Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-02-07
SYMBOLS OF SNOW.
Rev. DR.. Conrad Finds Christ's
Teachings in the Snowflake.
Every Snowflake is Six Pointed Star
Form, Every Point Of Which is a Pen
nant Bearing an Inscription from
the Fingers of God.

snow" Sunday evening. The words Of
the text weres from Jeremiah xviii, IA
"Will man leave the snow of Leba'
non, which cometh from the rock of the
field?' In part he said:
The SHOWS of Lebanon, in general
represent divine munificence They
We're designed to suggest to the children
of Israel the inf1owing mercies of a
heavenly father
Every snowflake is a siX-pointed star
We look at the star and its six points
and we shall find that every point has
floating from it a pennant, and upon
the pennant an inscription from the fin
ger of God. We will look OF the jewel
closely and read the heavenly message
from the six points, and apply to our-
selves the appeals of the snowflake.
From the first point with It's floating
pennant L read Silent benefaction.' -
Beautifully the snow symbolizes the qui-
etude of Gods distributions to this
world. With what gentleness and lack
of scenic effect and display the most OF
the bountieS Of heaven are bestowed.
The largest blessings of this world are
what we call the common blessings. The
air we breathe the water we drink, the
bread that satisfies our nea1s, the sun
| shine without; all these things come
through silent expressions OF Gods pow
er. There is no noisy commotion, no
evident agitation when the seed passes
into the stalk and the stalk into the
ear, which finally in perfect form is
plucked and becomes bread for the eat
er. We clothe ourselves with garments
which, as they came from nature, were
developed in the secret of an awful ST.
lence, amid manifold mysteries The
n an
seem almost like the visible spirits from
an invisible world. In the light of the
sun the snowflake is a series of dia-
monds whose flash is almost dazzling
Within each one there is q rainbow OF
comets. Seven-hued glory appears with
in it. So while we Sleep and while we
work we are the objects of heavenly
care and the outpourings of divine grace
are unceasing. The most Of what we
enjoy we do not earn, we do not make
we could not. The creator alone has sci
in operation forces which act like con-
Quits from heaven to bring to earth its
bounty. The silent falling OF the snow
is like the silent coming Of the sustain.
Ing grace of God to the heart, the re-
newals of strength, the impartings Of
nope, the inflow of encouraging assur-
ances, which are enjoyed by one who
keeps in line with the love of God. In all
-
there is no blast of trumpets, no beat
ing of drums, no waving of flags nc
artificial procession. We are taught
again lessons in giving Christ reiterat-
ed the lessons of the snow when he
SAID: When We bestow aims do moi
sound the trumpet before thee as the
Pharisees." Let not thy right hand
know what thy left hand doeth" Silent
quiet benefactions are the best, the
greatest.
turn the six-pointed crystal and the
second pennant streams out. I read it
Majestic aggrega lions" What can the
, little snowflakes do in the way OF
power? There might be suggestions OF
beauty in it, but what of power? The
snowf1akes may fall upon the cheek OF
the infant child and scarce be felt but
compact them together and they make a
dangerous. weapon. Compact them to-
gether again and they make the noun
tain-like drift of white. In larger aggre-
cations still and we have. the avalanche
What is life? l speak not of the essence
of life now, but of life in it's entirety
in its massiveness, in it's doing its
thinking. What is life? ACCUMULATED
trifles, that is ALL What is character?
Crystalized trifles, nothing more. What
is greatness and majesty in character?
i Accumulated trifes.
Turn the crystal and read the next
point. Protection" But can the cold
snow suggest to US the thought of pro-
lection? The snow Is a soft, feecy man.
tie, warm upon the earth, and when in
the early autumn 1t falls to great depth
and lies till spring the ground freezes
but little The winters most perilous to
vegetation are those in which this fieecy
garment is not delicately laid upon the
earth. Lost, storm-bound travellers
4 who are wise, burrow In the great drifts
4 and wait till the storm is past, and are
comfortable amid their crystal sur
roundings Round about US everywhere
are unfortunate ones, sick, disconsolate,
in whom life is to be particularly nur-
tured. Hope is ready to die, cheer is
ready to die, ambition is ready to perish
just like the exotic plant left in the
, garden which will die of frost unless
covered Our lives should be like the
snow mantle. Our little benefactions
our acts of kindness, our words of cheer
. our smiles of hope, our handclaSps OF en-
, thusiasm, all these ought to be like the
! multiplied snow crystals which mantle
!, the earth and protect the herbs. A hal
J lowed sympathy is as a f1eecy garment
to an aching heart.
,, / turn again to the crystal. l read
. tine pennant from the point: Charity
The snow represents charity because
there is nothing the snow does no
, that tine snow will look dark in com
parlson with it. Furthermore, wheT
the messengers come to earth, they
fall as readily upon the dirty pool or TIL
soiled earth as upon the polished mar
BILE step The richest and best is made
richer by the new mantle, and tine poor
, | est and most unworthy is made white
Defects are cancelled and deformitie!
! are covered over. The snow is no re
specter Of person. Neither is charity. l
, nlantles all with love and yet recognize!
most truly that the mantle itself vii
) not change the reality yet, by contrast
. ing the evil with the good, the unclear
with the clean, it will become an incen
tive to the higher life.
Another point, another pennant i:
"orderliness." In the snow we see Goo
as a geometer, the accuracy of mis- work
, ings, the orderliness of all that comes
from nature. This is the struggle o.
life. Obedience insures beauty. There
Is divine relationship between order
and beauty. In character there is strict
conformity to type. And if evil pre-
, dominates in the heart, we are crys
talized about it and become like it. 4
good and God are in the heart. we be
! come Godlike Christian character i!
| a process Of crystalization. The teach
:. ings and virtues and principles of Jesus
crystalaze into the star of glory and thu
heart becomes a jewel.
One more turn and we come to the
I, final point and pennant 1t is the mos
beautifulof all-"purity" To every mind
the snow represents a spotless charac
ter, and 1t is an appeal to the hear
through which evil is filtering, to seel
some method of cleaning itself Of defile
ments The supreme symbolism Of the
snow is ceanness and sweetness. L
; thus beautifully symboiizes the religion
80 fCt ne Tay&i INA nv n
the cleansing of life with the conse
. nllence I'd. Mholesome deVelopment. ThI