Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-01-09

cred Vienna. In 14GS It was so cold
that wine was cut with hatchets and
distributed among the soldiers In
l2'A whole forest was killed by the
cold at Ravenna. In 1853 the Black sea
vas frozen over. As we 90 further
lack the frostS are mightior. but rs we
ONE further down the frosts lessen.
The worst seventies have been halted,
and the SHOWS have lost their depths,
and the thermometers announce less
terrific falls of temperature, and the
time will come when the year will be
one long summer of foliage and bloom.
While the worlds moral condition will
be reformed, the worst climates will
be corrected. You could not have a
millennium with January blast pos
sible.
Behold, also, as it is possible in no
other month of the year, the wondrous
anatomy of the trees in January, the
leaves Of the last year all gone and
not so much rs bud of a new botan-
ical wardrobe appearing, the trees
standing with arms stretched toward
heaven, one Of the greatest evidences
of the wisdom and the power of the
Creator. The leaves appear only once
and then die, but these great arms are
stretched up toward heaven in silent
prayer for scores of years, now mailed
with ice, now robed in snow or bowling
to the God of the tempestS as he
passes in the midnight hurricane. In
July the trees stand clarifying the
earth; in January they stand defying
the winter. Under the same tree the
child plays with his toy and, growing
up to manhood sits under it in senti-
mental or philosophic mood and, hav-
ing passed on to old age, rests himself
under It's shade III these January days
the tr"rS seem to say: The leaves that
rustled their music in the last summer
are dead and gone. but the leaves that
will adOrn this uncovered brow and
these bare arms shall have as much
beauty and glory as their predecessors.
only wait. There are beautiful and
lovely things TO come in my tree life,
as there are beautiful and lovely things
to come in your life, o human specta-
tor" Oh, the tree, Only the Almighty
and the Infinite could have made one.
Gothic architecture was suggested by
it. But for the arch Of its bough and
the pointing Of its branches the st.
Chapelle Of Paris and other specimens
of Gothic arch would never have been
lifted No wonder the world has taken
from it many styles of suggestiveness-
the laurel for the victor. the willow
for the sorrOwng the aspen for the
trembling the cypress for the burial.
But, unlike ourselves. they cannot
change their place Sko stand watch
ing all that passes Some of them are
solemn monuments of the centuries.
Thank God for trees, their beauty
their shelter, their interlacing branches
not only for the trees in June time
coronation, but in January privation Of
everything but graceful structure! Let
the iconoclastic AK not be lifted against
them. "Woodman, spare that tree"
The increasing Daylight.
y
the increasing daylight. Last month
the sun went down ut 80, but in this
month the days are getting longer. The
sunrise and the sunset are farther
apart. Sunlight instead of artificial
light, and there is for our dear old bat
tered earth growing light. THE day
spring from on high hath visited u.s."
al, lo f,,l,. O., ~
more light for the church, more light
for the nation. more light for the world
light of intelligence, light of comfort,
light of rescue, light Of evangeliZation,
light from the face of God, light from
the throne. But, you say, the light in
crcases so slowly, each day of this Jan
uary only one minute longer than its
predecessor, the sun setting the 1st day
Of January at o'clock and AZ minutes,
the sun setting the Cd day Of January
at O'clock and "A minutes, the Sd day
of this month the sun setting at 1
o'clock and As minutes, the 4th day Of
January the sun setting at o'clock
nnl 4G minutes. This evening it viii
set at 4 o'clock and AZ minutes. The
day enlarges very little, and the reign
of sunlight Is not much increased, but
do not despise the minute of lncreas
Ing light each day of this January, and
do not despise the fact that more light
Is coming for the church and the world,
though it come slowly. AS we are now
in this season gradually going toward
the longest day Of next summer, SO our
world is moving forward toward the
long day Of emancipation and Chrstly
dominion. 1t may now in the state
and the church and the world be Jan.
uary cold, but we are on the way
to July harvests and September or
chards.
Do not read your almanac backward
DO not 90 out and ask the trees hung
with icices by January storm whether
they will ever again blossom in May
end leaf in June. We are moving to-
ward the worlds redemption. The
frozen tears will melt. the river Of
gadness will resume it's flow. the cro-
Gus will come up at the edge Of the
snoWbank, the morning star will omen