The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-12-30
miscellaneous.
REV. T. DEWITT TALMAGE.
REAPERs IN HARVEST FIELDS OF
GOLDEN GRAIN,
One Great Harvester Above Them All-Who
Rcaps and Garners the Priceless Crop Of
Humanity.
sUpJRCr-"THE sUN-sTRUcK CHILD

nv head!" Aud he said to a lad, Garry
him to his mother" And when he had
taken him and brought him to his moth
er, he sat on her knee till noon, and
then lied"
There is at least one happy home in
shunem. To the luxurianCe and splen-
dor of o great house has been given the
advent of child, Even when the An
gel of Life brings a new soul to the poor
mans hut star of joy shines over the
manger. Infancy, with its helpessness
and innocence, had passed away. Boy
hood had come, full of laughter and frolic
sunshine and promise-days of curious
questions, curiosity and quick develop
ment. l suppose among all tle treas
ures of that house, the brightest was the
boy. One day there is the shout of rea
pers heard a6eld. A boys heart always
bounds at the sound of sickle or sCythe.
No sooner have the harvesters cut across
the field than Il e lad joins them, and
the swarthy reapers felt young again, as
they look down at the lad, as bright and
beautiful as was Ruth in the harvest
fields of Bethlehem, cleaning after the
reapere. But the sun was too hot for
him. Congestion of the brain seized on
him. l see the swarthy laborers drop
their les and rush out to see what is
the matter; they fan him and try to cool
his brow, but all is vain. In the instant
of consciousness he puts his hand to mis-
temples and cries cut, my head!" and
his father said, "Carry him to his mo.
ther," just as any father would have said;
and he is taken to his mother, but it is
vain. While the reapers of Shunem
were busy in the field, there came an.
other reaper that way with keener
sOythe and for a richer harvest. He
Heaped only one sheaf; but oh, what a
golden sheaf that was! l don't want to
know any more about that heart break
ing scene than what see in that one
sentence, HE sat on her knees till noon,
and then died." / shall this evening
speak to you of childhood, it's beauty,
Its susceptibility to impression, it's power
over the parental heart, and its blissful
transition from earth to heaven.
The Child's beauty does not depend
upon form, or feature, or complexion, or
apparel. That destitute one you see in
street, bruised with unkindness and in
rags, has a charm about her, even under
her destiturioA. Alb, how often we have
walked on and said: "0h, that is moth
ing but street vagabondism;" but after
we bad gone little way we stopped and
said: "Ah, that is not right" and we
passed up the same way and dropped a
mite into the suffering hand, as though
it were not matter of second thought,
30 ashamed were we of our hardheart
edness. With what admiration we all
look upon group of children on the
playground or in school, and we clap our
hands almost invo(untarily and say, "Ah
how beautiful" All stiffness and dig.
nifty are gone; and you join in theirsport;
your weariness and anxiety are gone, as
when a child, you bounded over the
playground yourself. That father who
stands rigid and unsympathetiC among
the sportings of children, ought never
to haYe been tempted out of a Crusted
and unredeemsble so.itariness. The
morning comes out of the gates of the
East, throwing its silver on the lake, and
its gold on the towers, and its fire on the
cloud; but it is not go bright and beauti.
tul as the morning Of life. There is no
light like that which is kindled in the
child's eye; no color like that which
blooms on Child's cheek, no music like
that of child's voice. It's face in the
poorest picture redeems any imperfaction
in art. When we are weary with toll,
their little bands pull the burdens off
our back. Oh, what dull, mean, stale
world it would be without the sporting
Of children. When l find people that
do not like children, l Immediately
doubt their moral and Christian Charac.
ter. But when the grace of God comes
upon child, how unspeakably attract.
iveI When Samuel begins to pray;When
Timothy begins to read the Scriptures;
and Joseph shows himself invulnerable
to temptation, how beautiful the scene!
| know parents sometimes get nervous
when their children become pioue; they
have an idea good children always die.
The strange questions about God and
eternity, and the dead, excite apprehen-
sion in the parental mind rather than
congratulation. Indeed, there are chill
,dren that seem marked for heaven.
This world is too poor garden for them
to bloom in. The hues of heaven are
in the petals There is something about
their forehead that makes you think the
hand of Christ has been on it, saying:
Let this one come to Me-" But l scout
the idea that good children always die
Samuel, the piOus boy, became Samuel,
a great prophet; Christian Timothy be
came minister of Ephesus; young Dan
lel, consecrated to God, became Prime
Minister of all the realm, and there are |
in hundreds of the schools and families
ot this country today, children who love |
God and keep his commandments, and |
who are to be foremost among the phi
lanthropists and Christians and reform.
ere OF the next half century. The grace
OF God never kills any one. A child |
will be more apt to grow up with relig
ion than without it, because of the re.
atlaining influence of religion. Length |
OF days is promised the righteous; wha;.
soever they do shall prosper. With the
wicked it is not 80. They shall be cut