"Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare." (Psa. 75:11<<To the chief Musician, Al-taschith, A Psalm or Song of Asaph.>> Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare. (Psalm 75:1))PSA 75:11<<To the chief Musician, Al-taschith, A Psalm or Song of Asaph.>> Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare. (Psalm 75:1)
WE have been to the post office for mother, aunt Fanny, but we made all the haste we could, for we knew you would be ready for us, and we should not like to keep you waiting.”
And as she spoke, Hilda Gray looked lovingly up into aunt Fanny's face, while Wilfrid added, "We learned our text before breakfast, so please will you talk to us about its meaning?”
There was a moment's silence, then aunt Fanny said, "I think we often lose blessing because we do not take notice of the wonderful works of God. We are all too much like a boy I once heard of, who, having to go some distance from his home one cold winter's day, returned looking very cross and ill-tempered, and full of complaints of the hardship of being obliged to go out in what he called such miserable weather. He said there had been nothing to see or to admire, as the trees were leafless, and the ground covered with snow.
“Shortly after, his brother Henry, who had been exactly the same road, returned, his face glowing with the healthy exercise he had taken, and eager to tell how much he had enjoyed his walk. It was quite true, he said, ‘The trees were leafless, and not even a pale snowdrop peeped out from the hard frozen ground. But he had been much interested in watching the curious ways of a flock of starlings who were seeking food in a field close by, while a robin redbreast, perched on a holly bush only a few feet from him, poured out one of his sweetest songs, and he had had a real good time.'
“Then their father told them the difference had been in themselves. While Henry had eyes to see and a heart to be thankful for all that was bright and beautiful around him, his brother was the slave of a discontented, unthankful spirit, and might almost as well have been blind, as he did not make a right use of the wonderful and precious gift of sight.
“But as I know Wilfrid is interested in hearing about the school-days of great men, I am going to tell you of one, who from quite a boy, took a great interest in observing the wonderful works of God.
"Sir Isaac Newton was born in an old manor house near Grantham, in Lincolnshire, in the year 1642. His mother's tears must often have fallen on the face of her little son as she wept over her own great sorrow, the loss of her husband, who had died three months before the birth of Isaac, who received his father's christian name.
"‘What a tiny baby! nothing but dolls' clothes will be of any use to dress him in,' friends and neighbors said, as they saw the wee stranger for the first time, and an old nurse who had been in the Newton family for many years shook her head and said, ‘She did not think the baby would live, it was so small and sickly.'
“But God, ‘whose ways are not as our ways, nor his thoughts as our thoughts,' knew how much useful work would have to be done, how many of life's lessons learned by that weak one before, at the ripe age of eighty-four, he should be called from the service of earth to the rest of heaven.
“His mother was his first teacher, and though Mrs. Newton was not rich, she determined to give her son a good education; so when quite young, he became a scholar in the Grantham Grammar School.
“He must have been quite a puzzle to his schoolfellows. A pale, delicate little fellow, who did not like cricket, and who did not want to learn how to play at football. He did not care for the noisy sports of his stronger companions but seemed to prefer being left alone in a corner of the playground poring over the pages of a book.
“Was Isaac a dull or stupid boy? No his diligence and love of study soon made him a favorite with his masters, and when his clever fingers, with the aid of a pocket knife and some pieces of wood, cardboard, &c., had constructed several model toys, among which was a wooden clock, with real works, a model of a windmill he had seen put up at Grantham, a water clock, worked by the dropping of water, and a very curious sun-dial, in which the course of the sun was marked by a number of wooden pegs, the boys all agreed that after all there was something in Isaac, and left off teasing him.
“He was fond of drawing, too, and his ready pencil often supplied his friends with sketches of birds, flowers, ships, &c., many of which gave proof of decided talent. He also made a wooden cart, large enough for him to sit in, and in it, by a very simple mechanical contrivance, he could cross the room.
“His mother wished him, on leaving school, to become a gentleman farmer, but when she found that her son's love of books was not a mere passing fancy, she consented to his going to college.
"I cannot tell you much about his student life, except that it was one of untiring industry. Isaac Newton really seemed to enjoy hard work, and was seldom more happy than when engaged in his Greek and Latin studies. He passed all his examinations with credit alike to his tutors and himself, took honors, and became, in little more than four years, a Fellow of his college.
“About the same time, he made some of the discoveries that have made his name so famous. One of these is what was called the refraction of light. He found that by passing a ray of light through a piece of cut glass called a prism, into a dark room, it became separated into seven parts or bright bands of color, but always in the same order—violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, red.
“He is said to have discovered the law of gravitation, while on a visit to Lincolnshire. He was walking, book in hand, through an orchard, when his attention was attracted by the falling of an apple. He began to ask himself, Why did that apple fall? If you had been there, Wilfrid, I wonder how you would have answered his question?”
“Oh, aunt Fanny, I would soon have told him the apple could not help it. I should have thought a learned man like Sir Isaac Newton would have known that.”
“But why could not the apple help falling, Wilfrid?'
“I don't know, aunt Fanny, except, because, you know, things always do fall if you don't hold them fast.”
Aunt Fanny smiled and continued. "But Sir Isaac Newton was not content to say, I don't know; he thought and studied a great deal, till he found out one of those wonderful secrets which God has hidden away, as if on purpose to reward those who by patient, reverent search, are willing to take the trouble of finding them out.
“He found there was a property in the earth on which we live, called the law of attraction, by which it attracts or draws all solid bodies to itself. But I see Hilda does not quite understand, and I must not stop to explain it to you now.
“Sir Isaac Newton was a Christian, one who saw and adored the wisdom and goodness of God in all His works. His great learning did not make him vain. His Bible was his constant companion, and in many ways he proved himself a sincere, humble follower of Christ.
“He was fond of and kind to animals. It is said that, on returning one evening to his study, after a short absence, he found his favorite dog Diamond had, by overturning a candle, set light to some valuable papers, and so destroyed the work of many days. But he did not scold or beat the dog; only said, with a sad smile, ‘Ah, Diamond, Diamond, how little you understand the mischief you have done.'
“During his last illness, he said to one who was much with him, 'I do not know or care what the world thinks about me, but to myself, I seem only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and now and then finding out a smoother pebble or a prettier shell then ordinary, whilst all the time the great ocean of truth lies all undiscovered before me.'
“Many of the ablest writers and thinkers of the years during which Sir Isaac Newton lived and worked, were among his personal friends, and his monument stands side by side with those of poets, warriors, and statesmen in Westminster Abbey. But it is of one who was a patient, diligent student of the works of God, that we love and honor his memory.
“And now, darlings, I must not stay to talk about our verse any longer, for as I expect to say good-bye to you all to-morrow, I am anxious to go and see a poor sick girl at C., but your mother bade me tell you that if one, or both of you would like to go with me, you may do so.”
“How delightful! Oh, yes, aunt Fanny, we will run and get ready at once. But please," Hilda added, "do you mind waiting just till we gather a few ripe gooseberries off my own bush? Perhaps the poor girl would enjoy them.”
Aunt Fanny gave a smiling consent, and the two children were soon in the garden busy in their labor of love.