Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1902-03-08

uOl 50 obstructive as the uuluTCllC
Once in awhile the arctic will let ex
plorers come back, but the antarcti,
hardly ever. When at the south pole {
,ship sails In, the door Of ice is almos
sure to lie shut against its return. 81
life to many millions of people at thu
south and many millions Of people a
the north is a prolonged shiver. Blu
when | say that this is cold world
chiefly mean figuratively. If you wan
to know what is the meaning of the or
binary term of receiving the "cold
shoulder" get out Of money and try t
borrow. The conversation may have
been almost tropical for luxuriance OF
thought and speech. but suggest youl
necessities and see the thermometer
drop to 80 degrees below zero, and IN
that which till a moment before had
been warm room. Take what Is an
unpopular position on some public
question and see your friends fly as
chaff before a windmill. AS far as
myself is concerned, | have no word OF
complaint, but | look off day by day
and see communities freezing out men
and women of whom the world is not
worthy. Now it takes after one and
now after another. 1t becomes popular
to depreciate and defame and eXecrate
and lie about some people. This is the
best world ever got into, but it Is the
meanest world that some people ever
got into. The worst thing that ever
happened to them was their cradle, and
the best thing that will ever happen to
them will be their grave.
What people want is warmth. Many
years ago man was floating down on
the ice of the Merrimac, and great eff
forts were made to rescue him. Twice
be got hold Of plank thrown to him
and twice he slipped away from it, be-
cause that end of the plank was cover
ed with Ice. and he cried out. For
Gods sake. give me the wooden end Of
the plank this time" and. this done, he
was hauled to shore. The trouble is
that in our efforts to save the soul
there are too much coldness and icy
formality. and so the imperlled one
slips off and floats down. Give it the
other end of the plank: warmth of
sympathy. warmth Of kindly associa-
ton. warmth Of genial surroundings.
The world declines to give it and in
many cases has no power to give 1t,
and here Is where Christ comes in,
and as on Il cold day. the rain beating
and the atmosphere full Of sleet. the
hen clucks her chickens under her
wings, and the warmth Of her own
breast puts warmth into the wet feath-
ers and the chilled feet of the infant
group Of the barnyard. so Christ says
to those sick and frosted and Disguised
and frozen of the world: "Come in out
Of the March winds Of the worlds crit
Icism, come in out of the sleet of the
worlds assault. come In out Of a world
that does not understand you and does
not want to understand you. win
comfort. and will soothe. and will
be Your warmth. as hen gathereth
her chickens under her wing" Oh,
the warm heart of God is ready for all
those to whom the. world has given the
cold shoulder
Christ Takes the Storm.
But notice that some one' must take
ne storm for the chickens. All. the
hen takes the storm. have watched
Ter under the pelting rain. have seen
Ter in the pinching frosts. Almost
'rozen to death or almost strangled inl
he waters. and what fight she makes
or the young under wing IL dog or
hawk or u man come too near! And
10 the brooding Christ takes the storm
or us. What food Of anguish and
ears that did not dash upon his holy
oul? What beak of torture did not
,ierce his vitals? What barking Ger
,erus Of hell was not let out upon him
rom the kennels? Yes. the hen takes
he storm for the chickens. and Christ
axes the storm for us. Once the tenn
,est rose so suddenly the hen could not
.et with her young back from the new
round to the barn. and there she Is
lnder the fence half dead And now
he rain turns 10 snow. and 1t Is an
night. and in the morning the
yhiteness about the gllls and the beak
own In the mud show that the mother
) dead. and the young ones come out
nd cannot understand why the mother
oes not scratch for them something to
at, and they walk over her wings and
all with their tiny voices. but there Is
10 answering cuck. She took the
torn for others and perished. Poor
hing. Self sacrificing even unto death!
md does it not make you think OF
i'm who endured all for US? SO the
7ings under which we come for spir-
-ual safety are blood spattered wings,
re night shadowed wings. are tempest
orn wings In the Isle of Wight
aw the grave of Princess Elizabeth,
Tho died while prisoner at Carts
rook castle. her finger on an open BIZ
lie and pointing to the words. Come
nto me all ye that labor and are1
eavy laden, and will give you rest"
N, come under the wings!
But now the summer day Is almost
asst, and the shadows of the house and
arm and wagon shed have heightened
he farmer, with scythe or hoe on
boulder, is returning from the fields.
he oxen are unyoked. The horses are
the oats at the full bin. The
ir Is bewitched of honeysuckle and
lid brier. The milkman, pail In hand,
approaching the barnyard. The
owls, keeping early hours, are collect
lg their young. "Cluckw "Cluck"
Cluckw And soon all the eyes Of that
nursery are closed. The
achelors of the winged tribe have as
ended to their perch, but the hens, in
motherhood divinely appointed, take
II the risk of slumber on the ground,
nd all night long the wings will stay
and the little ones will not
tier sound. Thus at sundown, loving