Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1898-03-09

fHtAAV>k1 ndu dDuuudIlCe VI
LK opportunity of be-
NV coming a poet, be-
Ing out of doors twelve hours the day,
and oft-times waking up in the night
on the hills. If the stars, or the tor
rents, or the sun, or the flowers, had
anything to say, he was very apt to
hear it. The Ettrick Shepherd OF
Scotland, who afterwards took his seat
In the brilliant circle of Wilson and
Lockhart, got his wonderful poetic
inspiration in the ten years in which
he was watching the flocks of Mr.. Laid
law. There is often a sweet poetry in
the rugged prose Of the Scotch shep-
herd. One of these Scotch shepherds
lost his only son, and he knelt down in
prayer and was overheard to say, 70
Lord, it has seemed good in thy provi-
dence to take from me the staff or my
right hand at the time when to us
sand-blind mortals I seemed to be most
in need Of it, and how shall climb up
the hill of sorrow and auld age with
out 1t. thou mayst ken, but dinna.'
David, the shepherd boy, is watch
ing his fathers sheep. They are pas
turing on the very hills where after
ward Lamb was born of which you
have heard much, "the Lamb Of God.
which taketh away the sins OF the
world" David, the shepherd boy, was
beautiful, brave, musical and poetic. I
think he often forgot the sheep in his
reveries. There in the solitude he
struck the harp string that Is thrilling
through the ages. David, the boy, was
gathering the material for David, the
poet, and David the man. Like other
boys, David was fond Of using his
knife among the saplings, and he had
noticed the exuding Of the juice of the
tree; and when he became man, he
said, "The trees of the Lord are full OF
sap" David, the boy, like other boys.
had been fond of hunting the birds
nests and he had driven the old stork
of the nest to find out how many eggs
were under her; and when he became
a man, he said, GAS for the stork, the
fir trees are her house" In boyhood
he had heard the terrific thunder
storm that frightened the red deer into
premature sickness; and when he be-
came a man, he said, 1.-THE voice OF the
Lord maketh the kinds to calve." Da-
vid, the boy, had lain upon his back
looking I'D at the stars and examining
the sky, and to his boyish imagination
the sky seemed like a piece Of divine
embroidery, the divine fingers work
ing in the threads of light and the
beads of stars; and he became man
and wrote, when I consider thy heav-
ems, the work of thy fingers" When
he became an old man, thinking OF the
goodness of God, he seemed to hear the
bleating of his fathers sheep across
many years, and to think of the time
when he tended them on the Bethle-
hem hills, and he cries out in the text,
1.-THE Lord is my shepherd"
II God will help me, will talk to
you of the shepherds plaid, the shep-
herds crook, the shepherds dogs, the
shepherds pasture grounds and the
shepherds fiocks.
And first: The shepherds plaid: 1t
would be preposterous for man 60
ing out to rough and besoiling work
to put on splendid apparel. The potter
does not work in velvet; the serving
maid does not put on satin while toll
ing at her duties; the shepherd does
not wear a splendid robe in which to
go out amidst the storms, and the
rocks, and the nettles; he puts on the
rough apparel appropriate to his expos
ed work. The Lord our Shepherd, COM
ing out to hunt the lost sheep, puts on
no regal apparel. but the plain gar
ment of our humanity. There was
nothing pretentious about it. / know
the old painters represent halo about
the babe Jesus, but l do not suppose
that there was any more halo about
that child than about the head of any
other babe that was born that Christ
mas eve in Judea. Becoming man,
he wore seamless garment. The scis-
sors and needle had done nothing to
make it graceful. / take it to have
been a sack with three holes in it; one
for the neck, and two for the arms.
Although the gamblers quarreled over
1t, there is no evidence of its value.
I have seen two rag pickers quarrel
over the refuse of an ash barrel. No;
in the wardrobe of heaven he left the
sandals of light, the girdles of beauty,
the robes of power, and put on the be-
soiled and tattered raiment of our hui |
manity. Sometimes he did not even
wear the seamless robe. What is that |
about the waist of Christ? Is
1t badge of authority? Is it a royal |
coat of arms? No: it Is towel The |
disciples feet are filthy from the walk |
on the long way, and are not fit to be |
put upon the sofas on which they are
to recline at the meal, and so Jesus |
washes their feet. and gathers them
up in the towel to dry them. The
work Of saving this world was rough
work. rugged work. hard work; and
Jesus put on the raiment, the plain
Of our flesh. The storms were
TO beat him, the crowds were to jostle
him, the dust was to sprinkle him, the
mobs were to pursue him. Oh, Shep-
herd of Israel! leave at home thy bright
array. For thee, what streams to ford,
49, IL III