The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-07
BIRDS OF THE AIR.
How Frequently and TenderIy They
Are Spoken of in the Bible.

From the Lewiston CIe) Journal
Prof. A. L. Lane of the Coburn Classi-
cal Institute delivered an address on the
birds of the Bible at the recent fourth an
nual meeting Of the Maine Ornitho,ogical
Society in Brunswick
Any writings deserve 10 be ranked as lit
erature he sai1 which are so saturated
with truth, life, beauty, that they appeal
not to one people or age, but to many
ages and peoples, and that they take hold
of the heart of the entire race with en-
unchanging vitality of grasp. Nature
touches and teaches us in ways without
number. AS birds are found wherever
men can live they must enter freely Into
all literature in proportion to lis sympa-
thy; it touches all the keys of feeling and
action and draws its materials and illus
tratious from the widest and most varied
sources.
Birds are in it, of course The eagle is
mentioned in more than a score of pas
sages. Its strong wings are used to &C.
scribe the power by which the Israelt.eS
were brought out of Egypt and ultimate
ly from slavery into nationality: Il bear
you on eagles wings" is the beautiful
statement of the way in which the divine
them on to safety The care Of the mother
eagle for her young and the way in which
she teaches them to fly by breaking up the
nest and catching the young upon her
wings is graphically described as illustrate
ing Gods care for His people. A familiar
description pictures such scene as wit
messed by a traveller in the great canyon
of the Colorado where the eagles nest
was nearly a mile above the stream be-
low high up on the rocky side of the ra-
vine and where the young birds were al
lowed to fall a long dis ance before being
overtaken and borne up on the wings OF
the mother bird. During his forty years'
experience of life in the open ar as a
keeper of focks and herds in a rough
wild country, Moses may many times have
witnessed the occurrence which he so
graphically describes.
The eagle is swift as well as strong. A
nation was TO come against Israel from
afar 'as swift as the eagle hieth." "As
the eagle that swoopeth on the prey" is
the way in which the swift flight Of the
years near the close OF life is described
in the book Of job In the same book
is an accurate picture of the nesting habits
OF the eagle, and of its watching for its
prey from a distance We can almost see
the nest far up on some rocky crag and
the eagle looking forth with far-sighted.
sharp-eyed watchfulness. 'T'hey shall
mount up on wings as eagles" is the de-
scription which the clear-visioned Isaiah
The John OF the Old Testament-gives of
those who "renew their strength" by a
life Of service and Of faith. We have oil
known men. unhappiiy too rare, whose
lives have approached. in beauty and in
power, the upward soaring flight of the
eagle.
our largest crows, the ravens, appear in
the Bible in a very interesting light. They
figure in the strange dramatic story of
Elijah as Gods messengers to bring food
10 the hungry prophet. Whatever rnyste-
rles may hang about this Incident there
is no need Of doubling its trtuhfulness.
The story Is too strange and wonderful,
too beautiful and significant, not to be
true. II may. PERHAPS. be taken as a
confrmai lion of the narrative that such
kindly mention Is made Of the ravens IN
other parts Of the Scripture. Thus IN
lob the question Is asked, who provideth
for tina raven his food tUhan his vnuna s.naa