The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-08-06
The Editors Vacation


are many damp, chilly days at Los
Angeles, and at San Francisco the
fog is the natural and accepted
! thing. In the latter city it is cold
and chill the year round In mid
! summer overcoats and wraps are
comfortable in the evenings, and Of
ten in midday, and furs are all the
! fashion with the ladies' Imagine a
! Lakeland lady dressed in furs in
! late July!
The sun is setting at San Diego.
All day light mist has yelled the
sky, but now the golden shafts of
sunlight fall unshorn upon the wa
tiers; and ?ild the slopes OF the far
away hills. Like a strong, cool
hand upon the fevered brow of
! pain, Peace, be still" has been
, laid upon the restless sea, and no
ripple mars the serenity of its sur
face. Over yonder group of Ha-
waians, half-hidden among the
palms, are singing a strange, sweet
strain of their native land AS the
day dies their voices blend in
song Of love and life. And in the
peace of the evening, and in the
promise of the song, | look back
upon the storms and struggles of
the years since | last stood on this
self-same spot, and watched the sun
go down, with heart that was bit
ter and rebellious under the scar
, ing brand of pain.
! | had come here. wandering aim
, lessly, seeking surcease from the
first great sorrow of a life that had
been always sad. And | said to
myself that a glory and a lowell
ness had departed from the earth,
and that nothing could matter
much any more. | thought | had
sounded the depths of pain, when
! | had only touched it's shadows.
Now | know that the grief thought
so great was merely the first sob of
F., the sea that thrills the ship before
the tempest breaks Wave after
wave has broken over me since
then; yet, as the day grows toward
evening"" and my frail craft has
I, been caught in the drift of the
i calmer eddies, I thank God that
can say, Life is grand and beau
tiful thing, after ALL" Sorrows once
poignant have become memories
sadly sweet; the sadness of life has
been lightened by great compensa-
tions of love and loyalty, flaming
here and there like glorious flow
, ers blooming solitary in the desert.
,, To every aching heart that mourns
| would bring the lesson of the
legend which the Persian king of
old had craven upon his signet
ring: Even this shall pass away"
Aye, in life's darkest hour, Hope
sings the refrain, Even this shall
pass away"
Once stood in vast assemblage
that listened, spell+bound, to the
wonderful harmony of mighty
chorus. A thousand liehts shed
their brilliance ever the gallan;
company that thronged the great
hall, and glorified the presence of
the group of singers on the stage.
Amid so many voices, attuned to
perfect harmony, it were difficult
to single out one singers excellence
from the rest, but in one voice there
was some quality-a haunting sin
gular sweetness that made me strain
to follow its melody. apart from the
louder, stronger notes that bore it
company And as ! listened thus,
/ all at once the lights were gone, and
black darkness fell upon the scene,
moment before so bright There
were vague whisperings, anxious
mutterings, restless movement; and
| knew that panic was in the air.
The voices of the singers Quavered
moment and were still. Save one
the voice whose melody among
all those uplifted in song, had
caught my listening ear, and had
! gone to my heart. Bravely, alone
that voice sang on; and higher
purer and more clear it rang from
out the darkness, until it penetrat-
ed to every part of that great edi-
flee and brought its message of
hope and peace and confidence to
every anxious heart Fear, and
doubt, and distrust fled under the
influence of that sweet song; soon
other voices Joined the singer, and
when at length light flooded the
place again, the listeners were calm.
know not what others may have
called the singers name, but to me