The Old Stone House, Constance Fenimore Woolson [e book free reading txt] 📗

whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?’ That is, if we have never tried to love on earth, if our hearts have never been softened by unselfish affection for those of our own household, how can we expect to love in heaven? And, in the same manner, it seems to me that if we scorn this world, if we neglect the innocent pleasures it offers us, and never pause to admire and love its beauties, it will be very hard for us to love the Celestial country. We must learn to love here on earth if we would love in heaven.

“My friends, the text is a part of our Saviour’s last prayer before he entered the garden of Gethsemane. He was praying for his disciples, so soon to be left to temptation and danger. Notice the words: ‘I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.’ He did not ask that they should be taken away from the earth, but that strength should be given them to fulfil their duty on the earth; they were men, the earth was their home, and on the earth were their duties.

“And so it is with us now. We have our work to do, and the time is none too long to accomplish it; every day brings its task and the man who stays among his fellows, doing his part with energy, actuated by firm religious principles, is a far better Christian than he who shuts himself up apart, scorning the fair world, unmindful of the suffering he might relieve, neglecting his own plain duties, and occupied only with his own brooding thoughts and gloomy self-analysis.

“No, my friends; we are not to be taken out of the world until our Lord so wills, we must not think of it, must not pray for it. He knows best. And, while He leaves us on the earth, let us work with all our might. Let us see to it that our faith is earnest, and that our gratitude and praise are expressed in our daily lives.

“I fear we do not think sufficiently of the great part which praise should hold in our worship; whereas if there is any lesson taught us by the whole created universe, and by the long testimony of holy men from the beginning of the world until now, it is this: ‘Praise ye the Lord. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.’”

Such were some of the points in Mr. Leslie’s sermon. He spoke in a direct manner, using all the powers of eloquence which nature and cultivation had given him, but his ideas were plain and his words simple, and the charm of the discourse lay in its earnestness. He spoke as though his heart was in his words; and so it was. Another great attraction was that his sermons were short; before the attention of the congregation flagged in the least, the sermon was done. There was no looking at watches, no stifled yawning, no uneasy change of position, no watching the clock; strangers visiting the chapel listened, at first, from real interest, with a feeling that by-and-by they would relapse into their usual listlessness, but before they had time to relapse, behold the sermon was done. This afternoon there was the accustomed attention, and then after the closing hymn, the congregation streamed out into the late afternoon again to enjoy the quiet of the Sabbath, the working-man’s blessed day of rest.

The party from the old stone house walked homeward by a circuitous route, taking in the bank of the lake on their way. Here on the grassy slope they found a religious service going on, under the direction of the Young Men’s Christian Association, and they lingered to hear the final hymn which sounded sweetly on the evening breeze with the pathos of open-air music. The lake looked very beautiful, the sinking sun lay behind a screen of white clouds, and in the distance vessels could be seen sailing gayly before the wind with all their canvas up, or beating up against it with the patience that belongs to inland navigation. Towards the west extended the headland of Stony Point, and still farther the faint outline of White River beach, looking like an enchanted island floating in the sky.

“The lake looks very beautiful this evening,” said Aunt Faith; “it makes one think of the sea of glass mingled with fire.”

“It is treacherous with all its beauty,” said Bessie; “these fresh-water seas cannot be relied upon for two hours at a time. They are more dangerous than the ocean.”

“You make too much of the little ponds,” said Hugh.

“They may be ponds,” returned Bessie, “but they are deep enough to drown men, and cruel enough to tear vessels to pieces. I should feel safer on the ocean in a storm than on our lake, for there you can run away from it, or scud before it, but here there is no place to run to, no offing, and always a lee shore.”

“Where did you learn your nautical terms?” said Hugh, laughing, as they turned towards home.

“You may laugh, Hugh, but I am in earnest. You have not watched the storms as I have; you do not know how suddenly they come. Even in the summer, a speck of a cloud will grow into a thunder-storm in a few minutes, and in the autumn the gales are fearful. I remember last year in September, two vessels were lost in plain sight from the bank where we were standing a moment ago. One came driving down the lake at daylight and went ashore on the spiles of the old pier; the crew were all lost, we saw them go down before our eyes. The next, a fine three-master, came in about noon and anchored off the harbor, hoping that the wind might go down before night; but, as the gale increased, the captain made an attempt to enter the river. The vessel missed and ran ashore below; only two of the men were rescued, for the surf was tremendous.”

“Well, Bessie, are there not wrecks at sea, also?”

“Yes; but one expects danger on the great ocean, whereas here on the Lakes, a stranger would not dream of it.”

“As far as that goes,” said Hugh, “a fall down-stairs might kill a man quite as effectually as a fall from Mount Blanc.”

“But he would so much prefer the latter,” said Bessie.

“Well,—for hair-splitting differences, give me a young lady of sixteen,” said Hugh as they rejoined the others. “Aunt Faith, you have no idea how romantic Bessie is!”

“Oh yes, I have!” said Aunt Faith smiling. “A girl who plays the harp as Bessie plays, and who paints such pictures as Bessie paints, must necessarily be both romantic and poetical; and I use both adjectives in their best sense.”

Bessie colored at Aunt Faith’s praise. “I only play snatches, and paint fragments,” she said quickly.

“I know it, my dear,” replied her aunt; “that is your great fault, you do not finish your work. But I hope you will correct this defect, and give us the pleasure of—”

“Of hearing you play one tune entirely through, and seeing one picture entirely finished: before old age deafens and blinds our senses,” interrupted Hugh, laughing. “You don’t know the studio as well as I do, Aunt Faith; there are heads without bodies, and bodies without heads, but no poor unfortunate is completely finished. Sometimes I think Bessie is studying the antique. Antiques, you know, are generally dismembered.”

Bessie had now quite recovered her composure; praise disconcerted her, but she was accustomed to raillery, and parried Hugh’s attack with her usual spirit. They reached the old stone house before sunset, and soon assembled in the dining-room for the pleasant meal which might be called a tea-dinner, or a dinner-tea, although not exactly corresponding to either designation. Tom and Gem had returned from Sunday School some time before, and since then they had been absorbed in reading their library-books, their customary employment at that hour. After the meal was over, the family went into the sitting-room and seated themselves near the open windows. They rarely attended evening service, although they were at liberty to go if they pleased; the church was at some distance, and Aunt Faith always kept the children with her on Sunday evening, so that generally they were all at home, talking quietly, reading, or singing sacred music; this last occupation giving pleasure to all, as the five cousins were naturally fond of music, and Aunt Faith had taken care that their taste should be rightly directed and enlarged.

“I went into the brick church a few Sundays ago,” said Hugh, “but I do not like the choir there at all. They sing nothing but variations.”

“What do you mean?” asked Sibyl.

“Why, when I hear a lady playing a long uninteresting piece of music, it always turns out to be something with variations. That choir is just the same; everything they sing is long and unintelligible. I wonder at the patience of the congregation in listening to it. However they had a doxology after the sermon, sung—to the tune of ‘Old Hundred;’ everybody joined in and let off their feelings in that way. It acted as a sort of safety-valve.”

“There is nothing in worship so inspiring as congregational singing,” said Aunt Faith, “and I always wonder why it is not general in our churches.”

“It is difficult to introduce it when the people are not accustomed to it,” said Sibyl; “only a particular kind of music can be sung, broad, plain tunes with even notes like ‘Old Hundred,’ or the German Chorals. Then the organist must understand his duties thoroughly; he has to supply the harmony and lead the congregation at the same time.”

“The music in a church depends greatly upon the pastor,” said Bessie. “If his musical ideas are correct, and his taste good, his choir will be good also.”

“Not always,” said Hugh, laughing; “choirs are apt to be despotic. I remember when I was at Green Island, last summer, I used to go up to the little fort chapel to attend service on Sunday; I knew the chaplains quite well. One Sunday I was late; as I went in, the choir were busy with something in the way of music. I have no idea what it was, but it went on and on, seemingly a race between the soprano and tenor, with occasional bursts of hurried sentences from the alto and bass, until my patience and ears were weary. The next day I met the chaplain, and, in the course of conversation, I spoke of the music the previous day. ‘Was it an anthem or a motet?’ I asked.”

“Oh, don’t ask me,” said the old gentleman, lifting his hands and shaking his head; “I have not the least idea myself. They had been at it a long time when you came in!”

“Poor chaplain!” said Bessie, laughing.

As sunset faded into twilight, Sibyl took her seat at the organ, the cousins gathered around her, and the evening singing began. They all had their favorites, and sang them in turn, beginning with Gem’s, and ending with Aunt Faith’s, which was Wesley’s beautiful hymn, “Jesus, Saviour of my Soul.” Hugh selected, “Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning;” Sibyl, “Luther’s Judgment Hymn;” and Bessie, “Come ye Disconsolate,” in order that Hugh should sing the solo. Aunt Faith sat by the window and listened, looking out into the night, and thinking of her circle of loved ones beyond the stars.

The young voices sang on from hymn to chant, from chant to anthem, and from anthem back to simple choral. At nine o’clock Tom and Gem went to bed, and at half-past