MAT 12, 1905
3
THE STORY OF THE "NINETY AND NINE "
The Commoner.
The best expression of divine affection for
-all men and a complete description of tlie parent's
love for the child is found in the hymn familiar
the world over and known as "The Ninety and
Hine."
A writer who declared, "We never know the
love of the parent till wo become parents our
selves," explained: "When we first bond over the
cradle of our own child God throws back the
temple door and reveals to us the sacredness and
mystery of the father's and the mother's love to
ourselves. And in later years, when they have
gone from us, there is always a certain sorrow
that we can not toll them we have found it out."
Will any parent who has learned "How sharp
er than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thank
less child," object to an humble effort to "throw
back the temple door?" Will any child, who,
.verging upon manhood or womanhood, has failed
to approciate the parent's love, refuse to observe
the moral of this tale?
Listen to the story of "The Ninety and Nine."
That story is not entirely the product of hu
man minds. It is founded on the declaration of
the Nararene: "How, think ye? If a man have an
hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray,
doth he not leave the ninety and nine and goeth
into the mountains and seeketh that which is gone
astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say
unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep than
of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
Even so, it is not the will of my Father who is in
heaven that one of these little ones should perish."
Moody and Sankey, famous evangelists, were
riding en route to Edinburgh, when Mr. Sankey,
happening to pick up a newspaper, read in an ob
scure corner of the publication a little poem en
titled: "The Ninety and Nine." The poem was as
follows:
There were ninety and nine that safely lay
In the shelter of the fold,
But one was out on the hills away,
Far off from the gates of gold
Away on the mountains wild and bare,
Away from tho tender Shepherd's care.
"Lord, Thou hast here Thy ninety and nine;
Are they not enough for Thee?"
But the Shepherd made answer,
"This of Mine has wandered away from mo,
And although the road be rough and steep,
I go to the desert to find my sheep."
But none of the ransomed ever knew
How deep were the waters crossed;
Nor how dark was the night that the Lord passed
'n thro', . .
Ere he found His sheep that was lost;
Out in the desert He heard it's cry
,. Sick and helpless and ready to die.
"Lord, whence are those blood-drops all the way,
That mark out the mountain's track?"
"They were shed for one who had gone astray,
Ere the Shepherd could brtng him back;"
"Lord, whence are Thy hands so rent and torn?"
"They are pierced tonight by many a thorn."
But all through the mountains, thunder-riven,
And up from the rocky steep,
There arose a glad cry to the gate of heaven,
"Rejoice! I have found my sheep!"
And the angels echoed around the throne,
"Rejoice! For the Lord brings back His own!'
The editor seemed not to have been greatly im
pressed with the beauties of tho poem that has
since become famous; but Mr. Sankey recognized
its merits at a glance, and turning to Mr. Moody
he declared: "I have found my hymn!"
That night, in tho presence of 15,000 men,
women and children, gathered at tho great revival
meeting, Mr. Sankey announced that ho was about
to sing a new song, and that ho was, at the mo
ment, ignorant of its notes. Ho said ho was so
impressed with tho language that ho would de
pend upon some inspiration to And tho music.
Seating himself at the organ he sang that splendid
hymn to tho air now familiar to millions of men
all over the world. It is interesting, if not signifi
cant, that when, for tho first time, Mr. Sankey
sang this song, ho did not know, nor did tho world
know, the name of the author of tho verso. It was
first printed as a poem and without the author's
name attached, and it was only in later years that
-it became known that the beautiful words were
written by Elizabeth C. Clephane. Mr. Sankey
repeatedly and publicly said, that until he took his
seat at the organ in the Edinburgh meeting ho
had no idea of the notes which he would apply to
the words.
As Elizabeth Clephane, converting the Sa
vior's words into beautiful verso, touched tho
hearts of the moderns, who sometimes understand
in poetry what they fail to grasp in parable; as
Sankey, setting to music those inspiring words,
made men to know that of which they had been
ignorant; so some one wliose identity is yet un
known, but who is deserving of high fame, re
duced the Clephano poem and the Sankey song
into the negro vernacular, giving to tho world
the story of "the ninety and nine" in its sweetest
version.
The London Express says that Mrs. Charles
M. Alexander, wife of the famous gospel singer
of the Torroy-Alexander mission, recited tho "Dar
key's version" of "The Ninety and Nine," to 10,000
people at Albert hall, London, on the evening of
March 22. The Express adds: "The poem de
scribes in negro vernacular the story of the search
of the Good Shepherd for the one sheep of his
flock." The poem follows:
Por lil brack sheep, don strayed away,
Don los in de win an' de rain;
And do Shepherd, Ho say, "O hirelin,-
Go find my sheep again."
But do hirelin frown "O Shepherd,
Dat sheep am brack an' bad."
But de Shepherd, He smile like de lil brack sheep
Wuz the onliest lamb ho had.,
An' He say, "O hirelin, hasten,
For de win and do rain am col; l'
An' dat lil brack sheep am lonesom,
Out dar so far from do fol."
De hirelin frown, "O Shepherd, x
Dat sheep am ol and gray,"
But de Shepherd, He smile like do lil brack sheep
Wuz fair as de break ob day!
An' He say, "O hirelin, hasten,
Lo, here am de ninety-an'-nlne,
But dar, way off from the sheep-fol,
Is dat Jil brack sheep ob Mine."
An' de hirelin frown, "O Shepherd,
De res ob de sheep am here,"
But de Shepherd, He smile like de lil brack sheep
He hoi it de mostest dear.
An do Shophord go out in do darkness,
Where do night was col and bleak;
An' dat lil brack shcop, Ho find it, "
An' lay It agalns Ills cheok.
An do hirelin frown, "O Shepherd,
Don' bring dat sheep to mo."
But do Shepherd, IIo smile, an' Ho hoi it' close.
An' dat 111 brack shoep wuz mo!
Several years ago a desperate man rushod
into tho office of Russell Sago, the great financier,
and exploded a bomb. Mr. Sago escaped injury,
but his assailant was blown to pieces. Whllo po
lice officers, surgeons, and newspaper men wore '
gathered about tho place, a woman with a shawl
over her head rushed Into the office and, kneeling
In a corner of the room, drew aside a piece of
shooting and pressed to her bosom tho dissevered
head of tho bomb-thrower. No ono present knew
tho woman, but overyono Instlnctlvoly know that
she was tho mother of Russell Sago's assailant.
And that Is "tho story of tho ninety and nine!"
Nan Patterson, charged with tho awful crime
of murdor, disowned by her friends and disgraced
before tho world, stood in New York's criminal
court, helpless and alone yot not alone, becauso
her faithful father went to her support. Nan Pat
terson found thero that tho same father whoso
wlso counsels sho had Ignored In her youth, was,
even In spite of her Indifferences, anxious to gtvo
comfort in her necessity. That Is "tho story of
tho ninety andiilno!"
General Molineaux, ono of tho gallant officers
of our civil war, was brought to grief by tho
escapades of a son. But General Molineaux, true
parent that ho was, forgot tho wickedness of tho
man charged with crime in tho love ho had for
liis boy. All the world knows of tho devotion
which this fine soldier and good citizen displayed
during tho agonizing hours of his son's trial.
That Is "the story of tho-nlnoty and nine!"
The father proud of tho honored position ho
has won In the world, through correct living, and
jealous of his household's name rushing to tho
police court to rescue a boy guilty of crime; the
mother, braving tho frowns of society in order to
save, not from shame for It Is too late for that
Yut from utter destruction, tho daughter whom
sho loves better than llfo itself; the parents
everywhere, spending sleepless nights and care
worn days, troubled over tho future of their child;
tho anxiety for the whereabouts of tho boy or tho
girl when the shadows of night have fallen; tho
incurrence of debts by fathers and tho sacrifices
of comforts by mothers in order that a loved ono
may take its coveted position in tho world; tho
prayers, tho tears, tho sobs given by God-loving
parents in behalf of heedless offspring; tho hopes,
the sighs, the aspirations, tho love all too often
scattered like sweetness on tho desert air by de
voted parent for wayward child All these are but
representative of "the story of the ninety and
nine!"
In the presence of all this love, of all these
tears and sighs and sacrifices, is It any wonder
that thero involuntarily arises the prayer or If
you chose to call it the wish: Would that the chil
dren could appreciate tho love of the parents be
fore it is too late! Would that the .children could
understand "tho story of tho ninety and nine;"
but none of tho ransomed ever know how deep aro
the waters crossed, nor how dark is the night that
tho Shepherd goes through, ere He finds His
sheep that was lost!
RICHARD L. METCALFE.
IT IS OBLIGATORY ON EVERY TRUE DEHOCRAT
TO VOTE AT THE PRIMARIES OF HIS PXRTY
One of the most interesting letters received
by The Commoner was written by Dr. S. M. Car
ton, of Thornton, Texas. Dr. Carton is seventy
four years of age. He says: "I have never failed
to vote the democratic ticket. I voted for Greeley
and for Parker, two political sins, but they were
my party's candidates. Moral manhood makes it
obligatory upon every true blue democrat tor vote
at tho primaries. If every voter could have the
moral courage to do right, because it is right to
do right, without any restraints being thrown
around him, and to refuse to do wrong, because it
is wrong to do wrong, regardless of temptation
or influence, a grand democratic victory would
bo won in 1908.'-'
Merritt Mooro of Northfield, Minn., sends
in primary pledge with forty-one names attached.
Mr. Moore says: "This work seems to be popular
with the people."
Jack Quayle, lawyer, of Moberly, Mo., sends
in primary pledge with 148 signatures. Mr.
Quayle says that he obtained these names In a
very short time and suggests that evtry other
democrat do likewise.
Extracts from other letters, all enclosing
pledges, follow:
W. M. Carter, Lakeview, Iowa. I will follow
where Mr. Bryan leads.
W. C. Roberts, Albion. I heartily endorse
your plan.
M. S. Blasslngame, principal public schools,
Sentinel, Okla. I am watching with pleasure the
thousands of democrats of all sections of our
beloved country rallying and signing the pledge.
which appears in your paper. No ill can come of
this; it Is the Imperative duty of every citizen to
attend and participate in the conventions and pri
maries of his own party and the general elections.
With tho privilege of voting comes a correspond
ing responsibility.
John A, Walton, Lima, Ohio. Enclosed find
primary pledge signed by twenty.
R. L. Morgan, lawyer, Bloomington, Ind.
Mr. Bryan deserves a great deal of credit for
advancing this idea to the readers of The Com
moner, and I believe that those who sign these
pledges will feel under obligation to him as well
as to the party. ' I hope this plan of organization
will prove successful.
O. J. Glenn, Macon, Mo. Please find my prl
(Continued on page 5.)
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