Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-09-02

the spires OF the Cologne cathedral
like the upliftel forefinger OF an ora
tor pointing heavenward. or the roof
OF the Milan cathedral peopled with
myriads OF saints and apostles carved
in stone. the lengths and the breadths
and the heights of those structures
rarely Impress the tourist at first.
Why? Because all are in perfect SYM
metrical proportion. \ truly great
building is 'multitudes Of stones ar.
ranged in unity" II is thought ex-
pressed in stone. as painting Is
thought expressed in colors. or as mu-
sic is thought expressed In sound.
Now, as true architecture is beautiful
thought expressed in the curves and
lines of the roof ana the walls ana the
foundation stones of building.
would 40 one step further in my sub
Ject. l would say to the designers of
the great EpiSco2alian cathedral now
being built in New Yo.k city: .Oh
architects. OF WHAT material are Won
! building these walls: Where are to be
found the mighty beams t. hold I'D
yonder roof" Then thest. architects
take me dswn Int tlir s;uarries. and
amid the dust ana [ q dist | see the
mighty rocks Ic!n-' LEVIED out Then
they take me 70 tie foun !gicS where
the steel beams are being nodded.
Then they take ne ont into the forests
| Whe'c tie EECIt tree TRUNKS are being
| draggGI 10 tlc Sawni,lS Then they
| say: "Oh. preacher. we axe rak.n.
this beautiful Cathedral OF st JoAn the
Divine out Of such materials as these
| All these rocks AMI steel beams and
tree trunks. multitude of different
elements. shall blend together In beau
tiful architectural unity" Then turn
10 the architects and say: ooh, design
ers, If you can make yonder stone beau
tiful by placing IL in symmetrical har-
mony with other stones. cannot nv
Lord and my God make redeemed man
beautiful when he becomes part of
the heavenly temple by union with
Jesus Christ? For \ SAW no temple
therein. for the Lord God Almighty and
the Lamb are the temple OF IT. As the
apostle says. 'Ye also Az living stones
are built up spiritual house liz the
one achievement from an earthly stand
| point any more wonderful than the
second achievement from heavenly
| standpoint Yes. l see today, by the
beautiful in architecture. analogies
that show that God has made and God
Is now making auu will continue TO
make redeemed man beautiful In his
time.
Let us loiter for n little while I'm the
| poets corner" OF Westminster abbey.
As we listen the sweet barts of the
English language seem TO lift their
heads from their pillows of dust and
begin to sing. and we find mans spir-
itual beauty in the analogies OF poetry
as well as in painting and music and
sculpture and architecture. For as
painting is rhythm in color and music
Is rhythm I'm sound ana sculpture and
architecture are rhythm IN stone. 80
| poetry Is rhythm in words. Aye. poetry
IN more than mere rhythm. An Eng
fish writer once well said. Poetry I'm
the flower garden of human language
is the blossom and the fragrance of
all human knowledge. human thoughts.
human passions ana emotions" 1t is
mans most transcendent hopes and no
blest ambitions, with the highest peak
OF the Mount OF Ascension for a foot
stool. or ii. is mans wall of eternal
| despair when. as the results OF his
sins, he Is heading toward Ii Dantc's
Inferno" or he Is compelled TO Join
In the means of n Millions Paradise
Lost"
The Beauty OF Words.
But though poetry is rhythm In
words. yet words themselves. as in
dividuals. are not poetry. Many years
ago I'm the old village OF Ayr. nigh un-
TO the banks of the Bonnie Doom" /
heard an old Scotchman recite John
Anderson. Ny 10, John" and other
poems OF the great lyric poet until the
tears rained down his cheeks. and |
thought those poems We're the sweet
est words ever composed by man But
the words Burns used in his poems,
and William Shakespeare used I'm his
poems, and Longfellow used In his
poems. and Whittier and Holmes and
Lowell and Bnynrd Taylor used I'm
their poems. We're for the most part
| only the simple words we use I'm ev-
eryday life by our own fresdes The
beauty OF these poets words are en-
tirely due TO their juxtaposition with
their surrounding words. The words
which express our thoughts our pas
4
tiful In themselves, but II they are
brought into rhythm with Gods words
they not only become poetry. but they
become beautiful. for then our thoughts
as words are In symmetry with Gods !
thoughts.
BW perhaps we have fingered al
ready too long among the artists and
tie musicians and She sculptors and
the architects AMI the poets 10 find
mans spiritual beauty by being In
symmetry with Gods thoughts, Per-
haps after al we can clinch the truth |
OF our text best 10y short running
comment upon n few OF the verses |
which precede the words. "He hath
made everything beautiful In Its time" |
God says that man Is beautiful when |
he Is born. On. yes. That means |
when man is born for Christ. But il |
man beautiful when lie is born for sin? |
Come with me- and | Will show Won |
lioDespierre gleelqliy sharpening the !
ak or his Guiiiotins, will show you
an Indian demon just for fun tayturlng |
victim ut the stake whose scaIp will |
soon De hanging at the warriors belt. |
! will show you men who for the price |
OF drink are ready to sell their sons |
and daughters into life OF crime. Can |
You see any beauty In the birth of a
dem9riac Frankensteln?
There ~ thine 10 die" which is
beautiful. Death. " II comes in Gods
way. Is beautiful. for then a diving
saint knows death Is not annlhilntion.
but coronation, irradiatlon aud eternal
triumph. Like old Senator Foote.
when dying he can look at the raptur
Gus glories ahead and cry: "Bcauti-
fnl! Beautiful. Beautiful" But was
the death OF Nero beautiful: Was the
death OF Cleopatra beautiful? Was
the death OF Th0mas Paine beautiful