FATHER, OUR
Miss Lilly Ryder Gracey, in The Missionary Review of the World, in a sketch of the life and work of the Rev. Egerton R. Young, in the land of the Cree and Salteaus Indians, of Canada, gives this incident:
"Missionary," said a savage, stalwart-looking
Indian to him, "gray hairs here, and
grandchildren in the wigwam, tell me that I
am getting to be an old man; and yet I
never before heard such things as you have
told us to-day. I am so glad I did not die
before I heard this wonderful story. Yet I
am getting old. Gray hairs here, and grandchildren
yonder, tell the story. Stay as long
as you can, missionary; tell us much of
these things; and when you have to go away,
come back soon."
"He turned as tho he would go back to his place and sit down," said Dr. Young in narrating the story, "but he only went a step or two ere he turned round and said:
"'Missionary, may I say more?'
"'Talk on,' I replied; 'I am here now to listen.'
"'You said just now, "Notawenan" (Our Father).'
"'Yes, I did say, "Our Father."'
"'That is very new and sweet to us,' he replied. 'We never thought of the Great Spirit as Father. We heard Him in the thunder, and saw Him in the lightning and tempest and blizzard, and we were afraid. So, when you tell us of the Great Spirit as Father—that is very beautiful to us.'
"Hesitating a moment, he stood there, a wild, picturesque Indian; yet my heart had strangely gone out in loving interest and sympathy to him. Lifting up his eyes to mine again, he said:
"'May I say more?'
"'Yes,' I answered; 'say on.'
"'You say, "Notawenan" (Our Father); He is your Father?'
"'Yes, He is my Father.'
"Then he said, while his eyes and voice yearned for the answer:
"'Does it mean He is my Father—poor Indian's Father?'
"'Yes, oh yes!' I exclaimed, 'He is your Father, too.'
"'Your Father—missionary's Father—and Indian's Father, too?' he repeated.
"'Yes, that is true.'
"'Then we are brothers!' he almost shouted out.
"'Yes, we are brothers," I replied.
"The excitement in the audience had become something wonderful, and when the conversation with the old man had reached this point, and in such an unexpected and yet dramatic manner had so clearly brought out, not only the fatherhood of God, but the oneness of the human family, the people could hardly restrain their expressions of delight.
"The old man, however, had not yet finished, and so, quietly restraining the most demonstrative ones, he again turned and said:
"'May I say more?'
"'Yes, say on; say all that is in your heart.'
"Then came his last question, which millions of weary souls dissatisfied with their false régimes are asking:
"'Missionary, I do not want to be rude, but why has my white brother been so long time in coming with that great Book and its wonderful story?'"
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Father's Sake, For—See Love Makes Patient.
FATHER'S VOICE
I was watching the sheep, and two little
lambs got lost from their mother. They
were black lambs, and didn't know they were
lost; but I did, and so did the mother. I
stood and watched while the old mother
sheep called and called and called. But the
little black lambs didn't answer—they didn't
know they were lost. So I continued to
watch, and directly the lambs heard the
mother calling. And there must have been
something in the mother-voice that told the
lambs they were lost, for they began bleating
and crying and running about as if mad, so
frightened were they. Finally, the mother
and the lambs saw each other, and truly it
was a poem of nature to see the mother
leaping toward the lambs and the lambs running
toward her! It reminded me of the
meeting of that old father and the prodigal
son when the boy came back home from the
far country. And do you know that meadow
scene made me turn my eyes everywhither—earthward,
skyward, spaceward! And I said,
"Oh, my soul, if lambs hear and answer the
voice of their mother, wilt not thou hear and
answer the voice of thy Father? Oh, soul,
lambs are not afraid when mother is near.
Why shouldst thou be afraid when thy
Father is near, and God is everywhere?"
(Text.)—F. F. Shannon.
(1075)
