Hymn History - Once to Every Man and Nation

~The Present Crisis~

When a deed is done for Freedom, through the broad earth's aching breast
Runs a thrill of joy prophetic, trembling on from east to west,
And the slave, where'er he cowers, feels the soul within him climb
To the awful verge of manhood, as the energy sublime
Of a century bursts full-blossomed on the thorny stem of Time.

For mankind are one in spirit, and an instinct bears along,
Round the earth's electric circle, the swift flash of right or wrong;
Whether conscious or unconscious, yet Humanity's vast frame
Through its ocean-sundered fibres feels the gush of joy or shame;—
In the gain or loss of one race all the rest have equal claim.

Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide,
In the strife of Truth with Falsehood, for the good or evil side;
Some great cause, God's new Messiah, offering each the bloom or blight,
Parts the goats upon the left hand, and the sheep upon the right,
And the choice goes by forever 'twixt that darkness and that light.

For Humanity sweeps onward: where to-day the martyr stands,
On the morrow, crouches Judas with the silver in his hands;
Far in front the cross stands ready and the crackling fagots burn,
While the hooting mob of yesterday in silent awe return
To glean up the scattered ashes into History's golden urn.

Careless seems the great Avenger; history's pages but record
One death-grapple in the darkness 'twixt old systems and the Word;
Truth forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne,—
Yet that scaffold sways the future, and, behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own.

The above poem is derived from the original eighteen stanzas of "The Present Crisis", a work by James Russell Lowell that addressed the national crisis over slavery leading up to the Mexican War.  The hymn "Once to Every Man and Nation" was later derived from four of these stirring lines, and set to the welsh tune of Ebenezer in 1890.

James Russell Lowell was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1819.  His father was the pastor of the West Congregational Church in Boston for 55 years. James graduated from Harvard in 1838 and, as a lawyer, poet, critic, and editor, became an ardent champion of abolition.  In 1876, President Hayes appointed him minister to the court of Spain and, in 1880, transferred him to Great Britain.  Over the years, he was in great demand as a public speaker.

The poem, The Present Crisis, first appeared in print on December 11, 1845, in the Boston Courier.  Eventually, when music was added, the poem of protest became a hymn of challenge: "Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide, in the strife of truth with falsehood, for the good or evil side."

Written over 158 years ago, Once to Every Man and Nation is a poignant reminder of Who is in control of history and Who will ultimately write the last chapter.

ONCE TO EVERY MAN AND NATION
Written by James Russell Lowell

Once to every man and nation
Comes the moment to decide,
In the strife of truth with falsehood,
For the good or evil side;
Some great cause,
God's new Messiah,
Offering each the bloom or blight,
And the choice goes by forever
'Twixt that darkness and that light.

Then to side with truth is noble,
When we share her wretched crust,
Ere her cause bring fame and profit,
And 'tis prosperous to be just;
Then it is the brave man chooses
While the coward stands aside,
Till the multitude make virtue
Of the faith they had denied.

By the light of burning martyrs,
Christ, Thy bleeding feet we track,
Toiling up new Calvaries ever
With the cross that turns not back;
New occasions teach new duties,
Time makes ancient good uncouth;
They must upward still and onward,
Who would keep abreast of truth.

Though the cause of evil prosper,
Yet 'tis truth alone is strong;
Though her portion be the scaffold,
And upon the throne be wrong;
Yet that scaffold sways the future,
And, behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow
Keeping watch above His own..

Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

(II Corinthians 3:17)

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

(II Chronicles 7:14)

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

(Joshua 24:15)

A Simple Equation

Cupcakes + Violets + Chocolate = Perfection

A Mother's Day Tradition

Mother's Day was wonderful.  Our family Tradition is to spend the day at Talache on Lake Pend Orielle, rain or shine.  I don't consider the day to be quite right, somehow, without all kinds of weather - warm sunshine, pouring rain, and windy, blue-tinted fog.

 

The Lord blessed us with a wonderful day, sweet fellowship, and glorious Idaho spring weather!

 

 

Whilst some set up camp. . . 

 

 

Others awoke the sleeping echoes with a very loud and joyful noise with the aid of their accordion=)

 

 

Once the H's and S's arrived, the traditional pastime of  - rock-throwing, shall we call it? - commenced.

 

 

Balancing the towers

 

 

 

 

 

No words need be added to this pristine loveliness, save that we serve an awesome God

 

 

"But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."  John 7:14

 

 

The cause for a celebration!

 

 

Almost ready

 

 

 

 

 

 

The spectators take their positions 

 

 

The photographers are on the scene

 

 

Let the games begin!!

 

 

 

Cute little Ethan

 

 

 

 

 

Once the towers were demolished, we retired to the festal board to a sumptuous feast, followed by a programme including Capture The Flag, theology around the campfire, singing, and much jollity, which went undocumented by camera due to dead batteries.

 

 

Have a wonderful day, y'all!

 

Through My Lens

 Yesterday I went on a delightful walk with the girls.  Every time I step outside my door, I am filled with gratitude and wonder for all of the beauty that surrounds this place I call home.

 

This is what I saw.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations."

 

- Isaiah 61:11

 

 

Happy Trails, Y'all!

Godly Women

"The modern challenge to motherhood is the eternal challenge — that of being a godly woman. The very phrase sounds strange in our ears. We never hear it now. We hear about every other kind of women — beautiful women, smart women, sophisticated women, career woman, talented women, divorced women, but so seldom do we hear of a godly woman — or of a godly man either, for that matter.  

I believe women come nearer fulfilling their God-given function in the home than anywhere else. It is a much nobler thing to be a good wife than to be Miss America. It is a greater achievement to establish a Christian home than it is to produce a second-rate novel filled with filth. It is a far, far better thing in the realm of morals to be old-fashioned than to be ultramodern.

The world has enough women who know how to hold their cocktails, who have lost all their illusions and their faith. The world has enough women who know how to be smart.  It needs women who are willing to be simple. The world has enough women who know how to be brilliant. It needs some who will be brave. The world has enough women who are popular. It needs more who are pure. We need women, and men, too, who would rather be morally right that socially correct."

- U.S. Senate chaplain Peter Marshall, 1950

I came across this amazing quote while reading about the life of Peter Marshall.  His challenge to the women of our time puts me in mind of another work dealing with the same subject.  A subject so important, so inspiring, so powerful, that it's beauty can  be depicted by one word only - Mother.

Blessings on the hand of women!
Angels guard its strength and grace,
In the palace, cottage, hovel,
Oh, no matter where the place;
Would that never storms assailed it,
Rainbows ever gently curled;
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.

Infancy's the tender fountain,
Power may with beauty flow,
Mother's first to guide the streamlets,
From them souls unresting grow—
Grow on for the good or evil,
Sunshine streamed or evil hurled;
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.

Woman, how divine your mission
Here upon our natal sod!
Keep, oh, keep the young heart open
Always to the breath of God!
All true trophies of the ages
Are from mother-love impearled;
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.

Blessings on the hand of women!
Fathers, sons, and daughters cry,
And the sacred song is mingled
With the worship in the sky—
Mingles where no tempest darkens,
Rainbows evermore are hurled;
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.

- William Ross Wallace