Newspapers / The Orphans’ Friend (Oxford, … / Oct. 11, 1876, edition 1 / Page 1
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AUTUMN UB3AVES. Shiulowod with rnssot iind ^ipanihio- witl) jr,,),]. Hriirlitonnd \vit1i criiiipon array: Laos’oci at tho west wiml’s softest tor.c.h The leaves are iloatiiiij away,— I^oanliful leaves ! N'atnia' L;-i-ie.ves Throiii>‘h (lays tliat are cohl and "ray. Tallin" in .sunshine, falling in shadow, Kiistling in twiliglits dim ; Seeking a grave hnongst the low, green grasses To a innrnuirons rcqnieiii,-- To the crieket’s plaint, In the grasses faint, Lnne notes of nature’s liyinn. Kuse dee]! do they lit* in the hollows, They whirl through the open glade Lilce partridges startled from feeding, To settle ngain in the shade. Drifting leaves, Dying leaves, That the wild winds liave betrayed. Already their heanty is fading fast, Tiieir colors to russet turn, No longer with hrilliance of raiment In crimson ami gold they burn ; Burried leaves, Forgotten leaves, Sleep hieatli the bramble and fern ! while scoffiiijr et the crediilitv wiiieh jiays -F. llam-iUon. OLIVET ANO BETHANY. Tlie one spot which the eve instinctively seeks from any ele vation near Jerusalem is the Mount of Olives It is not the most conspicuous feature in a view from tho neighboring hills, and the stately domes of the Clinrch of tho Holy Sepulchre, and the Mosque of Omai-, tar eclijise in those features which at first arrest attention. ]3ut the eye turns from them almost as soon as their glittering pinnacles have caught its notice. rhev' are uimnstakably modern and iinmis- takablv lytificial. 13nt as one looks from whatever point at Olivet, its supreme charm is that it has 110 other adornniont tlian nafui’e. True, there are a few scattered dwellings, and the ugly minaret of a species of dwarfed mosque iiear its summit ; but these are hardly noticeable fi'orn a distance, tnid tliev do not greatly mar the siinjjle unity of tho whole picture. A.s 1 saw it, and as it has doubt- les.s looked to thousands of other iiilgrims, it was the very aboile of grace and rest. There are few strong contrasts in Syrian land scape. The soft gray stone of the houses, the hazy green of the olive groves, and (at any rate in the month of Tebruary) the delicate verdure of turf and slirub, just putting on their spring freshness, gave to the whole picture a cool and quiet hue, which art has of ten striven to reproduce, but whicii tho eye must see for itself adequately to appreciate. How shall I describe the emotion of that Sunday afternoon on which, literally with an open Bible in hand, I climbed its peaceful slopes, recalling stop by stop, the sacred event and the divine footsteps by w'd;,.!, jj pag been forever hallowed ! Here, indeed, as everywhere, one’s in stinct of reverence, and one’s sense of fitness are wounded and jarred upon by the presence of that alien race who, as conquer- or.s of tne Jew, • have spoiled his holy places, and pitched their tents amid the very courts of his temple. It makes one’s blood boil some times to hear the condescending approval with which the Jloslem speaks of “the Prophet Jesus,” honoi's. It wc,s with a veiw different teeling that we escaped from the pveeints ot the mosque, and pass ed through a. cornfieid to the lit tle village ot lletiianv. I twn'.stod my way down into the cave which is said to be the tomb of Lazarus, and visited also the lionse tvliich is shown (by a coarse Arab vira go, who “chatfed” oui' guide, and evidently thought the whole e.v pedition an amusing farct;) as that of Martha and Mary. Tho former (which is evidently a nat ural cave or tomb) may bo au thentic, but the latter as obvious ly cannot be. Either way 1 coii- tess I found it impossible to feel any interest in details about wliose identity there must needs be abundant dispute. But it is with quite another feeling that one takes in the village of Beth any as a whole situation tliere is .sornetning ine.vpressibly beautiful and touching. I suppose it is because so much of the human side ot Christ’s character and min istry are there disclosetl to us, in His undisguised pleasure in the house of tlie two sisters and Laz arus, and in the depth and ten derness ot His affection for the latter that we tliinlv of the village ofBeihany with an interest so peculiar, and so different from that iittaehing to most other places associated with His earthly life. And when one sees it, such feel ings seem, somehow, to get at once their explanation and their warrant For Betliany has tho Jidvantage of most oonvonient neanies.s to Jerusalem, and at tho same time of pecnliiir and most restful isidation. VTe had aji- proaehed it over the hill of Olivet, and by a bv-iiath through such a cornfield as the ilaster passed on the Sabbath day when He and His disciples plucked and ate its eats of corn, J3ut the usual road to Betiiaii}' is along to .Jericlio, which pa.s.ses round the south shoulder of the Mount of Olives, and which, edter a few turns, leaves e\'ery vestige of the Holy City out of sight. Lving tints on the eastern slope of (Jlivet, Beth- iiny looks off upon the vaile}' along which winds the road to the Jordan, and every feature of wliich is at once singularly rest ful and riind. And t]d.s, as it seemed to one seeing it for the fi st time, must needs have been always its supreme charm. It is at once so near to Jerusalem, aud yet so utterly removed from it. It is not a suburban village over looking the Holy City, nor even any most distant outskirt of it. As the eye ranges tho winding valley and the distant hills, they afford the pornetiial refreshment of absolute repose. Was it not this which made it so welcome a refuge, when tho day was done, to the weary feet of Christ I Here, it is true He found the tenderest sympathy, and the most loyal and lo%’lng devotion which poor human hearts could give Him. But here too Ho found wliat no human lieart could give Him—-tho peace ot comparative solitude, and the soothing influence of the infiniio calm of nature. Wlieii tho days Cliristian and otten seeniingL- frwrlessai’gu- liim divine ment—above all, when the whole j human heart and brain were weary ami sad with those disheartening encoiintei's with a prie.sthood and ])Oiiple who would not miderstand Him, tiiero must iiave been a rare and blessed refresiuneut in turn ing one’s back upon all the noise and bustle and clamor of tlie thronged city and its pressing nudtitudes, to rest tor a tidiile in tluit lowly village, where no sight or sound of the town intruded, and where that which spoke to eye and ear alike was the seiene and soothing voice of nature. In such a home one can understand how the Master found a rest and peace which, amid tho closing hours of His minislry. Ho conlcl look for nowliero else.—//. C. I’otter, JD.J)., in l‘i-csbijterhin. JLITKll.-lJlY MB\. ’Tasso’s conversation was nei ther ga\^ nor brilliant, Dante was either tfcitnrn or satirical. Butler was sullen or biting. Gray seldom talked or smiled. Hogarth and Smith were very absent-minded in companv. IMil- tou was very unsocial, and even irritable when pi-essed into con versation. Kirwin, tbTTt^i.cpiii- ous and eloquent in public ad- ilre.sses, meager and dull in cid- loqnial discourse. ^ irgil was heavy in conversation. La Fon taine appeared heavy, coarse and stupid; lie could not speak and describe wliat he liad just seen ; but tlien lie was tlie model of poeti'y. Cliaucer’s poetry was more agreeable than Ids conver sation. I)r\-den’s conversation was' dry and dull, his humor saturnine and reserved. Corneille, in con versation, was so insiped that he never failed in wearying ; he did not even speak correctly that language of which ho was such a master. Ben Johnson used to sit silent in company’, and suck ids wine and tlieir humors, Soutliev was stiff’, sedate, and wrapped up in asceticism. Addi son was good companv with his intimate friends, but in mixed company lie ])reserved his dignity by a stiff and reserved silence. Fox in his common conversation ncfver llagged ; ids animation and variety were inexhaustible. Dr. Bently ivas loquacious, so also was Grotius. Goldsmith “wrote like an angel, and talked like poor Boll,” Burke was entliusi- astic and entertaining in conver sation. Curran was a convivial deity. Leigli Hunt was “like a pleasant stream” in conversation! Carlyle doubts, objects, coiistant- Iv demurs. SP.VSSliS XSIAT .1I.4Y MBSiDBE. WOUI.B.^’T BE C.4U03IT. FJiO.U 1)U, TIIOUXWELL’s I.E'I’TEKS. Education is the cheai) defence of nations. ’The wise preamble to tlie old lady’s famous recipe for cooking a rabbit was, “First catch yonr rabbit.” Elephants, whales," and Leari)ing',geniiis,amleloqnonce jluiso small whales called ’ ’ porpoises, are as bad game as rah- are feeble tilings to depend iqion. | J’ake away tlie liopes of a blessed immortaiity and wliat wise man would desire to live. M’lio would bo content witli heatlien/orff'/Hde when the jewel of Cliristian may be won ? Self-denial, amounting to tlie crucitlxiou of tlio flesli, is indis pensable to tlie eiijoyniont of re ligions peace and comfort; Ail pain is ultimately duo to sin ; and the degree of jiain which exists in the world may give ns some notion of the extent to which God hates sin. That all knowledge begins with the incomproliensible, and is bounded by tho incomprehensi ble, is a truth wliich the arrogant disputers of this world are slow to apjirehend. The longer I live, and tlio more I think, tho more profound is niy conviction of hu man ignorance. I can say too that I have a growing attachment to the groat truths of Uhilstianitv. I feel that I am rooted and groniided in tho gosjiol ; tliat its doctrines are incorporated into my whole life, aud are tho neces sary food of my sonl. It.Y SI A E E« WE l> BSESIGiA’AT50M. were ended—those days of toil, i ot baby. B.4BIES. Bless their dear little hearts !— the veriest little tyrants on earth, yet the most abused ot all human ity’. From the very- first advent ot baby does liis reign commence. Grandpa and grandma are the first to give into his sovereignty, and become living victmis to the little despot; then papa finds tliat lie must tread softly, with slip pered feet, open and close doors carefully', and omit smoking his pet cigar lest tlie fumes should choke baby. He also must qui etly’ submit to having his ey’es dug out, nose scratched, his hair and whiskers pulled out by' the roots, all by way of amusement What a liahit ive have of cred iting all our ills to iirovidonce 1 AVe are never willing' to admit that our own inactivity', folly and selt-love liavc wrought out the dire results over wliioli we mourn. We only' see the shipwi'eck of our lives, we only' hear the voices of tho storm, and instead of owning that it was our incliffei'ent and unskillful navigation tiiat brought our craft upon the rock, wo fold our liaiids and cry out, Idiiidly, “ Strange and mysterious arc thy ways, () Providence ! It is well to have faith and tiaist. It is well to be resigned to trials that can not be avoided ; but it is not to iiido onr talents in a napkin, to take onr till of ease and pleasures, and bow down to the gods of pride and fashion, then shrink from the consequences and say that the work is none of onrs. Some of us really’ imagine that we are suffering the will of the Lord, because the flour barrel is empty and onr coat is out at the elbows, wlien a little more self- denial, a little less folding of the liand.s to rest, would raise us out of tlie slough of poverty, and set us on our feet, crowned with the gift of a goodly lieritage. We eat rich, unwholesome food, keep late hours, transgress all tho laws ot liealtl), and when we pay’ tho penalty witii shattered nerve's and broken constitutions, we wonder why we are not strong and vigor ous as our neighbor wlio has lived moderately all his days. Because the neck and arms of onr tender infants are soft and white and dimpled, we let them go bare and unprotected; tlieu wlion some day’ we leave the little one out uiuler the snow, we murmur that our Father liatli been unkind. In too many’ cases, with a little more flannel the family circle might be kept unkroken for many a year. bits (and rather worse) to cook, or count upon in any way', be fore they are caught. The New York limes tolls this story : The porpoises are extremely fond ot file shallow sea in front of Gape May, for some reason unkuoivu to tho naturalist, and swim along the length of the beacli, plunging in tlieir usual gamesome style, in great num bers. One Avould imagine, to see them within tho linos of the surf, that they’ would bo carried to shore in spite of themselves by’ tho force ot the bi’eakers. Bat they' are an exoeodingly wily and sagacious animal. Some strangers of a speculative turn, who had observed hoiv Hu morous they' were in this localitt’, formed a company- for tho catch ing of the poi’poiso and tho mx- pressiiig of his oil, and they es tablished works for the latter pur pose. ’I'hey made lingo nets of the strongest niaterial.s, tho ends ot which were to bo drawn in by- windlasses. Then they laid tlieir nets and waited developments. ’I’liat unlucky morning the por poises were in full force, and when tho ojierators thought prop er to begin hauling in, there were more than one hundred in the toils. As soon a.s they felt the meshes they- swam towards the shore rapidly, then, suddenlv turning, they charged tho net in a compact body-, moving with in conceivable swiftness, and the unfortunate net of the speculators was broken to pieces. One bold porpoise was stunned in tlie charge, and remained in the not when its remains were dragged to shore. It was eight feet in length, and the people that crowded to look at him were strangely impressed by the large blue eyes, shaped like’those of a horse, that followed all their movements, and seemed almost human in their varying expros- sions. “It’s a shame to kill such a creature,” observed a gentle lady’. “Just look at those eves.” ‘Jlist look at our net, inarm,’ re sponded one ot the porpoise com pany’, “broken to smitbereons, and the whole company ‘busted.’ It would be a deal more shame to let him live after the he's done.” So saying he dispatched the solitary- victim, and the beautiful eyes soon bocainoglazed and fishy’. But tlie conqianv came to tiie conclusion that porjioiscs were too smart to bo taken that way-, and as it would not jiay’ to fish for them ivitli flio harpoon, they remain masters of the situation, aud gambol along the lino of tlio beach to tlieir hearts’content, un molested by’ any man. 'Tlie superiority of man to na ture is coiitinuailv illiistrateil in. literature and in lit!'. Xainre needs an immense qiiiintitv' of quills to make a goose witli ; biu ■man can make a goose of himselt’ in five minutes with one quill. daniago
The Orphans’ Friend (Oxford, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Oct. 11, 1876, edition 1
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