Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-04-02

y NItTcllul utdNtn. cJdSui"tSN' w -S
an afiiction to fall on so beautiful
chiidw And as l looked sympathetic
ally at the bright little creature, 30
sadly shut out Of one OF the joys OF
life, l said to myself, "How thankful
ought | to be for the power to sing
GODS praises and to proclaim the gos-
pelof Christ to my fellow menv Have |
you ever thanked God in the spring |
time for the power of the human
voice?
God Bids Us Sing.
Like the song birds, God bids US sing
because he has given TO US an open
heaven in which to sing. 1t is one
thing to have a voice with which to
sing, but it is just as essential to have
a suitable place in which you can sing.
1t is one thing to have a musical
throat like the song thrush, In which
all the siren spirits Of thS ills and val
leys can find melodious eApfession, but
It is another thing to have the beauu-
full voice of the yellow tipped canary
hushed into perpetual silence by being
domiclled in a dark room or in
dungeon. If a singing bird were COM
PEELED to live in a ground mole's tun-
mel, or to work like the moths with
their mouths wrapped up with wooden
garments, he would be as dumb as
they.
Thank God, then, for your musical
throat and for your opportunities for
using it. David Glasgow Farragut,
one of the most resplendent characters
in naval history, was born July 8, 1901.
With the exception of an engagement
In which he participated as mere boy
of thirteen, Farragut never smelled
gunpowder in actual battle until he
was sixty-one years Of age. For near
ly fifty long years he walked the ships
deck in times of peace. Had he been
retired at sixty years Of age from the
service American history would have
had one OF its brightest lights snuffed
out before 1t had had any opportunity
to shine. John Milton, In some re-
spects, Is the greatest name In English
literature. Yet old, blind and neglect
ed by his people, he had to write for
posterlty because the men OF his own
times and generation would not listen
to his poetic song. Edmund Burke,
one of the greatest Of the English
statesmen Of his time, most Of his life
was practically a statesman without
an Office. or, II In Office. one who held
a very subordinate place. So little was
he honored by his parliamentary col
leagues that it was once said, mo man
could empty the house Of commons so
quickly as when Edmund Burke arose
TO speak" Jonathan Edwards, the
greatest Of New England theologians,
was driven out of his Northampton
pulpit In 1850 and for eight long years
the ablest Of American metaphysicians
lived in the little village Of Stock
bridge because no first class churcn
wanted to hear him preach. Henry
David Thoreau, after publishing ms
pastoral masterpiece, "a Week on the
Concord and the Merrimac Rivers,
could find so few buyers that the pub
fishers threw back seven-tenths OF the
first edition upon his hands. 1t was al
this time that Thoreau bitterly wrote,
81 have now a library of 900 volumes
700 of which l wrote myself" Oh,
yes! We have seen many and many
human birds with musical throats VINO
could sing IL any one wanted to hear
them sing But the trouble Is tna'
thousands Of men can sing who have
no opportunity to sing. Thank God
nv brother, if you have not only tai
ents, but present opportunities for US
ing those talents, in your Master
service.
Our Opportunities.
In all probability there are few OF
us here who have not our opportum
ties. When the American fleet was
about to enter Manila harbor some ont
nroposed to the American commodore
that the coal barges be sent ahead. L
there were any hidden mines in thu
harbor it was better to have pieces o
coal blown skyward than human
bodies. To that advice Commodore
Dewey said: mo; the Olympia shall
20 In first For two reasons do max
; this decision. First, we need the coal
II defeated and the coal ships are de
stroyed we are lost Second reason,
,, have waited thirty years for this op
portunity, and no man shall take
awav from me-" Commodore Dewe.
may have had to wait thirty years 10
his opportunity, but we do not have t
wait one month, one week or one da,
or one hour to serve Christ. Ioda'
: our opportunity Is here. Like the son
birds, we have musical throats VIII
, which TO sing, and we also have tn
omen heaven under which to sing. w
have the talent and also the opportr
| nifty to use the talent.
Like the song birds, we have mas
; hifcent subject for our songs. Ever
truly great sculptor is inspired by hl
theme. Artists have their models
: Mere portrait painters strive to repro
duce a face, but an immortal arts
y studies more than mere race. ii
y tries by the aid Of his model to po
tray love or hate, war or peace, ram
or disgrace, the creation or the NATL
=, fly. The grander the theme the grea
: er the opportunities Of the picture.
= Choose a Mighty Theme.
z What is true of painting and scull
O ture is also true of music. Beethoye
Y and Wagner and Mendelssohn an
e Handel did not employ their genius
e street ditty. They trained their ca
Is to catch the voices Of the winds, whic
y can only be heard upon the heights
q Mount Olympus. They called the
II oratorios by the mighty names Of TT
Is Messiah" ""The Deluge," THE Prodig
e, Son." "The Light of the World "Sar
b son." SAUL" Esther" Joshua "E
W jah" and Paul" "Jephthah," "lsra
,r In Egypt" "The Creation" THE Wor
o. m ~ Caroria SO our singing bir(