New Iberia enterprise. (New Iberia, La.) 1885-1902, 1900-06-16
EDUCATIONAL.
SERMONS IN STONE.

EDUOA AllONAI.
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SERMONS IN STONE.
Essay by Miss Lettye Grace Sealy New Iberia
| High School graduate Glass of 1900
| TO him. who in the love of nature holds
Communion with her visible forms she speaks
A various language. For his gayer hours
She has voice of gladness, and a smile
And eloquence of beauty and she glides
Into his darker musings with mild
And gentle sympathy that steals away
Their sharpness ere he is aware. Then thought
| or the last bitter hour come like blight
| over thy spirit, and sad images
| OF the stern agony and shrOud and pail
And breathless darkness and the narrow house
| Make thee to shudder and grow sick at heart,
m Io forth under the open sky, and list
| 10 Nature teachings
"Our beings end and aim" seems to be
getting and spending The almighty dollar
is our god, and is worshipped with a rev
erence that will, sooner or later, call forth
the just anger of an outraged Creator.
We live too much with the cold mechanical
part Of life, and sell our very hearts and
souls for few paltry dollars. But there
comes time when we realize there is
something money can not buy; time
when life seems to have lost all it's charm
we long for something-we know not
we look closely we will see that after all,
the trouble is not so deep-seated. 1t is
only the superficial part of life that we
have been living. We now see the vani-
ties of earth fade away, and know that in
affiiction's hour, there is something better
than gold. We should live in closer affini.
ty with nature. Too much of our lives is
spent with the world. We have given our
hearts away, and in return, have received
only transient remuneration. Our hearts
and souls have become so cramped and
| shriveled that nothing grand nor beauti-
| full moves us to respond to the thrOb of
| Natures great heart. The chord upon
which she plays awakes in us no sympa-
thizing answer. There is no feeling of
perpetual companionship between us and
nature. We should pause awhile in the
maddening rush, in the race for gold and
in ambitions strife, to contemplate the
universe in which we dwell, and which
was created for the happiness of man.
The earth spreads out before us-beautiful
in the dress Of spring or summer cheer
ing in the glory of autumn grand and
imposing in the desolation of winter. In
every phase it gives subsistence to every
living creature. We are astounded by the
vast and wonderful mechanism of the
earth formation. Ages and ages have
been employed to fit this globe for the
habitation Of man.
The most wonderful changes have taken
place during its development. Everything
works together for the general good. Each
thing that perishes supplies some other
form with life. All objects in the universe
arc
Like bubbles on the sea of matter borne
They rise, they break, and to that sea return"
The most remote and minute researches
of science have not yet revealed to us all
of the wonders, nor all of the marvellous
laws of the universe.
Every aspect of nature testifies to the
glory of Him who is her author. The fiery
mantled sun comes forth every day to
show us the beauties of creation. Nor at
night does he leave the Creator without a
witness. He only retires from the scene a |
while to disclose to our view q ni0fe
glorious sight-the immensity of space
filled with inumerable worlds. Now the |
moon, queen of the heavens, takes up the |
wonderous tale, while all the stars around |
her confirm the story, and in one glorious
anthem sing "Glory be to Godv A rea-
soning, thinking person can not look
upon the sun, moon and stars, with their
beautiful background, the unfading and |
imperishable blue, spread so magnificently |
above US, and say this is the work Of |
chance. 1t is a strange truth that people
in general know very little about the
clouds. We are not all destined to see
every grand work of nature-the changing
seasons in every land the purple light on
Alpine SHOWS; Amos vale is but dream
TO most of us we visit the grandeur of
Italy, Switzerland, and our own glorious
West only in our imagination, yet the
glory of the clouds is free to all. The sky
like huge canvas on which are painted
pictures that no human mind could have
nor human hand executed,
above us. Not one picture re-
mains long enough to weary one, for the
aspect of the clouds is never the same for
two moments together Sometimes fierce,
then again gentle I; almost human in their
passions almost spiritual in their tender
ness; almost divine in their perfection.
We never study the sky but as it has to do
with our animal natures. We know that
certain clouds produce certain weather, yet
how many see, perhaps grand chain of
piled in all their awful tho
peaceful sublimity; perhaps great battle
n full sway, as tho the clouds had caught
;he reflection from earth, and were thus a
mirror for its deeds of valor and bravery
! great stage upon which are being en-
lcted the scenes of earth for myriads of
spectators the planets. We can see
yrander and more thrilling races in the
clouds than that made immortal in Ben
3ur. But no doubt all of these pictures
lave passed unregretted and unseen.
In time of sorrow and discouragement| {
here is nothing else SO comforting as the {
influence of nature. She comes, not with
he gush and effusion of human friend,
,ut with her mild and insinuating presence,
which gives unconscious healing to the |
wound. Is
Life, in its freest and fullest sense, has &
ust begun when the magic of nature first t
'reathes on the heart. The soul, aroused t
y the subtle touch, makes to fuller s
njoyment of its beauteous surroundings
The whole aspect Of life is changed. There (
GEMS to be continual worship going on '
m0ng the children Of nature. The waves a
hat dash upon the beach have justly been
allied the priesthood of the Sea-" for as t
hey roll in upon the shore, to one who is q
n sympathy with nature they appear to t
neel in humble devotion to the canopied il
ault above. They pour all their beautiful, a
treasures out as an Eastern SUBJ Y
ect brings his rich offerings to his king. &
he tree tops bend over as if over them il
Ike over the spirits of men, a prayerful v
npulse passes. Until the soul is moved &
y nature the possibilities of the mind have
I'm dormant, insensible to less potent s.
lfuence. Ii,
The year comes and goes with such +,
omp and glory! It is ruled, in turn by Il
,ur sovereigns. First comes Spring, q
eralded by feathered warblers, bursting v
uds and cool zephyrs, that fling their Il
arnered fragrance to the blue sky. Spring /
ith her kind warmth repairs the ruins Of o.
inter. There is an indefnable pathos in
le air of spring, for in everything truly b
lir there is a vein-a touch of sadness. 7
1e need these little shadows to temper p
le rays of the too brilliant sun. Time has
laced the sceptre in the hands of Spring v
nd she rules with mild and gentle sway. ltu
er robe, more beautiful than that of ol
aeen, is embroidered with silver and gold G,
eshes of sunshine, in which are tangled II
right flowers and gay butterflies. From t,
sr green lap she fings the sweet, m
alicately scented violet, the blushing tea tc
zee, dainty cowslip and the pale primrose. te
II these drink eagerly Of the warmth of ia