The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-02-05
prophets
ANO INFLUENCES
OF NATURE
Paper Read By Miss Mary Gates
Cone 8ef1re f0rtniGhty
WAS An INTERESTING PROGRAM
Other Numbers Provided by Miss
HiIda Pratt and Mrs.
Arthur J. Holden

In spite of the severely cold wealth
or of Saturday good sized
audience was present at the
regular meeting of the Fortnightly
held at the chapel of the Second Con-
gregational church.
The program for the afternoon was
in charge of the program committee,
Mrs. F. K. Howe, chairman. Miss
Hilda Pratt was first introduced and
read a paper on "The Significance of
the Sunday School Institute" Miss
Pratt explained the aims and purpose
OF the institute which was held here
recently, movement which is doing
much throughout the country to train
and educate the teachers of our Sun
day schools and also to assist teach
ers and parents in solving the prob
lens OF child development. A point
especially emphasized at the institute
was that parents gain and retain the
confidence of their teen age children.
Mrs. Arthur j. Holden, then played
Beethoven's Moonlight Sonato."
her Interpretation being that of the
real musician. Mrs. Holden's delicacy
of touch and sympathetic rendering
were delight to those present. Il
lustrations from Nature in the He
brew Prophets" was the subject of
the paper read by Miss Mary Gates
Cone. Quotations from four prophets,
Amos, Hosea, Isaiah and Jeremiah.
we're used as examples of the way in
which the prophets drew their inspir-
alton from the manifestations of ma
ture about them
Amos. the shepherd, was the earl
lest OF the prophets, whose writing
we have. His occupation gave him
time for meditation, and opportunity
to observe the phenomena of nature.
The baroness and tragedy of the
desert, the wonderful meteoric effects
and the beauty of the stars all i'm
pressed him deeply and led him to see
in Jehovah, the sovereign of the uni
verse. Hosea lived in the northern
kingdom, where the landscape was
dominated by Mount Lebanon. His
tender message of appeal was filled
with the power and poetry OF the
mountain. its air, its dew and its
trees the fragrance of the hills telling
OF Jehovah's love.
Isaiah, the incompatible prophet,
was a preacher, reformer and states
man, friend of kings and possibly of
royal blood. His preaching con-
cerned the present but his ideal was
for just government as a basis for
society. justice Of those in authority
and each one seeking to protect an
L.;
righteousness. The following quota
tion from Isaiah was used as the third
illustration. "And man shall be as
an hiding place from the wind and a
covert from the tempest: as rivers
Of water in dry place, as the shadow
of great rock in weary land"
The last illustration was drawn
from the prophet jeremiah, man of
exquisitely sensitive and strong ma
ture, ,who, standing almost alone,
pleaded for 40 years with rebellious
people and never knew success.
Isreal later, saw in his suffering
type of themselves and drew from his
constancy the courage to endure.
Jeremiah reveals to us, as he sees it
in the Towering almond. Gods pres
ense and watchful care.
1t is a matter for regret that every
member Of the club could not have
heard this splendid paper so beautiful
ly read by Miss Cone. The next meet
ing will be held Feb. 18th.