The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1905-03-08

From the Savannah News
There is probably not IN any IAN
puage a verse that is sanctlhed by
more holy memories, or Is familiar 10
a greater number of persons, imam
this
Now | lay me down to sleep
pray Thee, Lord, my soul to keep;
If should die before wake.
pray Thee Lord. my soul to take.
Such is the simple rhyme that mil
lions of children in christian countries
have learned at the knees of their
mothers and repeated nightly before
crawling into their beds. There are
not many adults in this broad land
who have not repeated the little prayer
and then gone to bed and to sleep, In
the most perfect confidence that it as
cended straight to the Throne of Grace
and was there recorded as a prevent
i've against evil during the hours OF
darkness. There is no person who
has prayed Nov | lay me" but will
be able to recall sweet memories in
connection with the invocation; of
mother, of childhood, of brothers and
sisters, of the evening around the fire
side: of the fairy stories that were tOld
before the sand man came and the
sweet little prayer was said by way OF
putting up the bars against unSuSpect-
ed dangers. The spirit of the little
prayer remains while life lasts,
though the once curly small head that
mumbled the words sleepily on moth
er's knee may be whitened with the
SHOWS of many winters. The soul OF
"Now lay me" is strong and tender
and true. Its influence is world wide,
and its sentiment surprisingly rich in
faith.
Nevertheless some of the icOnoclas-
tic purists who will not let our ideals
alone are attacking the homely but
we'll loved little prayer on the ground
that it is depressing, 'inexpress~
i've" and not sufficiently modern.
There are also objections to the
phraseOlogy. Could anything be more
ridiculous? Does simple faith need
a lexicon from which to select the
words to be used to express love, or
appeal, or gratitude? Do the purlsts
imagine that an appeal to heaven is
the less effective if its grammar is
faulty or the feet of it's verse go limp
ing? But, piling atfrOnt on atfront
the refOrmerS are not content to pro-
prose the elimination OF Nov l lay
me. :" They also want to put some
thing they conceive to be better IN the
place of it. Here is an example OF
the Improvement
Father we thank Thee for the night,
And for the pleasant morning light.
For rest. and food, and loving care.
And all that makes the world so tair.'
Is there any comparison between
these lines and the ones it is proposed
they shall replace? Would the read
err, if mother, teach her little boy or
girl the lines just quoted in preference
to the old ones The question practl-
cally answers itself. Another prOpoS-
ed substitute is this:
Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me,
Bless Thy dear lamb tonight
Through the darkness be Thou near me,
Keep me safe till morning light"
Is there a mother who would take
that in preference to the lines she
learned at the knee of her, own moth
err? Is there more of sentiment IN
that verse than in the simple, sweet old
verse whose origin is lost in the distant
past? We think not And we pre-
dict that for generations to come
white robed little figures will kneel
with clasped hands and heavy eye lids
and pray, as children before them
have done from time imrrsemOrlal-
Now lay me down to sleep,
pray Thee, Lord, my soul to Keep.