aroundworldortra00peebiala-1

340 AROUND THE WORLD.
— a common practice in tlie East. At one o'clock we saw
these monks feed a flock of poor children gratis. It was a
beautiful sight ; and in our soul we said, Heaven bless these
Moman- Catholic monks! The country surrounding Bethlehem
is fall of interest. It was around these hills that the
youthful David learned to make the lute and the harp.
Here were the border-lands of Boaz ; here Ruth gleaned the
barley-fields ; here was the wilderness of Judea, in which
John preached repentance ; here Avere the plains where
shepherds were abiding when they heard the angel-song of
" Peace on earth; " and here, too, was born Jesus, the Shiloh
of Israel, and the " Desire of all nations."
When crossing these unfenced " shepherd hills,"
so called,
said our spirit-friends, in Jesus' time, we noticed flocks feeding
on a dry, hay-like substance, and shepherds watching
them. Observing and meditating upon this, I thought of
the hymn, — the fugue my mother used to sing in those sunny
days of a New-England childhood, —
" While shepherds watched their flocks by night,
All seated on the ground,
The angel of the Lord came down,
And glory shone around."
Oh the lingering melody of that mother's voice !
its tender
echoes can never die away from my soul. Further reflection
brought to memory the sweet lines of our Quaker
Whittier :
—
" Lo ! Bethlehem's hill-site before me is seen,
With the mountains around, and the valleys between
There rested the shepherds of Judah, and there
The song of the angels rose SAveet in the air.
I tread where the twelve in their wayfaring trod ;
I stand where they stood with the chosen of God, —
Where his blessings were heard, and his lessons were taught
Where the blind were restored, and the healing was wrought.