Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-04-02

full or unfaithful. But would it not
have been pleasanter if you could have
heard from those lips the praises Of
Christ? | never read anything more
beautiful than this about child's de-
parture. The account said, "She fold
ed her hands, kissed her mother good
by, sang her hymn, turned her face to
the wall, said her little prayer and
then died.
Good Tidings of JOY.
Oh, if I could gather up in one para
graph the last words of the little ones
who have gone out from all these
Christian circles and l could picture
the calm looks and the folded hands
and sweet departure methinks it would
be grand and beautiful as one of heav-
ems great doxologies! In my parish in
Philadelphia a little child was depart
ing. She had been sick all her days
and a cripple. 1t was monday when
she went, and as the shadow of death
gathered on her eyelid she thought it
was evening and time to go to bed,
and so she said: Good night, papa!
Good night, mammal And then she
was gonel 1t was good night" to
pain and good night to tears and
good night to death and "good
night to earth, but it was good
morning. to Jesus; it was good morn
ing" to heaven. | can think Of no
cradle song more beautiful than Jesus.
I next speak of Christ as the old
mans song. Quick music loses it's
charm for the aged ear. The school
girl asks for a schottish or a glee, but
her grandmother asks for "Balerma"
or the Portuguese Hymn" Fifty
years of trouble have tanned the spirit,
and the keys of the music board must
have a solemn tread Though the
voice may be tremulous, SO that grand
father will not trust it in church, still
he has the psalm book open before
him, and he sings with his soul. He
huns his grandchild asleep with the
same tune he sang 40 years ago in the
old country meeting house.
L was one Thanksgiving day in my
pulpit in Syracuse, and Rev. Daniel
Waldo at 90 years of age stood be-
side me. The choir sang a tune. l
said: 81 am sorry they sang that new
tune. Nobody seems to know it,"
''Bless you, my son." said the old man,
Il heard that 20 years ago!'
There was a song today that touch
ed the life of the aged with holy fire
and kindled a glory on their vision
that your younger eyesight cannot see.
1t was the song of salvation-Jesus,
who fed them all their lives long; Je-
sus, who wiped away their tears; Jesus,
who stood by them when all else fail
ed; Jesus, in whose name their mar
riage was consecrated and whose res
direction has poured light upon the
graves of their departed. 'Do you
know meY' said the wife to her aged
husband who was dying, his mind al
ready having gone out. He said, mo"
And the son said, Father, do you
know me?' He said, NO" The
daughter said, Father, do you know
me?'' He said, NO" The minister
of the gospel, standing by, said, 'Do
you know jesus" ooh, yes" he said;
Il know him, chief among 10000, the
one altogether Iovely!" Blessed the
Bible in which specialized old age reads
the promise, II will never leave you,
on which the wornoUt pilgrim totters
on toward the welcome of his Redeem
er! Blessed the hymn book in which
the faltering tongue and the failing
eyes find Jesus, the old mans song!
When my mother had been put away
for the resurrection, we, the children,
came to the old homestead, and each
one wanted to take away a memento
of her who had loved us so long and
loved US so well. | think | took away
the best of all the mementos. 1t was
the old fashioned, round glass spec
tacles, through which she used to read
her Bible, and put them on, but they
were too old for me, and l could not
see across the room. But through them
could see back to childhood and for
ward to the hills of heaven, where the
ankles that were stiff with age have
become timber again, and the spirit,
with restored eyesight, stands in rapt
eXultation, crying, ''This is heaven!
Sing the Praises.
l speak to you again of Jesus as the
night song. Job speaks of him who
giveth songs in the night. John Welch,
the old Scotch minister, used to put a
plaid across his bed on cold nights,
and some one asked him why he put
that there. He said: ooh, sometimes
In the night I want to sing the praise
Of Jesus and to get down and pray;
then 1 just take that plaid and wrap
it around me to keep myself from the
cold.' Songs in the night! Night of
trouble has come down upon many of
you. Commercial losses put out one
star, slanderous abuse puts out another
star, domestic bereavement has put
out a thousand lights, and gloom has
been added to gloom and chill to chill
and sting TO sting, and one midnight
has seemed to borrow the fold from
another midnight to wrap itself in