The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1917-04-05
rise to the true dignity of real demo
crazy.
JACKSON H. RALSTON,
Hyattsville, Md, March "a, 1917.
The Dove, an Emblem of Innocence.

nuns, DSdutlI VI lOEIn, exquisite plum
age reflect the glory OF God.
Wings perfect. the skill of the sculp-
tor and painter have been taxed to re-
produce perfect image of it. The
sight of it reminds US of the time when
the spirit in the form of a dove decend-
ed and rested on the Lord as He came
up from the Jordon after His baptism.
1t is the emblem of tenderness, the
symbol of love and with the exception
of the lamb, more then any other figure,
it has place on the monuments and
stones that mark the resting place of
friends. 1t is suggestive of purity and
peace and we associate it with all that
is pure and good. The broken hearted
maiden in the bitterness of her grief
gave vent to her feeling in the request
that when they lay her in her grave,
they cover it with marble slab and on
her breast place turtle dove, to testify
that she died of love.
Yet these tender eyed lovely birds
sometimes build their nests among rub
bish and in unlovely places, from which
they spring and spread their wings to
be beautified in the varied reflections of
the light of the sun.
The psalmist of old said Though We
have lain.among the pots, We shall be as
the wings of a dove covered with silver
and her feathers with yellow gold. 3"
This has been called sealed passage,
but recent investigations have thrown
light upon its meaning. Spurgeon says,
it is hard nut to crack.
A dove defilei with dirt and detected,
RECEIVERS the serenity of her disposition,
her purity of color and beauty of ap-
pearance, by washing in a stream. The
idea is this, though you have been cast
out into abject slavery and your con-
dition has been vile and all besmirched,
yet God will make you to shine again
like godly flying dove, which glistens
in the sunlight as if 1t were silver or
gold
Although you have been treated
harshly and with contempt, and held in
abomination, yet you may be made all
glorious in the eyes of the world. But
the discoveries of modern researches
have thrown new light upon it. Miss
Whately, in her work Ragged life in
Egypt, witnessed from the fiat roofs of
the houses in Cairo saws that the roofs
are usually in state of litter, and
were it not tor the fact that clearance
was made once in a while the roof
would give way under the accumulation
of rubbish. One thing she says is never
cleared away and that was the heaps of
old broken pitchers, shreds and pots,
that are always piled up in some corner.
A little before sunset she observes num-
bers of pigeons suddenly emerge from
behind the pictures and other rubbish,
where they have been sleeping in the
heat of the day, or were picking about
to find food. They dart upward and
career through the air in large circles
their outstreached wings catching the
bright glow of the suns slanting RAYS
so that they really resemble bright vel
low gold, then as they wheel round and
are seen against the light they appear
as if turned into mother silver. most of
them being pure white or else very
light colored
So it is with the true Christian. If
he leaves behind him the pollutions and
corruptions of the world and is made
bright by the sun of Christ's righteous
ness shining upon his soul, he will rise
higher and higher and near to the light,
until lost to the view of those who are
left behind he passes into understandable
brightness that emanates from the
great white throne.
There is beautiful lesson empha-
sized here, viz, that a holy character
may be maintained in this world in
spite of unfavorable surroundings.
From the deflement of broken pots
and broken rubbish, the doves rise clean
and unsoiled to soar into heaven, on
flashing wings that appear to be cover
ed with silver and feathers glstening
like gold. 1t requires the sunlight to
give this appearance to doves. They
cannot shine thus in cloudy days, or in
darkness. There are Christians whose
lot was cast among the smoky walls
and SCOT begrimmed furnaces; whose
hands were bruised and their faces
soiled by the dirt of their surroundings;
who were in the midst of rough and
profane associates, yet did they main
tain a consistent life and by their walk
have demonstrated the power of reli-
gion and illustrated the beauty of holi-
ness. Many find themselves among
the dust and CRIME of the pots, yet
they need not have their character soil
ed thereby.
Out of the low defilements of life
Christians may rise with garments I'M
spotted by the world, vet, they are
obliged to keep themselves untarnish-