Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1902-02-06


with . Psaitery and an Instrument
Of Ten Strings" = Fsvors Lsvishly
bestowed Received with Ingrstituds.
Copyright. 1902. by Louis Kiopsch. N. ~
Washington, Feb. I'm this dis
course DIR. Talmage calls attention to
causes OF thanksgiving that are sell
dom recognized and shows how to cul-
tivate a cheerful spirit: text. Psalms
xxxiii. 2. Sing unto him with psal-
terry and an instrument OF ten strings"
A musician as well as poet and con-
queror and king was David. the au-
thor Of my text. He first composed
the sacred rhythm and then played It
upon a harp. striking and plucking the
strings with his fingers and thumbs.
The harp is the Oldest of musical in
struments. Jubal invented It, and he
was the seventh descendant from
Adam. Its music was suggested by the
twang of the bowstring. Homer re-
fers to the harp in the "Iliad." II Is
the most consecrated Of all instru-
ments. 1t has a tenderness and sweet
ness belonging to no other instrument
that know of. 1t enters into the
richest symbolism of the Holy Scrip
lures. The raptures Of heaven are rep
resented under the figure of "harpers
harping on their harps." We learn
from coins and medals that in the
Maccabean age the harp had only
three strings. In other ages 1t had
eight strings. David's harp had ten
strings. and when his great soul was
afire with the theme his sympathetic
voice. accompanied by exquisite vi
bration of the chords. must have been
overpowering.
With as many things to complain
about as any man ever had David
wrote more anthems than any other
man ever wrote. Indeed. the more his
troubles the mightier his sacred poems.
The words praise" and song" are SO
often repeated In his psalms that one
would think the typesetter's case con-
tanning the letters with which those
words are spelled would be exhausted.
In my text David calls upon the peo-
pie to praise the Lord with an instru-
ment of ten strings. like that which he
was accustomed to finger. The simple
fact is that the most of US. II We praise
the Lord at all. play upon one string
or two strings or three strings when
we ought to take harp fully chorded
and with glad fingers sweep all the
strings. Instead OF being grateful for
here and there blessing we happen
to think of. we ought to rehearse all
our blessings SO far as we can recall
them and obey the Injunction of my
text to sing unto him with an instru-
ment Of ten strings.
Have you ever thanked God for de-
lightsome food? What vast multitudes
are a-hungered from day to day or are
Obliged to take food not toothsome or
pleasant to the taste! What millions
are In struggle for bread!
Have you appreciated the fact that
on most Of your tables are luxuries
that do not come to all? What fruits,
what nuts. what meats regale your ap-
petite. while many would be glad to
get the crusts and rinds and Feelings
that fall from your table. For the fine
fiavors and the luxurious viands you
have enjoyed for a lifetime perhaps
you have never expressed to God a
word Of thanksgiving.
Have you thanked God for eyesight
as originally given to you or. after 1t
was dimmed by age. for the glass that
brought the page of the book within
the compass of the vision? Have you
realized the privation those suffer to
whom the day is as black as the night
and who never see the face Of father or
mother or wife or child or friend?
The man Of millions OF dollars who re-
Gently went blind from atrophy of op-
tic nerve would have been willing to
give all his millions and become a day
laborer II he could have kept of the
blindness that gradually crept over his
vision.
Have you ever given thanks for two
eyes-media between the soul inside
and the world outside. media that no
one but the infinite God could create!
The eye. the window of our immortal
nature. the gate through which all coll
ors march. the picture gallery of the
soul! Without the eye this world is a
big dungeon. fear that many of us
have never given one hearty express
sion OF gratitude for treasure of sight.
the loss Of which is the greatest dis
aster possible unless 1t be the loss OF
the mind.
Further. notice how many pass
through life In silence because the ear
refuses to do its Office. They never
hear music. vocal or instrumental.
The thunder that rolls its full diapason
through the heavens does not startle
the prolonged silence. The air that
has tor US SO many melodies has no
sweet sound for them. They live in a
quietude that will not be broken until
heaven breaks in upon them with its
harmonies. The bird voices OF the
springtime. the chatter of the children,
the sublime chant of the sea, the solo
OF the cantatrice and the melody OF
the great worshiping assemblies mean
nothing to them. Have we devoutly
thanked God for these two wonders of
our hearing, with which we can now
put ourselves under the charm OF sweet
sound and also carry in our memories
tho infantile song with which our
mothers put US to sleep. and the voices
Of the great prima donnas like Lind
and Patti and Nelson. and the sound
Of instruments like the violin OF the
Swedish performer. or the cornet Of
Arbuckle. or the mightiest Of all in
struments. with the hand Of Morgan
On the keys and his foot on the pedal.
Or some Sabbath tune like Corona
ton." In the acclaim Of which you