The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-02-04

are told Of six of Christ's miracles fer
the cure Of these sightless ones. but l
suppose they were only specimens OF
hundreds of restored visions. What a
pitiful spectacle Saul OF Tarsus. b
mighty man. three days led about in
physical as well as spiritual darkness,
he who afterward made Felix tremble
by his eloquence and awed b Atheni-
an philosophers on Mars hill and was
the only cool headed man in the Alex
andria cornship that went to pieces on
the rocks of Miletus, once the mighty
prosecutor Of Saul. afterward the giori-
Gus evangelist Paul, for three days not
able to take q safe step without guild
ance!
Two Strings of Gratitude.
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 col
ors march. the picture gallery OF the
soul, Without le eye this world is a
big dungeon. i fear that many OF US
have never given n hearty expression
Of gratitude for treasure of sight. the
loss of which is the greatest disaster
possible unless 1t be the loss of the
mind. Those %wondrous seven muscles
that turn the eye Up or down, to right
or left or around. No one but God
could have created the retina. If we
have ever appreciated what God did
when he gave Us two eyes. it was when
we saw others with o~bliterated vision.
Alas, that only through the privation
Of others we came to q realization Of
our own blessing! If you had harp in
hand and swept all the strings of graf
itude, you would have struck this.
which is one Of the most dulcet Of the
ten strings.
Further, notice how many pass
through life in silence because the ear
refuses to do it's Office. They lever
hear music, vocal or instrumental. The
thunder that rolls it's full diapason
through the heavens doe not startle
the prolonged silence. The air that
has for US so many melodies has no
sweet sound for them. They live in a
quietude that will not be broken until
uCdN CL DlCohS LII upoh WILL 40
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 u memories
the infantile song with which our
mothers put US to sleep, and the voices
Of the great prima Tomas 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
tion," in the acclaim of which you
could hea the crowns of heaven COM
ing down at the feet of Jesus? Many
of us have never thanked God for this
hearing apparatus Of the soul. That is
one of the ten strings of gratitude that
we ought always to thrum after hear
ing the voice Of a loved one or the last
strain of an oratorio or the clang of a
cathedral tower
Further, there are many who never
recognize how much God gives them
when he gives them sleep. Insomnia
is n calamity wider known in our and
than in any other. By midlife vast
smultitudes have their nerves so over
wrought that slumber has to be coaxed,
and many are the victims of choral
and morphine. Sleeplessness is an
American disorder. If it has not touch
Ell you and you can rest for seven or
eight hours without w%aking-if for that
length Of time in every twenty-four
hours you can be free of all care and
worriment and your nerves are retuned
and your limbs escape from all fatigue
and the rising sun finds you q new
man. body, mind and soul-you have an
advantage that ought to be put in
prayer and song and congratulation.
The French %fnancier, almost wealthy
enough to purchase a kingdom, but the
victim Of insomnia, wrote, "No slumber
to be bought in any market" He was
right. Sleep Is a gratuity from him
who nerer sleeps. Oh, the felicities of
slumber! Let all who have this real
benefaction celebrate it. That Is one
Of the sweetest strings in all the instru- |
ment of ten strings.
Further. let US gratefully acknowk |
edge the power of physical locomotion. |
To be able to go where we wish and all !
unaided-what q Kindness! What null
fitudes have to call in the aid of cane |,
and crutch and invalid's chair, and
their whole life is a Underwent! How
hard to get about with lack of strong
and healthy and supple limbs! Con-
graduated ought you all to be if you
have the usual physical endowment, |
and sympathized with ought all those ,
to bewhoean neither walk nor climb nor
enter upon any great activities. That
is one OF the thousands Of reasons why
1 hate war with a complete hatred. It
fol-oc 0Y NTH bprl1& - h - L