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The Silver Shadow: And Other Day Dreams
Excerpt from The Silver Shadow: And Other Day Dreams
These are only some random reflections. The reflection of a thing is not the thing itself; but then again, you would sometimes miss the thing itself but for the reflection of the thing. Years ago, in the interior of New Zealand, I was strolling along the green banks of a lovely lake that nestles serenely among the huge snow-capped mountains. Suddenly, on a projecting ledge of rock, almost hidden by the dense forestry, I came upon a little Maori maiden. She was lying at full length, face downwards, peering into the placid sheet of water. Her own comely countenance, the waving grasses that almost buried her, the green boughs and bright blossoms overhead, and the bird that was calling from the branches, were all most exquisitely mirrored in those tranquil and crystalline depths. It had probably never occurred to her to admire, as she looked about her and above her, the rich foliage of the rata, the tossing plumes of pampas, the sword-like blades of flax, and the shining plumage of the tui.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
These are only some random reflections. The reflection of a thing is not the thing itself; but then again, you would sometimes miss the thing itself but for the reflection of the thing. Years ago, in the interior of New Zealand, I was strolling along the green banks of a lovely lake that nestles serenely among the huge snow-capped mountains. Suddenly, on a projecting ledge of rock, almost hidden by the dense forestry, I came upon a little Maori maiden. She was lying at full length, face downwards, peering into the placid sheet of water. Her own comely countenance, the waving grasses that almost buried her, the green boughs and bright blossoms overhead, and the bird that was calling from the branches, were all most exquisitely mirrored in those tranquil and crystalline depths. It had probably never occurred to her to admire, as she looked about her and above her, the rich foliage of the rata, the tossing plumes of pampas, the sword-like blades of flax, and the shining plumage of the tui.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
270 pages, Paperback
First published August 8, 2015
2 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
F.W. Boreham
204 books57 followersRev. Dr. Frank W. Boreham
(March 3rd 1871 – May 18th 1959) Served, and wrote, in the UK, New Zealand, and Australia.
(March 3rd 1871 – May 18th 1959) Served, and wrote, in the UK, New Zealand, and Australia.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 4, 2021
There is nothing really to be said that I have not already said in one of my Boreham reviews. I adore this man's mind and writings. Suffice it to say that there is one essay in here which deals with the messages found in both Shakespeare's As You Like It and Hugo's Les Miserables, so, there ya go. I will just go ahead and record the quotes I want to remember readily. (And, yes, I really do pick and choose, this is just a fraction of what I loved and marked in this volume.)
"It is worth remembering that victory lies not in accumulation but in exhaustion."
"Clocks were only invented after man's exclusion form Paradise, and are a badge of his fallen condition."
"The dog that follows everybody is no good to anybody."
"John laid great stress on the fact that you can widen the mouth of a river until it is so broad - and so shallow - as to be incapable of navigation. 'On the whole,' John said, impressively, 'it is better to be narrow - and deep.'"
"It seemed that the spiritual life of the church was decaying as the social life of the church was advancing."
"The charm about Simeon was that, though he had lived many years, he had not begun to grow old."
"Holiness is hopefulness. Those who really enter the kingdom of heaven become - so said the King of that Kingdom - like little children; and a little child is always confident that, come what may, some wondrous day the ship of which he has dreamed so wistfully will certainly come home."
"It is thousands of years since it was discovered that the stars make an excellent medicine for homesick hearts."
"The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting. If this means anything, it means that a man is what he is at home. However strenuous he may be abroad, if he is slothful at home, you must write him down as a slothful man. No vigour on the hillside will atone for lethargy at the fireside."
"The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting. If any man is lost at last, he will be lost through sheer, downright laziness in some form or other. Indeed, he as good as says this statement that it is only the incorrigibly slothful man who fails to appropriate and enjoy the wealthy spoils of life's great chase."
"When he was on his deathbed a clergyman went to him and asked him of there was anything he would like to say or any message he wanted to deliver. 'No,' answered the doctor, 'except that through life I think I have always closed the gates behind me!'"
"An age of persecution was always an age of rapid religious development."
"But we are all visitors from another world, and we are all being hoodwinked by the tricks and illusions of this one. Time seems so real and eternity so shadowy, the world is so loud and the world-to-come so silent, that we jump to the conclusion that things are what they seem. Paul knew better. No practical joke deceived him. 'We look,' says he, 'not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.'"
"A fool may easily mistake a mosquito on the telescope for a monster on the moon. His perspective is all at sea, that is all."
"So many people explore mosques and cathedrals and minsters and temples; so few see the wonders of an insect's wing; the loveliness of a lily's petal, the charm of a gracious soul; and - ah, yes! - so very few fall in love with the chiefest among then thousand and the altogether lovely! But the wise understand! Bulk never deceives them. They scorn the extra cubit. They know the secret of the microscope."
"As a rule, one great law holds true. It is this: when you have discovered something essentially human, you have generally discovered something essentially divine."
"Like the bird
Who, pausing in her flight
Awhile on boughs too light,
Feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings,
Knowing that she hath wings." -Victor Hugo
"He knows that the only religion that has ever moved profoundly the lives of men is the religion of a divine heart that was broken for the healing of the world."
"It often happened, in those archaic days when courts and castles kept their fools, that the fool was the only wise man on the premises."
"He is no true Christian who is not the world's fool!"
"Man is by nature a believer: and, if you make it hard for him to believe the things that are best worth believing, he will still believe; but he will believe in the things that are least worth believing."
"Why gentlemen," said Napoleon, "it seems to me that you make up for believing nothing in the Bible by believing all the folly outside it!"
"It is sad enough to see men turn from the Church, from the Saviour, from the Cross; it is a thousand times sadder so see them, forsaking these things, become infatuated with frivolities and baubles."
"Homesickness is the only kind of sickness from which the world has very greatly benefited."
"The joy that made the Cross bearable to the Crucified was the joy of knowing that its anguish would turn the hearts of His prodigals towards Home."
"It is worth remembering that victory lies not in accumulation but in exhaustion."
"Clocks were only invented after man's exclusion form Paradise, and are a badge of his fallen condition."
"The dog that follows everybody is no good to anybody."
"John laid great stress on the fact that you can widen the mouth of a river until it is so broad - and so shallow - as to be incapable of navigation. 'On the whole,' John said, impressively, 'it is better to be narrow - and deep.'"
"It seemed that the spiritual life of the church was decaying as the social life of the church was advancing."
"The charm about Simeon was that, though he had lived many years, he had not begun to grow old."
"Holiness is hopefulness. Those who really enter the kingdom of heaven become - so said the King of that Kingdom - like little children; and a little child is always confident that, come what may, some wondrous day the ship of which he has dreamed so wistfully will certainly come home."
"It is thousands of years since it was discovered that the stars make an excellent medicine for homesick hearts."
"The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting. If this means anything, it means that a man is what he is at home. However strenuous he may be abroad, if he is slothful at home, you must write him down as a slothful man. No vigour on the hillside will atone for lethargy at the fireside."
"The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting. If any man is lost at last, he will be lost through sheer, downright laziness in some form or other. Indeed, he as good as says this statement that it is only the incorrigibly slothful man who fails to appropriate and enjoy the wealthy spoils of life's great chase."
"When he was on his deathbed a clergyman went to him and asked him of there was anything he would like to say or any message he wanted to deliver. 'No,' answered the doctor, 'except that through life I think I have always closed the gates behind me!'"
"An age of persecution was always an age of rapid religious development."
"But we are all visitors from another world, and we are all being hoodwinked by the tricks and illusions of this one. Time seems so real and eternity so shadowy, the world is so loud and the world-to-come so silent, that we jump to the conclusion that things are what they seem. Paul knew better. No practical joke deceived him. 'We look,' says he, 'not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.'"
"A fool may easily mistake a mosquito on the telescope for a monster on the moon. His perspective is all at sea, that is all."
"So many people explore mosques and cathedrals and minsters and temples; so few see the wonders of an insect's wing; the loveliness of a lily's petal, the charm of a gracious soul; and - ah, yes! - so very few fall in love with the chiefest among then thousand and the altogether lovely! But the wise understand! Bulk never deceives them. They scorn the extra cubit. They know the secret of the microscope."
"As a rule, one great law holds true. It is this: when you have discovered something essentially human, you have generally discovered something essentially divine."
"Like the bird
Who, pausing in her flight
Awhile on boughs too light,
Feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings,
Knowing that she hath wings." -Victor Hugo
"He knows that the only religion that has ever moved profoundly the lives of men is the religion of a divine heart that was broken for the healing of the world."
"It often happened, in those archaic days when courts and castles kept their fools, that the fool was the only wise man on the premises."
"He is no true Christian who is not the world's fool!"
"Man is by nature a believer: and, if you make it hard for him to believe the things that are best worth believing, he will still believe; but he will believe in the things that are least worth believing."
"Why gentlemen," said Napoleon, "it seems to me that you make up for believing nothing in the Bible by believing all the folly outside it!"
"It is sad enough to see men turn from the Church, from the Saviour, from the Cross; it is a thousand times sadder so see them, forsaking these things, become infatuated with frivolities and baubles."
"Homesickness is the only kind of sickness from which the world has very greatly benefited."
"The joy that made the Cross bearable to the Crucified was the joy of knowing that its anguish would turn the hearts of His prodigals towards Home."
January 5, 2025
Many Christian books are faithful, logical, and persuasive, but rarely are they fun. This book by a twentieth century Australian preacher is an exception. This collection of essays takes you on a meandering journey through stories and anecdotes that is a delight, not a trudgery, to read. Particular highlights for me were the essays: Dominoes, Janet, and the King's Jester.
October 30, 2019
The book's full title is "The Silver Shadow and Other Day Dreams". Short, often droll and insightful vignettes. A pleasing read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews