They all are included under the common term tsippor, in the Hebrew, and, with rare exceptions, are not mentioned separately in the Bible. It does not belong to our present work to distinguish carefully the varieties of social affection represented by the many song birds. the thoughts of these are represented by owls, and their speech by screech owls. And also there are others who are not willing, and then not able, to perceive truth, but only falsity. There are others who believe a thing to be true because it was asserted by a man of authority these are represented by magpies. There are others who do not perceive truth, but conclude it from confirmations by appearances and these are represented by singing birds. There are some persons who, as soon as they hear the truth, perceive that it is truth these are represented in the spiritual world as eagles. Spiritual song birds do not love sustained thought and abstract truth but they enjoy seeing everywhere the evidences and illustrations of truth. If our conversation be wholly and thoroughly sincere if our friendship be the sympathy of spiritual love for truth and goodness our love of doing good and giving pleasure unselfish and our delights, from the heavenly sunshine of the Lord’s presence-we shall have in the social communication of such affection the correspondence of the songs of birds. We find in their tones the counterparts of human expressions of gladness and affection, innocent converse and tender song. The singing birds embody the love of conversation and vocal expression, so far as these relate to good human life. There is immense variety in their tones, from the busy chatter of the sparrows and the twitter of the swallows to the sweetly varied responses of the wood thrushes, as they answer one another from the distant treetops, giving assurance of friendly neighborhood and sympathy, far into the shades of the night. They love to take short flights in the air their sight is very quick, though of limited range compared with that of the eagle they love the sunshine, the growing plants, with their flowers and fruits and the busy insects among them and in the time of spring and early summer, for which they seem to exist through the rest of the year, from the first dawn of the morning till the last golden light fades from the sky, they continually express their delight by songs. Of all created things outside of humanity, these are the only ones which we value primarily for their voices and their vocal expressions. Not for these things do we love our little singing birds, nor yet for any power of work, but chiefly for what they say, and their manner of saying it. We have admired in the eagle the strong sweeps with which he climbs to the upper air, the penetration of his sight, and a general nobility of character.
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