The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-07-16

may have come to you and said: ia.
ther. let us burn up that old crib. 1t IL
II big, old fashioned. ungainly thing
1t Is always in the way. No one wants
1t around. Besides. not one of the chill
dren would ever take 1t for a gift.
Somehow you did not like the way
your daughter spoke. A PARKWAY look
came into your eye as you said
Daughter. nobody may want that
crib but me, and it may lie In the way
of some people, but 1t Is never in my
way l want to keep It. That was the
crib where all my babies first slept,
That was the place where l most often
think Of your dead mother when she
was putting her smallest one to sleep
while another baby was Juggling at her
skirts. You may do with that crib as
you will after | am gone. but rs long
as | live ! shall keep 1t. Why. daugh-
ter. that crib Is not made out Of plain
wood. 'Tis true 1t Is old fashioned, but
1t is made out of old fashioned love"
As ! saw that mother bird in the
woods lowering over her nest and
heard her talking to her mate I said:
THANK God that the world il sweetcr
and more lovely to the feathered deni-
zens Of the woods because God has
blessed their lives with the holy joys
of domestic love Has God not blessed
your life, O Christian, with holy, eter-
nal love?
Always Active.
But there Is another fact which i'm
presses me about the lives of the spar
rows or of the other birds of the woods.
and that Is their ceaseless activity.
They never seem to be still. If you
are walking along the country road
you see them always on the wing. If
you try to read n book under an over
hanging bough and you are covered
up by q curtain Of leaves so that they
cannot see you they still keep Oh the
move. You see them flying hither and
thithcr Now they are seeking food;
now they are speeding away az If they
were going to visit some friends. They
are fying-yes nearly always flying
During the intense heat of the day
some of them may rest for a little
while in the cool shade of leafy bow
err. But for the most part they are on
the wing and moving this way and
that
While you watch this ceaseless nc
tlvity of the bird you may say to me,
"If God il good and God Is kind, why
does he not make life easier for the
sparrowsf' Then | would say: at is a
good God who keeps the little birds on
the move 1t would be n cruel God
who would allow the sparrow to sit
still and do nothing" Surprising
should go out today and catch little
sparrow and shut him In a golden cage
as some women do with their sweet
throated canaries.. Then, supposing
should fiji the seed cup of that cage
with the most enticing bird food and
put the clearest. purest water into the
cup. Then. supposing I should say to
this Gagged bird: "Now. sparrow. am
going to make your life life Of joy.
for 1t shall be life of ease. l will
give you all the sunlight you want. all
the food you want and all the drink
you want. | shall clean out the cage
about you. All that you need to do IS
to sit upon perch. just as you sit
upon tree branch. and twitter and
talk and talk and twitter." What
would be the result? Why. soon. every
soon, the plumage Of that spfrrow
would be ruffied. Then his head would
droop, and he would sicken and die.
All, the sparrow does not find health
and strength and happiness In doing
nothing! God blesses his creatures by
giving them opportunity for ceaseless
activity. He never blesses life by
never ending ease.
Tho Trout's Fin.
Why does the trout's fin look like n
flake Of silver as he leaps out of the
eddy? Because every morning and
evening he finds his health and
strength and joy through working and
laboring in the currents of the brook
to get his daily food Why do the low
err branches of tree grow stronger
and heavier? Because each lower
branch has to reach out farther and
farther In order to push It's leaves into
the sunlight. Why does the busy man
find life an endless joy? Because rs he
works aud keeps on working he not
only wins a livelihood for his dear
ones. but by that work he gets clear
CIR brain and purer blood and happier
life Oh, my friends. do not begrudge
the sparrows their work! Do not say
to me that 1t is cruel God who would
hide food for his little birds in the
earth. Cruel indeed would Ike that God
who would make life easy for his chill
dren and for his feathered friends.
AS l see the little srarrows flying
hither and thither l see that their
wings were not given to them alone
for seeking food. The God who lids
the sparrows work that they may
have happiness and health is the same
God who says: "Sparrows, I will pro
tect you from your enemies. will