The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-19

like cats eye, blinks some emerald or, tiger-like, glares the bloodshot eyeball of some ruby or flashes some emerald And while all the chimes of all the tow CTS are beginning to ring suddenly a sta- lactite many tons in veiht breaks loose and crashes upcn the floor. It shivers, rolls over once or twice and then lies still, to be decomposed by the coming ages. A marvellous and enchanting place is Luray cave of old Virginia
 All its walls are strangely sculptured
 Column high and chasm wide.
 Iris the place where all the shadows
 Of the past years silent hide
 But when I stood within the walls of that fascinating place I said to myself: How like selfish man is this cave! His heart Is a heart of stone. Amid the suf- ferings and troubles Of A sinful world, with all his vast resources for doing good he buries himself in walled citadel
 which is called his home or his store. He lives. he breathes he eats, he sleeps. he works for himself and himself alone Oh. brother may your gospel peace be not like the glittering grandeur hidden in the darkness of a Luray cave in Vir- ginia or of a silent river Styx flowing through the dark halls of a Mammoth cave of old Kentuckyl May it be a river of life, bringing peace and joy and hope to all who are willing to bend down their parched and sinful lips to lap of the spiritual waters.
 A River of Triumph.
 But I cannot close this sermon upon this beautiful text without finding one more symbol. The pleading river is not only river of eonsecration to God but river of triumph. It is not only the crystal gates through which, az the Jor- dan of death, We shall enter the tomb.
 but it is tn cerystal gates by which we shall leave the wilderness of trouble and earthly wanderings and enter into the promised land of heaven and eternal Joy. Shall our peace. which is like a river. stop at the brink of the gravel
 We have read how George Frederick Handel on the river Thames won his great musical victory over the irate George l of England. When King George was elector of Hanover he be- friended the young unknown musician Handel and made him court musician. But after Handel had won musical fame he tired of the Hanover court and hied himself to London. This great ly enraged the elector. When he became King of England as George I he would have nothing to do with his old favor ite. But one day the King gave a great fete upon the river Thames. As the
 royal barge moved along another barge followed, playing twenty-five concertos of
 music. These concertos, gathered to-
 gether under one musical head, are known as the celebrated water mu- sic" of Handel. Every musical instru- ment then known was utilized in the orchestra, "Ah," said King George, "nc one could compose such music as that but my old court musician Freder- ick HandelF At once the King restored Handel to favor and gave to him sal ary of $1,000 per year. But, though Han del upon the river Thames was able to play himself into the good graces of an earthly king. our divine peace, like a river. shall yet open for us a more tri-
 umphant entry into the royal courts of heaven. There we shall not have to play
 as Handel played but we shall have all the celestial choir which sang for the shepherds above the Judaean hills sing
 for us the halleluiah chorus of a royal l and divine welcome
 But I think myself of one suggestive fact about this same river Thames Though Handel by sweetest harmony
 hay have played himself into the good
 graces of an earthly king, yet he war playing his water music" upon the stream which washed the iron gratings Of the traitors gate" of the old Tow CT of London. Through this gate the English kings sent their enemies for incarceration or decapitation. Oh, my friends. can It be that you or I must ever pass through the traitors gate
 which is today swinging over the river Of death for those who love not God Can it be that there shall ever come a time when God shall speak to us ar eternal condemnation with the follow Ing words: "oh. that thou hadst hearl1- ened unto my commandments; then had | thy peace been as a river and thy | righteousness as the waves of the sear Oh, for the peace. the everlasting peace | of God. which is like a river!
 Copyright, 1905. by Louis Klopsch.)