r
Tht NEW BERN
I PUiLIIHIDWIlKLV
p THI HIART OP
VOLUMR 16
NEW BERN, N. C. EMtO, FRIDAY, AUQUBT 26, 1972
NUMBER 24
CountlMi N«w Btnilaiii who
•ro no longor amoof tho UviM.
•nd thottiandi of othon who
•tiU ronuln on thli nhoro wo
call tho earth, have had thalr
hoarta onrlohod with tho
i^ituid beauty of "Iho Old
Rugfod Croaa.*^
Ill oompoior, the Rev.
Ooorgo Bonnard, hold
ovangollitlo lorviooa hero In tho
not«io*dlatant pait. at tho
Tabomaolo Bapttat ohureh and
tho Salvation Army, Hii
proionoo didn't eroato much of
a itir, and aa proaohtra go, thia
inconq>toioua little man could
hardly bo olaaaod aa out*
atanOng in tho pulpit.
Oomparativoly fow folka in
our hlatorio 6rat State Capital
hoard hia aormona, and fewer
atill wore ompahtically im*
S ealed. Thia ia a itatement of
Bt. Maybe it ahould have been
different, but that la the way it
waa.
Admittedly, Rev. Bonnard
waa well along in yeara when he
vlalted New Bern, and it ml|At
have been that mi ability aa a
deliverer of the goapel had been
more proqounoed during hli
younger daya.
One diatinctlon he could
certainly claim, right up to hia
obaoure death at Reed City.
Michigan. He had written what
moat Proteatanta for almoat
half a century generally agreed
waa the moat beloved of all
hymni.
Milllona were enriched
rell^ouriy by Ita melody and Iti
lyrlca. If ever worda fitted
muiio to maiterful pmrfeetlooi
auoh waa the caie when the
Youngatown, Ohio, native
pennd hia unforgettable hypnn.
Uaually the hymna aung at
fUnerala are thoae that were
conaidered favoritM of the
departed. In aome Inatanoea
they are the favorltea of thoae
who are left to mourn. No other
hymn, perhapa. haa bean uaed
more univeraaliy in theae timea
of bereavement than "The Old
Rtgged Croia."
Proteatanta, almoat without
exception, aiaoolate the hymn
with their aeoeptanee of Cnrlat
aa their rlien Savior. Their
earUeat remembranoe of it
came, if they were bleiaed with
Chrlatlan parenta, at their
mother'a knee.
Lika their childhood prayer-
"Now 1 Uy Me Down to
SlMp'-And their flret
ohilAood hymn**>"Jeaui Lovea
Me, Thia 1 l(^"-tlM mo
paaaagH of "The Old Rv
endured for a lifetime.
Rev. Bennard waa a Salvation
Anny officer and loldler for is
yeara before he wrote hia
maaterpleoefortheagei. It waa
oompoaed two yeara after he
gave IB hia eommliaioo aa an
adjutant in that highly
reapected oauM.
IT CAN GET HIGH—If you’re a newcomer to town,
and somewhat akeptloal about the storlea told by
natives of big blows and surging tides, this photo
should convince you. Snapped during a typical hur
ricane’s prelude, quite a number of years ago. It
shows venturesome teen agers wading In a com
pletely Inundated area off Bast Front Street. The
posts In the distance mark the normal Neuae river
shoreline. Our costliest hurricane was lone. It did
16 million doliare damage. Don’t let this scare you
Into leaving our 262 year old first Stath Capital.
New Bern, with the exception of these oooaslonal
storms. Is a charming place to visit and a better
place to stay for kesps. Look around you at the
landmarks, and you’ll see durable proof that the
community learned centuries ago to brace Itself
against howling winds that roar out of the northeast,
and whip our usually peaceful waters Into full fury.
Even so, keep your fingers crossed, until Beptember
has come and gone.
Boyhood was no IroUo for
m. At the ago of IB ho woo
oridng in cm mlnoo to help
support hlo widoeid mother
and five brothors and ilston.
Holoinod tho Solvstton Amy la
IBBA thm yosn Istor boosmo
an offioor, sad Immodlstoly
bogsa travoUlng tho Midwest to
oonduot rovivoT aMoUngs.
Rev. Bonasrdi Iniplrstion
(Contiauid on ps|o I)