Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1906-07-13
TIE WINDOWS OF THE SOUL.
By Rev. Stephen Paulso

! his chamber toward Jerusalem, he
| knecied upon his knees three times Il
day. and prayed, and gave thanks be-
fore God, as he did aforetime. Daniel
| 6: 10.
If we began the day by throwing
open the windows and looking out upon
| the wide reaches of Gods love and
goodness, we would go singing to our
work. SO it has been written, So
Luther thought When he was virtual
" a prisoner at Wartburg castle III the
perilous times of the Reformation. he
went every morning to his window.
threw it open, looked up to the skies
and sang, God is our Refuge and
| Strength, Very Present Help in Trou-
ble.' Then he carried a bouyant heart
! to the labor Of the day.
The value Of an outlook which takes
in Gods handiwork rather than mans
is not to be overestimated. There is
small inspiration in brick walls, IN
stone walks and iron fences; small
music in the rattle of carts over paved
streets and the ceaseless patter OF Il
thousand feet on the sidewalks. But
windows that look out on the ocean or
towards the mountains, or over held
and forest become windows of a mans
soul.
NV study window looks toward a
mountain. | see all the changes of its
life the tender green of spring, It's
luxuriance of leaf and blossom in sum-
mer the flaming colors of its fall at
tire and it's white garh of winter. Now
It is fiecked with sun and shadow, and
! now It CLOVIS red in the sunset. And
between the trees | catch the CLINT OF
a river. 1t flows on day after day,
ceaselesSiy. These seem to us symbols
of eternity. A thousand generations of
men come and go, and the mountain
| still stands there and the river flows
by it: but Before the mountains were
brought forth--even from everlasting
TO everlasting Thou Art God"
Ruskin was an artist, poet, and
more than both a good man. He was
accustomed to Waken his guests at
| rantwood by knocking at their doors
| carly in the morning and calling, Are
YOU looking out?' When in response to
this summons they pushed back their
window blinds q scene Of beauty greet
ed their eyes. The glory of sunlight
and the grandeur of forest dispelled
care, queted fret and put morning
! anthem into the hearts Of all.
There is scarcely anything in life
which determines the souls welfare
| more than the nature of its outlook
If our spiritual outlook is toward the
| shadow our whole life will be gloomy :;
| but If we look through the windows of
| faith toward a God of love and beauty
our life will be full of joy and sunshine
From a small window one may see
| the infinite Carlyle wrote. That was
| Daniels belief. The windows of his
! soul were always open to the infinite
| In Eastern lands to-day, the Mohamme-
| dan. wherever he may be, turns his
| face to Mecca in prayer. SO in olden
F.! times the Israelite thought of Jerusa
| lem as the place of the temple and the
| place where the worship of God was
worthiest Daniel. as the premier of
/ the great Medo-Persian empire had his
own palatial residence, and one room
| there was whose windows looked to-
ward Jerusalem. Into this room Dan
lei was accustomed to so three times
a day, throw open the lattice, look to-
ward Jerusalem and then kneel in
prayer to God. Now, King Darius is
sued a decree that the man who prayed
to any other than himself should be
cast into the den of lions. This was
not an extraordinary decree for divine
h0nors were accustomed to be paid to
the Persian kings, and it was a way
Of testing the loyalty Of his subjects.
Daniel knew the decree He also knew
that envious men would be watching
him. But he went to his upper room"
and opened the windows toward Jeru-
alem and prayed "as he did afore-
time" 1t was no new thing with him.
If matters of life were comfortable
and pleasant he did this; and If mat
ters of life were difficult and he was
threatened by danger, he did the same
1t was a part of his life to keep the
windows of his soul open to the best,
and no threat had power to divert him
from his course.
Daniel kept the windows of his soul
open to the best religion To him Je
rusalem stood for the best religion on
earth Since a lad Of IA he had left
home He had lived among people of
different faiths. He had known the
religion of the Chalueans and Persians.
But he opened his windows toward
Jerusalem and prayed to the God of
his fathers. So the early training Of
many a youth in later years becomes
his salvation. Intolerance in religious
matters should be thing Of the past,
but loyalty to the old home church
has been the saving Of many boy
thrown among strangers.
Daniel kept his windows open to the
commands of the best religion. His
daily surroundings were demoralizing.
f., Doh