The Washington herald., 1909-02-27
AN OLD BOOKS VOGUE.


AN OLD BOOKS VOGUE.
Te-ss oomneuts upon The Caris-izn Endes7or to7ic
for March :, Life lessons for ne from the Psalms
Ps-, a6-l-u.
Who can remember the best selling
books OF a year ago. Where are the vol
umes that were hailed as epoch-making.
and The teachers VINO were 10 revolt
ti0nize thought? Forgotten and neglected.
most Of them. But stiu in increasing
numbers. the world IS buying and read
ing the poems penned by Hebrew poets
3019 years ago. Favored though they
are By the open air Of Judean hills, by
the court ef an Oriental king. by the
trials Of wilderness Wsnderings. and by
the fiery furnace Of slavery exile. and
persecution. the Psalms yet sound a uni
versal note. They are eternaIy con
everywhere responds 10 them. They voice
the deepest sentiments OF mankild's soul
The men who wrote the Psalms dipped
their pens into the blood Of their own
hearts: and only literature SO written is
forever read
David's lot in life. his speach. his Gus
toms. his clothes. his environment, were
all utterly different from our own; yet he
was a human spirit. voiciug his expert
ence Of life and Of God. and when We
approach these soul levels. al men are
kindred
The greatest truth concerning any man
or people is his or its thought OF God.
IN every valley OF the shadow. Of death
there is q song which may De learned by
the singer who knows that Jehovah IS
my shepherd
When We would pray. We find the
Psalmist has better words than our own:
when we would be grateful and glad. his
strains become ours. when We are beset
( bv fears and enemies, again we discover
that be experienced our exact case. and
/ has expressed Il; when a sense CT cur
! sin Overwhelus Us. We find no words 20
voice the souls cry Ike David's. and
when our souls aspire after Cod. even as
the hart panteIn after the water brooks
then we instinctiTeiy turn 20 these an
( cient meditauons 10 give articulation 10
our prOfOUndest emotion There Is scarce
Z ~ mood 10 which the human spirit IS
subject that IS not perfectly mirrOred in
( this most wonderful book Of poems IN all
the world, the Psalms Of Israel
Religious rag-time-' is what somebody
/ has called many Of the modern popular
Z hymns AssuredIy churches. not a few.
/ have descended very low IN this respect
I They have adopted. and actually sing.
miserable doggerel that is lacking IL al
/ poetic feeling, IN eleraJed spiritual con
( CeptiOn. IN literary form. and IN musical
value Mere jingles. on par with music
f haH ditties they vitiste the pOetical and
musical taste OF youth, and cheaper the
worship Of the Most High This wide
/ spread experience IS enough 10 make Us
al Psalm singers exclusively. For the
/ ancient hymnc5v Of Israel IS reverenL
/ beautiful. spiritual. and full 0f the most
T exalted spiritual fervOr. Through Il the
most cultivated mind and the most ssnsi-
/ tive heart can unite 70 worship Cod. Il
makes religion beautiful and noble and
! desirable, instead OF grotesQue. cheap, and
/ repeHent-
Over and over again men have said that
/ II they were 10 be cast away on a desert
island with Only one book. they would
choose for that book the Bible such an
/ exile would read oftenest- next 10 the
? Gospels. the iDexhaustibIe Book OF
/ Psalms. with IFS comfort and its inspira-
ton.
+ Human spirits. ike musical instru-
ments. need 10 be tuned up No better
method Of getting the soul into key has
been discovered than the reading Of the
: Psalms. They bring the heart into har-
lmOny with thoughts Of God
/ The writer's Of the Psalms could soar
with the best. but for the most part they
were 'men in a world Of men Tney
I Kept their feet on the solid ground or
/ actuautes. Their experiences were the
I common experiences OF mankind. But
tthey sanctifed them with an illuminated
! judgment: into all the incidents OF life
/ they brought Jehovah With them life
was war - plus God: work plus God;
/ itrOubIe-pius God. temptation, sin. and re-
lpentance-plus God They saw life ever
with respect to the Infinite And that
lis the only. conception Of existence worthy
Of the consideration of en- immortal
! Il vas great God. as well as a nigh
/ God. that the Psalmist knew. He was
iexaltsd in glory and power and honor.
/ The heather round about w0rshiped
Idebased and debasing gods; but the
/ Hebrews conception Of Jehovah was
throughout singularly pure and noble As
are It's objects Of worship. so VIII a peo-
iplo become. An adequate conception or