THE GARLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3769, 8 June 1926, Page 72

THE GARLAND.

FOR THE QUIET HOUR. No. GOT. By Duncan Wright, Dunedin. (For the Witness.) Praise God In His sanctuary: Praise Him in the firmament of His power, Praise Him for His mighty acts: Praise Him according to His excellent greatness. Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet: Praise Him with the psaltery and harp. Praise Him with the timbrel and dance: Praise Him with the stringed instruments and the pine. Praise Him upon the loud cymbals: Praise Him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. * * * Thrice happy the man, pastor, or layman who possesses and reads the classic entitled “The Psalms in Human Life,” by Rowland E. Prothero, M.V.O.—now Lord Ernie. (1918). We are told that in the Slavonic language, and in the rude alphabet which still witnesses to the Byzantine origin of the Russian religion and literature, the whole of the New Testament was translated. From the Old Testament the Book of Psalms alone was selected. No one can doubt the meaning of the choice, or that it was wisely made. For missions, especially to pagan peoples, no book is better adapted. * * * The Salvation Army anticipated. Among the staunchest champions of the Presbyterian cause was John Durie, minister first of Leith, then in Edinburgh. He had been suspended for his plain speaking against the Duke of Lennox. But in 1582 he returned to his “awn flok of Edinbruche.” The whole town gathered to meet him at the Netherbow Port, and “goeing upe the streit, wi bear heads and laud voices, sang to the praise of God, and testifeing of grait joy and consolation, the 124th Psalm, ‘Now Israel May Say, and that Trewlie,’ etc., tile heaven and earth resonndit.” "~~ Old Edinburgh in 1582 and new Edinburgh in 1920 make a lovely contrast when the “Silver Band” makes a joyful noise! * * * BEAUTIFUL FEET. In these words, the imagination of Isaiah sees the messengers of God as men whose errand makes their .feet beautiful. They come as publishers of peace, and bringing glad tidings. It is a suggestive and very graceful idea that human feet may be beautiful or the reverse, acording to the influences they boar. The words are taken from Isaiah lii:— How beautiiul upon the mountains Are the feet of Him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; That bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; That saith unto Zion, Thy God reignethl Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; With the voice together shall they sing: For they shall see eye to eye, When the Lord shall bring again Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together, Ye waste places of Jerusalem: For the Lord hath comforted His people, He hath redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord hath made bare His holy arm In the eyes of all nations; And all the ends of the earth Shall see the salvation of our God, Depart yel Depart ye! Go ye out from thence, Touch no unclean thing; Go ye out of the midst of her; Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord. For ye shall not go out with haste, Nor go by flight: For the Lord will go before you. —Sydney City Mission Herald. # * # Christ knows the troubles of each heart before Him When lonely, full of care, and sad, And He is watohing tenderly above us, Able and willing now to make us glad. Christ knows the longings of eaoh heart before Him, Longings to be more faithful than of yore; And He is ready even now to give us The needed grace from Hi* abundant •tore.

A MESSAGE BY A WELL-KNOWN PREACHER. I wish that more of our young men could graduate from the store of Push and Pull. We have tens of thousands of young men doing nothing. There must be work somewhere if they will only do it. They stai round, with soap-locks and scented pocket handkerchiefs, tipping their hats to the ladies; while, instead of waiting for business to come to them, they ought to go to ork, and make a business. Here is the ladder of life. The most of those who start at the top of the ladder spend their life in coining down, while those who start at the bottom may go up. Those who are born with a gold spoon in the mouth soon lose the spoon. The two schoolbullies that used to flourish then silk pocket handkerchiefs in my face, and with their ivory-handled, four-bladed knives punch holes through my kite — one of them is in the penitentiary, and the other ought to be. Young* man! the road of life is up-hill, and our loa 1 heavy. Better take off your kid gloves and patent leathers and white vest, and ask Push, with his stout shoulder, and Pull, with his strong grip, to help you. Energy, pluck, courage, obstinate determination are to be cultured. Eat strong meat, drop pastries, stop reading sickly novelettes, pray at both ends of the day and in the middle, look a man in the eye when you talk to him, and if you want to be a giant keep your head out of the lap of indulgences that would put a pair of shears througn your locks. If you cannot get the right kind of business partner, marry a good, honest wife. Fine cheeks and handsome curls are very well; but let .u.n 'be mere incidentals. Let our young meu select practical women: there are a few of them left. With such an one you can get on with almost all the heavy loads of life. You will be “Pull,” and she “Push,” and if you do not get the house built, and the fortune established, send me word, and I will tear this article up in such small pieces that no one will ever be able to find it. Life is earnest work, and cannot be done with the tips of the fingers. We want more crowba and fewer gold tooth-picks. The obstacles before you cannot be looked out of countenance by a quizzing-glass. Let sloth and softliness go to the wall, but three cheers for Push and Pull, and all their branch business houses! —Tabm age. * * * He liveth long who liveth well; All other life is short and vain; lie liveth longest who can tell Of living most for heavenly gain; He liveth long who liveth well: All else is being flung away; He liveth longest who can tell Of true things truly done each day. —H. Bonar.