Year: 1873

word of which melted her heart like the


accents Of her mother-tongue, he touch


ed her chains, and they fell of; be


spoke, and the Wild beasts fed, howling


he touched her broken harp, and it was


restrung and turned he touched the
! dry choked-up channel OF the sacred


spring, and it welled forth pure and


fresh from beneath the altar he touch


ed the idol on the shrine, and it fell,


aad in its stead shone that wondrous


radiance which she had seen in her


dream then he poured on her head the


fragrant oil of conservation, and clothed


her in a white vestal-priestly garment,


and placed the restrung harp in her


hand, and rose again to heaven.


At first her Joy knew no measure


She gazed on the sacred shrine, and IN


the glory above it at times she perceiv-


ed the Iineaments of the form of Him


who had done all this for her. She.


touched her harp, and the sweet strings
responded as if they knew her hand !;
she sang holy songs IA that old, long,
forgotten, yet familiar tongue, so heaven
ly and happy that the wild beasts would
not venture near, and the morning birds
were silent to listen. She bathed IN
the newly-opened fountain and drank of
it; and as she drank, her strength and
her youth came back


For time her JOY was without cloud
or measure; but as the daylight re-
turned, the desolation of the ruined
temple struck sadly on her heart. It
was indeed a sacred place once more,
and she its consecrated priestess but
was this ruin never to be repaired


She began to cleanse the sacred vessels
and to sweep the earth Of all the refuse
and dry bones which had been gathered
there; and then, with her renewed
strength, she set herself to collect the
broken fragments of the columns, and
tried to piece together the shattered
tracery and the delicate carvings of
Rower and foliage. But it was in vain.
She conld indeed bring the shattered
together, and see what they
had been, but she could not join them. !
or replace one PROSTATE shaft or capital
and as she sat down mournfully before
her shrine, tears. dimmed her eyes, so
that she could scarcely see the radiance
there, and, falling on her harp-strings,
would have rusted them and marred /
their sweetness; whilst in the silence a
voice, too long and bitterly familiar,
was heard at the door. Turning round, |
she preceived the form of the enemy
there, whilst behind him glared fierce
and hungry eyes and in her terror the
harp almost fell from her hands.


But she threw herself on her knees |
before the altar, pressed the harp con-
to her heart, and cried, 'eWill |
these ruins never be repaired, these
doors never closed against my enemy
and thine ?" The pressure of her trem- |
bling fingers drew forth some plaintive |
strains, like the wind on HSolian strings !; |
but low and plaintive as they were, the |
enemy disappeared, and the wild beasts !
fed bowling from them. Then she be-
gan to perceive the power of her harp, |
and drew from it song of Joy and !
triumph and as she still gazed on the |
radiant shrine q veil seemed to be with |
drawn from it; and she preceived that |
it was a window, so that the light stream
ed through it, not from it. Wondering |
she gazed, until, penetrating further
and further through the light, she saw
in the depths of Heaven a temple like |
her own, only perfect, glorious beyond |
and full-f1Ill of worships |
robed and singing like herself. and full |
Of that wondrous radiance which stream |
ed from the heavenly form she had seen.
She laid her harp upon the shrine, and |
10 her surprise the strings began to /
4uiver of their own accord An electric |
current united them to the harps in
the heavenly temple, and they vibrated
IN exquisite harmonies the echo of the |
harmonies above.


And with the heavenly strains came a |
voice divine and human, mighty as the
sound of many waters, yet soft and near
rs a whisper in her ear ''Here all ruins
are repaired, the enemy cannot enter
here, but here thou shalt dwell forever"
& And softly hoated down these other
words "For we know that if our earth
" house of this tabernacle were dissolv-
ed, we have building of God, an house
not made with hands, eternal in the
heavens"