Democratic messenger., 1904-12-10


she travelled through our states. AS
Jenny Lind san. to her fellow men and
women a helpful song. so should we
make our new song of the holiday sea
son II helpful song.
story of PaR;anini.
Your new holiday s"ng-how is it
30 he made helpful To your fellow men?
Is il to he made so in Il temporal sense?
One day paganini. the greatest violin
Isl of the ages. was walking through
the streets of Vienna. He was then at
the height of his fame He had kings
and queens and nations bending under
the scepter of his bow. A celebrated
musical composer who was accompany
Ing him suddenly turned and pointed
10 little ragged urchin scraping away
on an old sIueaky violin. There. Pa
ganini." said he. lis one of your coun-
trymen." With that Paganini crossed
the street and began to talk with the
little beggar On hearing his tale of
sorrow the great Italian master snatch
ed the squcaky fiddle from the boys
hand ana began to plaT. Never did
public thoroughfare of Vienna hear
such sublime music. After the piece
was ended Paganini passed his hat
around the crowd and then emptied
into the boys pocket the gold and the
silver he had collected. saying. There.
my lad, take that home to your sick
mother and buy her tile medicine she
Is, In ,ric tr,1o
holidays will our new song be help
full one. in temporal sense. as Paga-
MINIS was blessing to the Vienna
street arab: When you buy presents
for your father and mother, wife or
husband and child. brother and sister
and friend. will your new song inspire
you also to buy bread for the hungry
and clothing for the naked and medi-
cine for the sick?
When we sing our new song shall we
bring spiritual blessings to others also?
The great hosts which shall enter
heaven may he augmented If we sing
our new song as we olght to sing it.
Charles ii. Spurgeon. The famous Lon
don preacher. once had wonderful
dream. lie saw great throng pass
ing through the gates of the new Jeru
salem. who are these. and whence
came they" he asked. These" said
his guide. are the apostles and mar
tyrs. These are they who have laid
down their lives for Christ" But"
answered Spurgeon, 81 never was an
apostle or martyr. l cannot walk
with that throng" Soon. however, he
saw another multitude. greater than
the first. crowdng through the same
celestial gates. Who are these, and
whence came they" he again asked.
"These are the sinners These are the
Zacchaeuses and the Mary Magdalenes
and the women of Samaria, who came
from the lowest depths of sim" "Ah."
said Mr. Spurgeon. IF those are the
great sinners. then | can 20 in among
Them As you and | begin to join
the redeemed multitudes are we going
with our friends? Shall not our new
song of gospel love first be sung by
some invalid's bed to bring that sick
man to Christ: Shall 1t not be sung
among the spiritual outcasts who
never have bowed the knee at the
cross? Yes. my friends. our new song
should be a cheerful song on account Of
our salvation. 1t should also be
helpful song. which will lead people to
surrender their lives to the work of the
Divine Master.
A Song of Captivity.
"Well," says one. "how can l sing a
song of cheerfulness and of gospel hope
for myself or for others when every
thing seems to be go ng wrong in my
own life? feel just as did the writer
Of the One Hundred and Thirty-sev-
enth Psalm. Then all was sadness and
Jews huddled together in captivity.
There he seems to ga ther them togeth-
er, as the Jews today are gathered at
the foot of Mount Mol'iah. at the wall
ing place" under the walls of the old
temple. Their captOrs come to them
and cry: Sing. sing! Sing as you used
to sing in Jerusalem"' But they an
swer. How shall we sing the Lords
song In II strange land?" Then you say
to me: This coming Christmas will
find me in strange land. Why" you
say. everything in my life is SO differ
ent from what il used TO be. So many
of my loved ones are gone My daugh-
ter was here last Christmas: she is
gone now forever. Is it mothers va
cant chair. or fathers or wife's or
a husband'sf Yes, have been Il good
giver to the grave. and that grave has
taken the best | have. 1t is not the
time for me to sing: it is the time for
sobs. Then cannot give financially as
! used to give have had many finan-
cial reverses during the past few
months. Then ! cannot do as l used to
do for others My own health is grad
ually breaking. How can sing a new
songf am like Rubini and Bordoni
and CuZZOni and Pasta and Malibran.
After their voices once went they were
gone forever" All. my friends. you can
sing the new song of hope and saliva
ton II yon will. The great trouble of
your life is not that you have had
great troubles. but that you have not
waded way down knee deep. hip deep.
shoulder deep. lip deep. into Gods
promises and comforts TO get suita-