Compare the golden oriole, swinging in the sunshine, and filling
the house with flashing melodies, with the infant, moaning in
his yet inarticulate speech, that lies beneath! The bird was
made for enjoyment first; for work, subordinately. The infant
was created for an enjoyment to be realized through fervent
operation. The bird has a beauty of the Mind which created him.
The gloss upon his breast, and the brilliance on his wings,
were put there by God’s pencil. His gushing song warbles a
tribute to Him who gave him power to sing. But the child has a
struggling capacity within him, as much grander than this as the
spiritual and divine are always grander than the physical. He
hath in his being the germs of speech. And speech can represent
the most delicate feeling. It can set forth the mightiest
process of thought. It can furnish an image for all that is
conceived. It can take up and interpret the very thoughts of the
infinite, translating them into language for the immortals to
hear.--RICHARD S. STORRS.
(3028)
See SILENCE AND SPEECH.