The Pleasantville press., 1926-08-20
eilities, conveniences and enter
talnments Of life.
THE HILLS.

mon by Rev. A. E. Phillips, TO
which, from the family pew at the
old home village meeting house
at Plymouth, President Coolidge
listened. The preacher devoted
his remarks to what the old theo-
logs would call an improvement
of the idea that the hills show the
power and majesty of God and
the splendor of the Divine Prov
idence. TO this development OF a
fine subject the clergyman was OF
course led by the next verse or
the same Psalm, in which the au-
thor SAYS, my help cometh from
the Lord, which made heaven anu
earth" 1t was quite natural that
the preacher, standing in the
midst of the magnificent amphl-
tbeater of hills which surround
the little village or plymouth,
should find this idea present ana
inspiring. He might have gone
on TO quote at considerable length
from the further tributes to the
glory, the healing and the inspir-
alton of the hills which the Ola
Testament contains. 1t was on
the summit OF high hill that
Abraham built his first altar.
David in another place compares
the unity that prevails among the
brethren to the dew OF Mt. Her
mon, "and the dew that descend
ed upon the mountains of Zion.
Most beautiful, perhaps, ana 10
nature-lovers the most thrlliihs,
of the Biblical references to the
sweetness and sanctity oil the
hills is the calling down by Moses
If blessings upon the head OF JOS
eph blessings in the shape OF the
"chief things of the ancient noun
toins and the precious things Oh
the lasting hills" This Is rs IL
tho man who had wished TO nVe
long enough to stand upon MT.
pisgah had found in the hills ,he
s,,m Of all blessings, the choicest
Of all the precious things
Man,festly those ancient Bible
people. who lived to teach us our
faith, regarded the mountains rs
sacred. Nor are the ancients
alone in this sentiment. We
climb to the hilltop today as IL
TO be nearer to the source OF
Good. Upon all the summits,
says Goethe, lis peace. Nor was
the sacredness of the mountains,
nor the essential reverence for
them of the Jewish people and
their religious successors impair.
ed by the fact that, through imita-
ton of the idolatrous mountain
top practices of the heather Can
aanites II became necessary for
the Prophets to warn the people
AGAINST an excessive devotion to
the high places" The sanctity
of the mountain tops may be said
TO have been restored by the
TRANSPORTATION. the scene of
which the students of the Chris
tian origins find to be that same
lofty Mount Hermon. the outpost
of the Lebanon. loved of the
Psalmist,
We go to the mountains for
vigor: for deep draughts of pure
air. and for keen exercise that
thrills the soul and eXalts the sen,
timent at the same time that 1t
renews the body. That influence
alone would lead us to lift up our
eyes TO the hills, But while seek
ing strength and enjoyment we
find that We cannot escape the
symbolism Of the hills, Always
they are the same; here there is
no restlessness of change. In the
hills there is "one harvest and
one reaper" AS were the hills
To our fathers, SO they are TO us.
aud SO they Will be 10 our children.
They mock our vsni,ies. our fash.
ions, our feeble and fiekle pas
sions, They are real and true. in
the midst of q life of illusion.
They are beauty for the healing
Of ugliness, and deep calm for the
rshuke Of vain agitations. Help"
WAS a goed word for their intu-
euee. Their is no one 70 whom
they cannot bring the assistance
Of strength. If he who comes 10
them will have il.
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