The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1898-03-22

NouAAnk ioNAf w
Ing out Of doors twelve hours the day.
and oft-times waking up in the night
on the hills. II the stars. or the tor
rents. or the sun. or the lowers, had
anything TO say. he was very apt TO
hear H. 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 nocks Of Mr.. Laid
law. There IL often . sweet poetry In
the rugged prose Of the Scotch shep-
herd. One OF these Scotch shepherds
iost his only son. and he knelt down In
prayer and was overheard TO say. %
Lord. II has seemed good in thy provi-
dencs 10 take from me the stan OF my
right hand At the time when to rs
ssnd-blind mortals I seemed TO be most
IN need Of II, and how l shall climb up
the hill OF sorrow and aud age with
out II. 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 q 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. ]
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 TIE material for David. the
poet, and David the man. Like other
boys, David was fond OF using his
knife among the saplinss. and he had
noticed the exuding OF the Juice OF the
tree: and when he became a man. he
said, 1.-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
on the nest 10 find out how many eggs
were under her: and when he became
n man, he said. "As for the stork. the
fr 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. "The voice OF the
Lord maksth TIE kinds TO calve." Da-
vid. the Toy. had lain upon his back
looking up 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 a man
and wrote. when 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
bleatlng 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,
s'The Lord Is my shepherd"
II God will help me. will talk 10
you OF the shepherds plaid. the shep-
herds crook, the shepherds dogs, the
shepherds pasture grounds and the
shepherds focks.
And FIRST: The shepherds plaid. II
would be preposterous for a man go
ing out 10 rough and besoiling work
90 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
70 out amidst the storms. and the
rocks. and the nettles; he puts on the
rough apparel appropriate 10 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 II. ! know
the old painters represent halo about
the babe Jesus. but 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
ms eve In Judea. Becoming a man.
he wore a seamless garment. The seis-
sors and needle had done nothing to
make Il graceful. take Il 20 have
been a sack with three holes IN Il: one
for the neck. and two for the arms
Although the gamblers quarreled over
II. there Is no evidence OF It's value.
have seen two rag plekers quarrel
over the refuse Of an ash barrel. No:
In the wardrobe OF heaven he left the
sandals OF light. the glrdles OF beauty
the robes OF power. and pu, on the be-
soiled and tattered ralment OF our hui
manity. Sometimes he did no, even
wear the seamless robe. What Ia that
hanging about the walls, OF Christi Is
Il a badge Of authority IL Il royal
coat OF Arms7 No. Il IA towel. The
disciples feet are filthy from the walk
on the long way. and are not NJ to be
put upon the sofas on which they are
90 recllne at the meal. and 20 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
ralment. OF our flesh. The storms were
10 beat him. the crowds we're to iostle
him, the dust was 70 sprinkle him. the
u-ohs we're 10 pursue him Oh, shcp.
herd OF Israeli leave at home my brlgh,
array. For thee, what streams 10 ford
what nights all unsheiered lie puts
upon him the plain ralment Of our hui
manlty: wears our woes, and while
earth and heaven and hell stand
amazed At the abnegation wraps around
him the shepherds plaid.
"Cold mountains and the midnight air
witnessed the feryor OF his prayer"
Next mention the shepherds crook
This was a rod with a curve at the end
which. when a sheep was going asiray
was thrown over us neck and In i>al
way II was pulled back. When The
sheep were not going astray. the shep'
herd would often use II as sort Of
crutch. leaning on Il; but when the