Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-03-11
WAR WRITINGS SHOW
STRONG SPIRITUAL NOTE
DIR. Bowie breaches Thrilling Sermon at ST. Pauls on
Great Effect Poetry Has Produced on World-Last
of Series of Four Special Services.

THE Message OF the Poets" was the
sermon at st. Pauls Episcopal Church
last night. This was the last of n
series of four sermons on Tho Spiritual
Note in the Writings Of the War" DR..
Eowic's text was taken from the third
verse of Psalm Ni.: And lie hath put
Il new song into my mouth, even praise
unto our God"
Here is the climax OF the triumph
In which the writer of this psalm re-
joices." began DIR. Bowie. "Ie has
waited patiently for the Lord. and tho
Lord h2s inclined unto him and heard
his cry. The Lord has brought him up
out OF the pit and out of the mlry
clay and has set his feet upon rock
and established his Eoings. Then. at
the end, God has put the new song
into his mouth. His whole being is
ciate with thanksgiving. Flo is pour
ing out the conviction OF his salvation
in The music that goes singing within
his soul"
us it not always true" asked the
speaker, that the climax of spiritual
emotion rises to song? There IS
something in the great outpouring OF
through the soul and lifts all rs
thoughts and emotions. the tide
lifts stranded vessels to the freedom
of the wind and the sea. The great
| moments of Old Testament history are
athrill with singing. After the Is
raeli,es hnd crossed the Red Sea comes
that heroic paean Of Moses: 1.-THE Lord
S my strength and my song, and He
IS become my salvation.
GONG IIINDIES COURAGE
TO FACE DEATH UNAnASHED
Down from the tumultous time OF
The Judges comes the song of Deborah
and Barar. David came home sing
inS from his victory over the Philis-
lines. In the years long after 1t was
with song that the pilgrims went up
20 the temple at Jerusalem, and tho
Book OF Psalms is in part the record
Of those hymns they sang. Down tho
centuries our remembrance travels, and
we think of the crusaders chanting as
they turned their faces to the east
We think Of France in It's revolution
echoinE to the glory OF the Marsei!-
iaise. And we remember that over in
Flanders to-day men are singing as
they go Into the trenches. and Il Is
the song In their hearts which Is help
ing to kindlc the gallant courage that
looks unabashed at death.
The power OF song may seem TO
rest most obviously upon the physical
fact OF music and the enthusiasm OF
outpourng voices, but undernea I'll
these thore is n greater and subtler
thing. 1t is the power OF the spirit OF
poetry. The spirit OF poetry is the
mood which invests the common thing
with the beauty of tho kindlng imag!-
nation. 1t secs Its object. not In the
cold and naked light OF those bare as
poets which are visible to unmovcl
eyes. bat sv-roundcd by the hnlo and
the glamour OF It's emotional values
which that which 1t gazes on pos
scsscs.
One stands and looks Into the tre,nu-
! lous wonder OF the dawn or the wis,ful
splendor of the waning day. and feels
| himself In the presence OF something
else than mere panorama OF carthcn
hills or trees or clouds Of gathered
| vapors. He feels. If the soul of tho
poet Is in him, az though he looked into
something more wonderful than n,crc
words can tell of-into an atmosphere
that Is full Of haunting meaning; and
/
| wings that quicken something holy in
his spirit into life.
EVERY HUMAN HAS SOME
POETIC VACCINATIONS
Every lover who looks upon the wo-
man he loves is to the measure OF his
reality poet. for he sees her not alone
as she is TO others. but beautiful with
| all the excellence that she has for him.
! The mother who holds in her arms her
| little child is dreaming il her heart
/ poetic dreams. For TO her that child
/ is not merely one individual among tens
! Of thousands OF similar tiny helpless
| things OF flesh and blood. but is won
/ dcrful with all the unlmaGined and
| iliimiiablc possibilities which she would
have the future bring in its hands to
him.
The sunlight and the glory OF the
inner life come from ita poetry. 1t
IL poetry which takes the things that
withou; it would be rs common clay,
and puts upon them the heavenly touch
Nnd 80 1t Is poetry that must 1T least
reveal to US the ultimate meaning OF
any great crisis like this war.
Those whose intcllccts analyze Its
Facts may tell us certain things about
1t which our knowledge holds TO be
accurate as far rs they go. but we feel
rs we listen to statesmen and journal
lists and other writer's of uninsured
prose as though something were lack
ing still in the great Interpretation.
Our minds are fed hut our souls arc
stin unsatisfed until their hunger for
the full reality is fed by the beauty
Of that winged imagination which
comes down to light the waiting affairs
OF our hearts with holy flames.
WAR WRITINGS HAVE GIVEN
NEW FEELING OF LIFE,
I'm the three Sunday nights which
have preceded this there have grown
think. In our perception three great
spiritual suggestions from the writ
inGs In this war. The first Is the in
spring recognition of the great re-
serves of hcroism and fortitude which
the Injuries and the softness of our
civilization had seemed to cover. yet
had not destroyed. Through the rcve-