, on the Isles Of
Shoals, nature had deeper charms to
her than it was wont. She wrote
mo one can dream what charm
there is in taking care of pets, sing
ing birds, plants, ETC., with such ad-
vantages of solitude; how every bud
and leaf and flower is poured over,
and admired, and loved! A whole
conservatory, flushed with azaleas
and brilliant with forests of camel
lias and every precious exotic that
blooms, could not impart so much de-
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