Irving College - Irvingiana Yearbook (Mechanicsburg, PA)

Page 86 text:

And again : Not to the swift the race,' Not to the strong the iight, , Not to the righteous perfect grace, Not to the wise the light. Y , But often faltering feet Come surest to the goal, And they who walk in darkness meet The sunrise of the soul. The truth the wise men sought Was spoken by a child, The alabaster box was brought In trembling hands, defiled. A thousand times by night The Syrian hosts have died, A thousand times the vanquished right Hath risen, glorified. One of the most beautiful of Van Dyke's poems is his Legend of Service, and this we may use as an example of that in Van Dyke's writings which aims to purify. The Lord of Angels one day called to appear before his throne those of his servants whom he had sent to work among his earthly children to give an account of all they had accomplished on earth. The youngest angel, Ashmiel, first appeared and when asked for his report the answer came that he had found three true followers of Christ, but had failed in the attempt to find which loved him best. Then spake the Lord of Angels to whose look The hearts of men are like an open book, In every soul the secret thought I read, But every life has pages vacant still, Whereon a man may write the things he will.

Page 85 text:

All the concentrated thought, shutting one's self away from the things of the outside world, and in all true 'devotion to the elevation of Literature these words contain, are found in The Blue Flower ' and The Ruling Passion. The three principles I have mentioned z First, an original impulse 5 second, a first-hand study of subject and material 5 third, a patient, joyful, unspar- ing labor for the perfection of form 5 these may do much to perfect Literature, but after all what we most need in Literature, as in everything else in life, is something to bring us nearer the standard set for the moulding of our lives and character 3 something that will make visible or brighter in us that spark of nobility every life oontains 3 something that will enable us to leave as our contribution to the world that which is pure and beautiful. Ruskin says, Every noble life leaves the fiber of it interwoven in the works of the world. V, For these reasons, so we believe, Van,Dyke chose and carried out in his own writings as the last, best and most important essential which enters into good work in Literature. A human aim to cheer, console, purify and ennoble the lives of the people, and he adds, Without this aim Literature has never sent an arrow close to the mark. We do not have to seek for comfort and cheer only from the lives of our fellow men. In the little poem is found just as much, and often more, comfort and sympathy than can come from many human hearts. It indeed seems to understand, as nothing else can, our weaknesses and sor- rows, touching, perhaps, a spot that may never have been found by men. Take, for example, one, who having been lifting the burden of life on weak shoulders for many years, trudges with it until he becomes so bent, weary and discouraged that he is tempted to give up and leave it lying along the roadside for one stronger than he to carry. The little poem holds out encourage- ment : Let me but do my work from day to day, In Held or forest, at the desk or loom, In roaring market place or tranquil roomy Let me but find it in my heart to say When vagrant wishes beckon me astray : This is my work, my blessing, not my doom, Of all who live. I am the one by whom This work can best be done in the right way. Then shall I see it not too great, nor small, To suit- my spirit and to prove my powersg Then shall I cheerful greet the laboring hours And cheerful turn when the long shadows fall At eventide to play, and love, and rest, Because I know for me my work is best.

Page 87 text:

A crown was given to the holy messenger with the command to go to each of the three men and tell him that the Master needed him for His work and the one giving the answer that showed the most love and obedience should receive the crown. Ashmiel started on his errand and had not gone very far before he met the first object of his search. When he gave his Master's command the answer came, Why? but the angel passed on. When the second heard the message his reply was, How ? Almost discouraged the angel hurried to the third of the men, all of whom he had thought pure and true in their service of their Master. Finally he is found again repeating the command, but this time quickly and eagerly came the longed for answer, When ? - The angel's face with inward joy grew bright, And all his figure glowed with heavenly light, He took the golden circlet from his brow, And gave the crown to Fermor, answering, ' NoW,' For thou hast met the Master's bid and test, And I have found the man who loves Him best. Not thine or mine, to questions of reply, When He commands us asking ' How ' or 'Why,' He knows the cause, His ways are wise and just, Who serves the King must serve with perfect trust. H The carrying out ofthe last part of the last principle, To ennoble the lives of the people, stands out most prominently and beautifully in all of Van Dyke's writings. This seems to be the true mission of every one of his Works. It is especially seen in his characters. In the Keeper of the Light the character of Nataline is so beautiful and noble that the reader cannot help but feeling that the girl's simple loyalty to duty has brought him nearer to the secret of a true, noble life. If we should take from The Blue Flower a story entitled The Other Wise Man, we would find in that one story every one of the four principles carried out to its fullest extent. The time represented by the story is from the birth to the cruci- fixion of Christ. The Other Wise Man is a Partian, an astrologer who was led to believe that the time prophesied for the coming of the Messiah was at hand. Having sold all his possessions, he bought three precious stones, a ruby, a sapphire and a pearl, to lay as his tribute at the feet of the newborn Savior, and started out to follow the star which it was prophesied would lead to the place where the King should be found. The journey would be a long and dangerous one, so he made arrangements to meet three friends, also searchers for the babe. In order to be at the place appointed for that meeting, he would have to travel 'dfteen parasangs a day, and not lose one second. If he were not there at that time he would either have to give up the journey or cross the long, hot desert alone. .