Giant Hours With Poet Preachers

re used by permission, and are taken from Collected Poems by Alfred Noyes,

D, OF MANHOOD, CHRI

sit with open mouths and open hearts to hear these wonder fairy tales. And, further, if you are too grown-up to want to read Noyes for his complete sympathy with childhood, more universal even than our beloved Riley; and you want a poet that challenges you to a more vigorous manhood, a poet who calls man to his highest and deepest virility,

ow man and you will know the deep of God." And as Noyes him

there was

in love's

wild-flower

that dead

, but if I cou

ad roots in the

that smallest

d meaning of

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kin," their lost baby, we know that she meant that in a little c

iterally leads the little tots through the mysteries of Old Japan and the Wild Thyme, let us go from tree to tree, and flowe

OD AND

d" childhood. But after reading this sweet poet we know that he does understand; and

ups cannot

n-ups ne

s the way

the pur

their smile

are wise

just a chil

's an Ede

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he children of the world-at least those little ones that a half-way Christian

comes that same note, like a bluebird in sprin

ember the b

ge of pa

t seemed a t

rything c

cheery-tree

eaves below

darins

tapping, t

us curved

*

s follow,

the pur

e rosy fo

l reef,

f parrots

efore the fe

ent mys

nd onward

pan, to O

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tales and childhood rhymes heard the world over. Little Pet

er pirates, I a

Peterkin, little

comrade that the

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asleep amid the wild thyme blooming there. As they dream the thyme grows to

und out who killed Coc

to help them h

ue, you are ga

doubt in those c

the grim, dark G

sings to those

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land gives comman

som, Mustard-Seed! You

children; you must le

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s they were led on by P

fairies

upon

us t

t even a

rother an

eet one

then a fai

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ey found why

each c

th that

of unkindn

airy m

games in

rough the te

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d what it took

e hid in the h

er-m

ws, who know

died on a

erhaps, but no

le c

it take to

er-m

t died to ma

e world's e

moon and al

might of he

rlasting Lo

e chi

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ard the old

ery Daw,' we heard

urtled over our head

nda

come blow up your horn

r

m as good as a clock,

pl

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their little brother P

hle

completely and wholly and sympathetically Noyes underst

le eyes th

rgetful

m I am be

and you ope

as my own

ly prayer f

n me-little eyes

you, aslee

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AND IT

ut as this study of Childhood has shown, it is a viri

st are the

g are the

t too, he crowned it in "Drake"; he placed it a little lower than

dreamer yet,

splendid vi

airy beacon th

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s! How suggestive of heights, and mountai

dared the

le-wings

own the clo

inst the Li

God-blinded

not see h

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is granite and flower and high an

r of a day, one wit

te mountains that

at triumphs beyond th

of the Weaver, that

ar

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again this

ike a king's fa

t strike deep r

e gateways of

will drive his

eaven within the

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OD AND I

ly. Somehow Christ is very real to Noyes. He is not a historical character far off. He is the Christ of here and now; the

hrist's gospel of new birth. He w

k is har

e songs of S

e blood

from her d

all your pain

be bor

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worship more beautiful

Symbo

seek that

before t

feel the

er hold

fore the Wo

he Cross

rough the gl

ry of t

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t win the heart of the world, especially the heart of the Christian. Here and there in the most unexpected places his living presenc

nful Lillip

ye still

our littl

ng with t

*

ye scoff, o

s of Him g

hourly

new Ca

*

d dust, in ch

Himself

y His ete

rly sac

*

scoff from s

to moan

i,' goes u

sabach

re like a scr

ing flam

King of al

Cross o

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expectedly, showing the Christ always in the background of the poet's mind. He uses the Christ e

e prentice carp

gdoms down, who

nt o'er the wr

ut its arms amo

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we hear these of the Chris

my home and look at

ayside cabin the ki

out His arms in the

chapel porches broods

ar men praying the de

e once more, the fon

light on their faces

he

weary, and I wil

believe in the dee

rayers that I learned

olls its peace, thr

ain-v

ening hymn hallows

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AT LAST

with him. It has been a triumphant journey upward. But we have not been afraid. Even the blinding light of God

poet had to challenge us to o

is needful; and

the goal and the

the night shall

nother, if your

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hunger for God that wa

ull-fed

ung

fiercer fam

fiercer hunge

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e of God's finger in the sky"; and an admonition to th

h for God, is, after all, but man, and w

of that o

sail so blindl

charts, their storm

o

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man who claims to be an atheist, but in times of stress, like unto us all, turns to God.

in Bill was a

metimes-in

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from "Th

forth as

nameab

effabl

the L

o which the who

girdled with a wi

for among y

e, or sleep, or

communion w

t with less th

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," which the poet says is "Written in answer to certain scientific theories." I save it for the last b

t hills like clou

-named

seen as a shad

clasp hand

een emerge from

r ringed

Nothingness, b

s love-lit

*

u re-kin

for fait

nd, on that dar

beginni

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ion: JOHN