Judge Noah Davis, when asked by a company of American brother
lawyers as to the comparative advantages of different periods
of life, replied, with his usual calm simplicity of manner, as
follows:
“In the warm season of the year it is my delight to be in the
country; and every pleasant evening while I am there I love to
sit at the window and look upon some beautiful trees which grow
near my house. The murmuring of the wind through the branches,
the gentle play of the leaves, and the flickering of light
upon them when the moon is up, fill me with an indescribable
pleasure. As the autumn comes on, I feel very sad to see these
leaves falling one by one; but when they are all gone, I find
that they were only a screen before my eyes; for I experience a
new and higher satisfaction as I gaze through the naked branches
at the glorious stars beyond.” (Text.)--CROAKE JAMES,
“Curiosities of Law and Lawyers.”
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* * * * *
Mongolian wolves are not so dangerous as Siberian ones. The
reason is that, unlike the Russians, the Mongols keep such poor
sheepfolds that a wolf can help itself to a sheep whenever
it likes, and so is seldom driven by hunger to attack a
man.--JOHN C. LAMBERT, “Missionary Heroes in Asia.”
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* * * * *
A pioneer farmer found after a storm that the lightning had
cracked the wall of his cistern and his water-supply had leaked
away, but a gurgling sound showed that the same stroke had split
a rock and opened a hidden spring of living water.--FRANKLIN
NOBLE, “Sermons in Illustration.”
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* * * * *
The one man who escaped the terrible eruption of Mt. Pelée was
a prisoner who was in the jail at the time of the volcanic
disturbance. He never imagined anything had happened until he
missed receiving his meals and the visit of his guard. Then,
escaping from the prison, he found himself in a city where
thousands lay dead. God shelters his children behind many a
strange rock. A prisoner--and yet saved! (Text.)
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