Giant Hours with Poet PreachersStidger, William L. (William Le Roy)
Religion
Giant Hours with Poet Preachers
Stidger, William L. (William Le Roy)
American poetry -- 20th century -- History and criticism; English poetry -- 20th century -- History and criticism
"Builders, toil on,
Make all complete.
Make Springfield wonderful.
Make her renown
Worthy this day,
Till at God's feet,
Tranced, saved forever,
Waits the white town."
The Congo.
Ah, if we could but catch this vision of not only the individuals but
the city itself receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, we would have
therein a new and a tremendous force for good.
One might quote from "The Drunkards in the Street":
"Within their gutters, drunkards dream of Hell.
I say my prayers by my white bed to-night,
With the arms of God about me, with the angels singing, singing
Until the grayness of my soul grows white."
General William Booth.
He goes to the bottom of the social evil, down to its economic causes,
and blames the state for "The Trap," and this striking couplet rings
in one's heart long after the book is laid down:
"In liberty's name we cry
For these women about to die!"
General William Booth.
The poet who speaks in "The City That Will Not Repent" is only feeling
over again, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,... how often would I have gathered
thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her
wings, and ye would not!" The "Old Horse in the City," "To Reformers
in Despair," "The Gamblers"--it is all there: the heartaches, the
struggle for existence, the fallen woman, the outcast man, the sound of
drums, the tambourines, the singing of the mission halls. You find it
all, especially in "General William Booth Enters Into Heaven." Here is
life--the very life of life in the city.
FOREIGN MISSIONS
They who have found opposition to foreign missions will discover with a
thrill a new helper in Poet Lindsay, he who has won the ear of the
literary world. It is good to hear one of his worth, singing the battle
challenge of missions, just as it is good to hear him call the modern
village, town, and city to "The Gift of the Holy Spirit." "Foreign
Fields in Battle Array" brings this thrillingly prophetic, Isaiahanic
verse:
"What is the final ending?
The issue can we know?
Will Christ outlive Mohammed?
Will Kali's altar go?
This is our faith tremendous---
Our wild hope, who shall scorn--
That in the name of Jesus,
The world shall be reborn!"
General William Booth.
"Reborn"--does not that phrase sound familiar to Methodist ears, as
does that other phrase, "The Soul of the City Receives the Gift of the
Holy Spirit"? Or, again, hear two lines from "Star of My Heart":
"All hearts of the earth shall find _new birth_
And wake no more to sin."
General William Booth.
TEMPERANCE
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account