The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1905-09-19
NEAR NATURES GOD.
Col. Bacon Writes EloQuently Of the
Everlasting Hills-Some Obser-
yations on Hot Baths for the
Rickety Rich.
News and Courier.


own sake is what makes life a sacra-
nent and not speculation. Up here
in this beautiful valley and amid these
towering mountains, if one does not
live too much in the great hotel and
among its scenes of modern luxury
and splendor-life may be made an
uplifting and helpful sacrament. We
dwell in large and elegant mansion,
and yet, amid these vast pictures,
it is but white and red dot hanging
upon the mountain side The blue
mountains rise up into the sky behind
it and above it; now they stand out
from it, and now they meet back
again all around it. These noun
ta;ns seem to call to you-and you
may go to them and worship them on
their EXTREMIST he;ghts-them and
their God and your God. A steep
and narrow path leads you up. You
are alone. The mountain brooks
break into long, thin, white lines OF
foam all along your way. They rush
down into the valley and seem to be
lost Sometimes you hear them break
ing on the rocks three hundred feet
below you And the rocks grow
higher and sleeper on every side, and
the top of the great mountain seems
lost in the clouds. But Gods eternal
sunshine is over all and you do not
feel tired. You smile, and are glad
that the long day is before you.
You look down into the cen val
ley and feel that Heaveh not only
very high but very deep. The great
dark, towering spruce pines stand on
either side, throwing a, mysterious
pale-blue and deep green shadow
upon the earth. It grows cold. Lit
tie chilly white ice plants hang from
the crevices in the stone walls But
Gods sun is an hour high in the east
ern sky. and you are not far from
the top. You stop to rest in sort
of lofty court made by four bare
white walls OF rock The early
sunbeams CLINT upon these white
walls and draw brilliantly colored
pictures. Your soul is full of devotion,
full Of gratitude, full of JOY, full Of
sadness, full of sense of vast un-
worthiness. You lean your elbows
on your knees and gaze upon the pic
lures that the sunbeams are painting
upon the white walls. You see a
Christ-a Christ in purple, carrying
His cross. You see a Madonna in
blue and red. You see Roman SOL
diers and Christ with tied hands.
Raphael never painted like this. You
rise and go, half sad, half re-
joicing, to the Broad but dizzy
summit. You look around you and
above you and below you, and your
soul says, This is God.
"Enter-Rest-Prayw
1t is Sunday morning. s o'clock,
and we have JUST returned to our
earlv communion in the exQuisitely
beautiful little Episcopal chapel in
the valley elbow. / is called St.
Luke's and we hear and rejoice, that
a Southern woman-a faithful Sa-
vannah woman-was mainly instru-
mental in founding and building it.
She mas long been Numbered with
the saints in glory everlasting" St.
Luke's stands upon a very lovely
spot under the shadow Of the great
red and white hotel, the greatest and
grandest and most modern we have
ever seen. This chapel is a free
church. All the pews are absolutely
free, and the doors are open morning,
noon and night-iorever and forever
in Gods grace. Above the front
doors, in very large letters, are in
scr;bed the beautiful and noble words:
1Enter-ReSt-Pray." Its rector is a
gifted and beloved young priest, the
Rev. John Gardner Scott, a Rich
mond man. On Sunday morning
last, while Mr.. Scott went to Warm
Springs, five miles away, to feed lit
IA flocI. .ha-e H. chancAl ,ni al