to soothe, it has seemed like one of those harmonies
musicians tell us that they dream of, but can never chain to earth.

"As I sat in the theatre, listening to the wondrous tones of this
mountain peasant-woman, rising and falling like the murmur of a sea,
filling the vast sky-covered building with their yearning notes, stirring
like a great wind stirs AEolian strings, the thousands of trembling
hearts around her, it seemed to me that I was indeed listening to the
voice of the 'mother of the world,' of mother Nature herself.

"They saw him, as they had often seen him in pictures, sitting for the
last time with his disciples at supper. But yesterday they saw him, not
a mute, moveless figure, posed in conventional, meaningless attitude, but
a living, loving man, sitting in fellowship with the dear friends that
against all the world had believed in him, and had followed his poor
fortunes, talking with them for the last sweet time, comforting them.

"They heard him bless the bread and wine that they themselves to this day
take in remembrance of him.

"They saw his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, the human shrinking from
the cup of pain. They saw the false friend, Judas, betray him with a
kiss. (Alas! poor Judas! He loved Jesus, in a way, like the rest did.
It was only his fear of poverty that made him betray his Master. He was
so poor--he wanted the money so badly! We cry out in horror against
Judas. Let us pray rather that we are never tempted to do a shameful
action for a few pieces of silver. The fear of poverty ever did, and
ever will, make scamps of men. We would like to be faithful, and noble,
and just, only really times are so bad that we cannot afford it! As
Becky Sharp says, it is so easy to be good and noble on five thousand a
year, so very hard to be it on the mere five. If Judas had only been a
well-to-do man, he might have been Saint Judas this day, instead of
cursed Judas. He was not bad. He had only one failing--the failing that
makes the difference between a saint and a villain, all the world
over--he was a coward; he was afraid of being poor.)

"They saw him, pale and silent, dragged now before the priests of his own
countrymen, and now before the Roman Governor, while the voice of the
people--the people who had cried 'Hosanna' to him--shouted 'Crucify him!
crucify him!' They saw him bleeding from the crown of thorns. They saw
him, still followed by the barking mob, sink beneath the bu