The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1904-04-03

CLOSELY ana - VI pa NllttlNdlIA Hlllt MDCU
we smiled. But though she smiled she
never laughed. At last | turned and
addressed Il sentence directly TO her.
With that a shadow fitted across the
mothers countenance as she said: My
little daughter cannot answer you. She
is dumb. Her tongue has been palsied
since she was three years old. We have
taken her to the best of doctors, but
they all say her case is hopeless"
"Mercful heavenr' calculated. What
an atflicti0n to fall on so beautiful Il
child" And as | looked sympathetic
ally ut the bright little creature, so
sadly shut out 0f one of the joys Of
life. said TO myself, How thankful
ought | to be for the power to sing
Gods praises ana to proclaim the Cos
pei of Christ TO my fellow men," Have
you ever thanked God in the spring.
time for the power of the human
voice?
God bids lis 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 ii is just as essential to have
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 the hills and val
leys can find mel0dious expression, but
1t is another thing TO have the beauti-
full voice of the yellow tipped canary
hushed into perpetual silence by being
domiciled in dark room or in Il
dungeon. II singing bird were conf
PEELED 10 live in a ground mole's tun-
mel, or 10 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 reSplendcnt characters
In naval history, was born July ), 1891.
With the exception of an engagement
in which he participated rs a mere boy
Of thirteen, Farragut never smelled
gunpowder in actual battle until be
was sixty-one years Of age For near
~ 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 It's brightest lights snuffed
out before il had had any opportunity
to shine John Milton, in some re-
speets, Is the greatest name in English
literature. Yet old, blind ana neglect
cd by his people, he had to write for
postcrity because the men of his own
times and generation would not listen
20 his poetic song. Edmund Burke.
one of the greatest of the English
statesmen Of his time most Of his life
was practically statesman without
an office, or, If 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 MS when Edmund Burke arose
to speak" Jonathan Edwards, the
greatest Of New England theologians,
was driven out of His Northampton
pulpit in 1850 ana for eight long years
the ablest Of American metaphysicians
lived IN the. little village Of Stock
bridge because no first class church
wanted to hear him preach. Henry
David Thorcau. after publishing his
pastoral masterpiece "A Week on the
Concord and the Merrimac Rivers"
could find so few buyers that the pub
fishers threw back seventenths of the
first edition upon his hands. 1t was at
this time that Thorcau bitterly wrote.
Il have now library of 900 volumes,
200 of which | wrote myself Oh,
yes. We have seen many and many
human birds with musical Threats who
could sing If any one wanted to hear
them sing. But the trouble is that
thousands of men can sing who have
10 opportunity to sing. Thank God,
my brother, if you have not only tai
ents, but present opportunities for us
ing those talents, in your Masters
service.
Our Opportunities.
In all probability there are few Of
us here who have not our opp0rtuni-
ties. When the American feet was
about to enter Manila harbor some one
proposed TO the American commodore
that the coal barges be sent ahead If
there were any hidden mines III the
harbor it was better to have pieces Of
coal blown skyward than human
bodies TO that advice Commodore
Dewey said: NO; the Olympia shall
go in first. For two reasons do | make
this decision. First. we need the coal.
IL defeated and the coal ships are de
stroyed we are lost second reason, !
have waited thirty years for this OPP
portunty, and no man shall take il
away from me" Commodore Dewey
may have had TO wait thirty years for
his opportunity. but we do not have 70
wait one month. one week or one day
or one hour to serve Christ Today
our opportunity il here. Like the song
birds. we have musical throats with
which to sing. and we also have the
open heaven under which to sing. We
have the talent and also the opportu-
nifty TO use the talent.
Like the song birds. we have q mag
nificcnt subject for orr songs. Every