Lyrics- Life is Like a Mountain Railway

Some Sundays the lyrics from a great piece of Christian music will be featured. It's not that I want worship to revert to using all hymns, it's just that many modern Christian songs don't SAY anything. I really miss some deeper meaning. So I'm going to remind us of some great words.

Life Is like A Mountain Railroad
M. E. Abbey & Charles Davis Tillman- 1890
the lyrics may have originally been written by a woman, Eliza R.Snow

Life is like a mountain railroad, with an engineer that's brave;
We must make the run successful, from the cradle to the grave;
Watch the curves, the fills, the tunnels; never falter, never quail;
Keep your hand upon the throttle, and your eye upon the rail.

Chorus:
Blessed Savior, Thou wilt guide us,
Till we reach that blissful shore;
Where the angels wait to join us
In Thy praise forevermore.

You will roll up grades of trial; you will cross the bridge of strife;
See that Christ is your Conductor on this lightning train of life;
Always mindful of obstruction, do your duty, never fail;
Keep your hand upon the throttle, and your eye upon the rail.

Chorus

You will often find obstructions; look for storms of wind and rain;
On a fill, or curve, or trestle, they will almost ditch your train;
Put your trust alone in Jesus; never falter, never fail;
Keep your hand upon the throttle, and your eye upon the rail.

Chorus

As you roll across the trestle, spanning Jordan's swelling tide,
You behold the Union Depot into which your train will glide;
There you'll meet the Superintendent, God the Father, God the Son,
With the hearty, joyous, plaudit, "Weary pilgrim, welcome home!"

Chorus


This song is considered corny by those who don't like bluegrass and or trains, and a classic by those who do. I'm in the second group, although I'll be the first to say that there have been a lot of terrible recordings. The music in this video is one of the most popular ever, sung by Patsy Cline. I wanted a video with moving trains, to better illustrate the story. People may think that trains just drive themselves and stay on the rails. Not so, and when trains were the primary mode of long-distance transportation, it was just logical that someone would see the parallel between driving a train and the Christian life.

General Charles Lee's Legacy

Major General Charles Lee

Quick, how much do you remember about the Revolutionary War General, Charles Lee? I'm guessing, not very much. Yet, until he managed to get himself captured by the British, he was second in command to Washington. And thereby hangs a tale, and a moral to boot.

Lee very much wanted to be first in command, thought that he should be, and some other people thought so as well.

I recently read the book The Glorious Cause by Jeff Shaara, author of the better known Gods and Generals. Being something of a Revolutionary War buff, I really enjoyed it. But this is not a book report.

I'll repeat the original question: Do you remember anything about Charles Lee? He was a very important person in the late 18th century. He had much more European military experience than Washington. He was probably the only American general who did. He thought Washington was a poor leader, and wasn't afraid to say so. The early retreats of the Continental army from New York, Brandywine, and across New Jersey to the banks of the Delaware River, across from Trenton, had left Washington looking as if he couldn't win a battle.

Lee sent many letters to the Continental Congress denigrating Washington. He was continually blaming him for the ragged condition of the troops, when this was actually the fault of Congress itself, which body would not send funds for food and uniforms and boots.

General George Washington

Lee wrote things like "Washington is not fit enough to command a Sergeant's Guard." Washington continually heard of letters like this from Lee (and some other American officers as well). He usually accepted them with little rancor, and patiently agreed that the early successes of his army were few.

At the Battle of Monmouth, later, after Lee was released by the British, Washington trusted Lee to lead one of the assaults. Instead, Lee disobeyed direct orders and retreated, leading to the collapse of that entire front. He was later court-martailed. There was some thought that he might have acted treasonously; perhaps he had been turned while a prisoner.

Even after the war, when Washington had proved himself more than able, Lee skulked around trying to get the court-martial overturned, and making disparaging remarks about the hero Commander-In-Chief.

By now, you may be wondering what my point is on a blog about spiritual topics. Let's assume that Lee was actually more qualified militarily than Washington. Now we have the classic modern situation where someone who seemingly deserves a role/position is passed over in favor of someone else. The person not selected can now choose how he or she will respond. Lee spent the rest of his life in bitter and angry strife, trying to tear down the man who had been chosen instead of himself.

And here we are 230+ years later. Do we remember Charles Lee, military strategist and qualified leader? Nope, we remember George Washington, the man who was not only General, but served with integrity, sacrifice, patience, loyalty, and always with humility. It is no accident that we say of him "First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen."

Although there is some debate as to whether Washington was a Christian, or only a Deist, he certainly lived his life by Christian principles. Lee did not. Which one is your hero? Which one is mine?