The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1900-02-04
THE MURMUR
OF THE WORLD

i Now, Sir Ensor Doone was leaning back
II upon mis- brown chair-rail which was built
/ like a triargle. as in old farm houses 0rom
! one of which 1t had come, no doubt, free
| from expenses or grathnde) and as | spoke
he cougheJ little; and he sighed a good
| deal more: and perhaps his dying heart De
| sired to open time again. with such a lift
of warmth and hope as The desired in our
eyes, and arms. | could not understand
him then: any more than a baby playing
with his grandfather's spectacies; neverthe-
| less, l wondered whether at his time OF
| life. or rather on the brink of death, NE
| was thinking of his youth and prime.
| Fools you are; be fools forever said
| Sir Ensor Doone at last; while We feared
| to troak his thoughts, but let each other
| knew our own with little ways of press
! ure: cit is the best thing wish you;
boy and girl; he boy and girl, until you
/ have grandchildren"
Partly i'm bitterness he spoke, and partly
| in pure welariness, and then he turned SO
| as not to see us; and his white hair fell,
like Ia shroud. around him-Lorna Doone,
| chapter XII.
| Lorna Doone calls ITO every man across
thu spaces of the years, for into every mans
life has come some Lorna Doone. There is
perhaps in fiction no glrl-igure quite so
radiant as that maid of Exmoor. Black
mcre's immortal creation. She pipes the
|
of ttla,t wondrous stream rushing away
from her robber-home to john the sunlit
sea- bespeaks the humming bees and the
drumming birds; gives forth the perfume of
the violets and sheds the radiance of splen-
did days; wears about that proud head
the rarest roses that blossom in the gar
dens of the world lAh divine daughter of
the Doones. it were worth all of life to live
and ITO love theei
|
Fools you are be fools forever That
is an old mans blessing to the two souls
starting out upon the daffodil way. 1t is
stern admonition, but affectionate withal.
1t deals with the glorious folly of loving
J loves young dream of bliss. No man, no
woman, no lad, no lass, youth, maiden,
would sacrifice that folly for throne! 1t
is the splendid promise of prophecies. 1t
is loving and loving, and marriage and the
| giving in of marriage. This assuredly is
mot all of life but it is a privilege of great
| joy given of God to Them that are not
His priests. Up the sunrise way. down the
| sunset slope lovers 1obter, lovers Finger, and
the world takes from them its romance and
! it's beauty! Every man and every lad un-
der the sun have fingered at the gate with
|
of every land has been murmured the soft
| little song old as Eden The birds have
heard it, upon the flowers 1t has been
| breathed, the stars have heard the music
yea, even God! "Fools you are; be fools
| forever" That is noble tribute to lovers.
| Who Is there amongst us who wouldn't
| be a fool for ever? Who is there not low
| ing to love? Who is it not prepared to
l nj
| loves and will he true forever and forever
| to some one woman? Where is the man
into whose life there hasn't come Lorna.
| Doone? Where is the man who wouldn't
crawl weary and worn and bleeding to
Lorna's feet, claiming the supreme privi-
lege of loving? Where is there "a man who
would not laugh to live for the woman he
| loves? Man and boy, woman and maid the
| world around hear and heed and love
| loves old sweet song! Just song at twi-
light when the shadows softly fall That
| calls to all men, and, forsooth, 1t calls to
| all women
at is the best thing I can wish for you;
boy and girl; be boy and girl until you
have grandchildren" There is in that
speech of the old Doone world of spirit
ual and worldly wisdom. The duty Of us
| all of us is to defy time in the full measure
| of Gods goodness. 1t is ours to be young
| and to love God! 1t is ours to catch the
notes of the infinite goodness of the In
| finite One. 1t is ours, according to Gods
promise, to take heart of grace BE boy
and girl until you have grandchildren"
| That is in its spirit the teaching of Holy
Writ. Be young; be good be brave, be
| strong. be virtuous; be self-sacrificing
| resoute, God-loving till the end shall
| comet Oliver Wendell Holiness ineom-
parable laughter-lover, jester,-splendid
| genius of light and life and love, did in
| tenderest lines yet writ greet Lowell upon
| being seventy years young Nobler tribute
has not been paid to any man in any CEN
| fury. Alfred Tennyson's incomparab bic
memorial to Hallam and his unexampled
tribute to the last of the Cardigans in
that most noble of all warike charges at
Balaclava were not worthy in human love
of him who was seventy years young!''
|
| "And his white hair fell. like a shroud
around him!" Brave old man, passing, "a
| spirit undaunted. from the scenes of this
earthly life Partly in bitterness he
1
most of us know the scene-the old man
| fitful in the speeches of fast moments at
| the sunset time, When God waits and hur-
ries not at all. We have seen the old man,
grown weary of his years and his, burdens,
| lie down, with his white hairs a shroud,
and fall asleep, his staff falling from
nerveless hands at last. HE lay down
with his burden a pillow, and fell
asleep" You have seen the old mother,
| beloved lie down with her burden for a
| pillow, and SO pass to God! You have
seen the old grey-haired head resting at
| last-the wrinked old face in eternal re-
| pose, the Door old wrinkled hands folded
across the old breast of the heart-aches
ended at last! So they fare forward, the
old father and the old mother, and SO fare
| all of us in the world
The essence of the truth is to love and TO