The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-02-22

over some one crossing the field heard a
voice that he recognized as the voice of
Tom, the drummer boy, singing, Jesus,
lover of my soul" But at the end Of the
first verse the voice became very feeble,
and at the end of the second verse it
stopped, and they went up and found
Tom, the drummer boy, leaning against.
a stump and dead.
Ten Thousand Tongues.
That hymn "Oh, For a Thousand
Charles Wesley by Peter Boiler, who,
keep silent about it." "No," said Yves
ley, eff you had ten thousand tongues you
had better use them for Christi And
then that angel Of hymnology penned the
words:
Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing
My dear Redeemer's praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of his grace!
Jesus, the name that Gains our fears
That bids our sorrows cease;
IT'S music in the sinners ears;
IT'S life and health and peace.
While much of the modern music is a
religious doggerel, a consecrated non
sense, a sacred imbecility, / would like to
see some great musician Of our time lift
the baton and marshal "Luther's Judg.
ment Hymn" Yarmouth" Dundee"
"Ariel," "Brattlestreet," "Uxbridge,"
"Pleyers Hymn" "Harwell," Antioch"
mount Pisgah" and Coronation" with
a few regiments of mighty tunes made in
our own time, and storm Asia. Africa and
America for the kingdom of God. But
the first thing to do is to drive out the
dumb devil of the text from all our
churches.
Do not, however, let us lose ourselves
in generalities. Not one of us but has
had our lives sometimes touched by the
evil spirit of the text-this awful dumb
devil. We had just one opportunity of
saying a Christian word that might nave
led q man or woman into a Christian life.
The opportunity was fairly put before
US. The word of invitation or consolation
or warning came to the inside gate Of the
mouth, but there it halted. Some hinder
ing power locked the jaws together so
that they did not open. The tongue lay
fat and still in the bottom of the mouth
as though struck with paralysis. We
were mute. Though God had given Us
the physiological apparatus for speech
o4o Jul iuhSS "ClS hiIS0 u al
by the command of our will could have
made the laryngeal muscles move and the
vocal organs vibrate, we were wickedly
and fatally silent. For all time and
eternity we missed our chance. or it was
a prayer meeting. and the service was
thrown open for prayer and remarks
and there was a dead halt-everything ST
lent as 4 graveyard at midnight. Indeed.
it was Il graveyard and midnight. An
embarrassing pause took place that put a
wet blanket on all the meeting. Men,
bold enough on business exchange or in
worldly circles. shut their eyes as though
they were praying in silence. but they
were not praying q; all. They were busy
hoping somebody else would do his duty
The women flushed under the awfa!
pause and made their fans more rapidly
hUttpr. Some brother. with no cold
c~oGshed, by that sound trying tn ill "
the time. and the meeting was slain. Eut
what killed it? The dumb devil. This
is the way ] account for the fact that.
the stupidest places on earth are some
prayer meetings. | DO not gee how q man
keeps any grace if he regularly attend.
them. They are spiritual refrigerators.
Religion kept on ice. How many of Us.
have lost occasions OF usefulness! In a
sculptor's studio stood a figure of the god
Opportunity. The sculptor had made
the hair fall down over the face of the
statue so as to completely cover it. and
there were wings TO the feet. When
asked why he so represented Opportunity.
the sculptor answered, 1.-The face Of the
statue is thus covered up because we do
not recognize Opportunity when it comes.
and the wings to the feet show that OPP
ponunity is swiftly gone"
Public Recognition of God.
But do not let the world deride the
church because of all this, for the dumb
devil is just IS conspicuous in the world.
The great political parties assemble at
the proper time to build platforms for the
candidates to stand on. A committee of
each party is appointed to make the plat.
form. After proper deliberation, the COM
mittees come in with a ringing report,
whereas" and Whereas" and "Where-
as" Pronunciamentos all shaped with
the one idea Of getting the most votes.
All expression in regard to the great NOR
al evils Of the country ignored. No ex-
preston in behalf Of temperate living,
for that would lose the vote Of the liquor
traffic. No expression in regard to the uni
versal attempt at the demolition of the
Lords day. No recognition of God in the
history of nations, for that would lose the
vote Of atheists. But Whereas" and
"Whereas," and Whereas" Nine cheers
will be given for the platform. The dumb
devil Of the text puts one wing over the
n platform and the other wing over the
ether platform. Those great conventions
are opened with prayer by their chap
lains. II they avoided platitudes and told
the honest truth in their prayers they
would say: 70 Lord, we want to be post
masters and consuls and foreign minister's
and United States district attorneys. For