The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-12-07
TABERNACLE SERMON
Discourse by Rev. L. DeWItt Tai.
mage.
CORN HUsEcING TIME.

job W, %.
Going at the rate of forty miles
the hour last w ednesday, l caught
this sermon. If you have recently
been in the fields of Pennsylvania,
or New Jersey, or New York, or
New England, or in any of the coun-
try districts, you know that the corn
is all out. The sharp knife struck
through the stalks and left them all
along the fields until a man came
with a bundle of straw and twisted
few of these wisps in band, and
then gathering as much of the corn
as he could compass with his arms,
he bound it with the withe of straw
and then stood it in the field in what
is called a shock. 1t is estimated
that there are now al least two
billion bushels of corn either stand
ing In the shock or have been
already husked. In the latter part
of this month or next month the
farmers will gather one day on
one farm and then another
day on another farm, and
they will put on their rough
husking apron, and they will take
the husking peg, which is piece OF
iron with leather loop fastened to
the hand, and with it unsheath the
corn from the husk and toss it into
the golden heap. Then the wagons
will come along and take it to the
corncrib. How wildly to all those
of us who were born in the country
comes the remembrance of husking
time. We waited for it as the gala
day of the year. 1t was called a
frolic. The trees having for the
most part shed their foliage, the
farmers waded through the fallen
leaves and came through the keen
morning air to the gleeful company.
The frOsts which had silvered every
thing during the night began to melt
off the top of the corn shocks. While
the farmers were waiting for others,
they stood blowing their breath
through their fingers or thrashing
their arms around their body to
keep up warmth of circulation.
Roaring mirth greeted the late
farmer as he crawled over the fence.
Jokes and repartee and rustic saluta-
ton abounded. All ready, now!
The men take hold of the shock OF
corn and hurl it PROSTATE, while the
moles and mice which have Sc
creted themselves there for warmth
attempt TO escape. The withe of
staw is unwound from the corn
shock, and the stalks, heavy with the
wealth of grain, are rolled INTO two
bundles, between which the husker
sits down. The husking peg is
thrust in until it strikes the corn,
and then the fingers rip off the sheat-
ing of the ear, and there is a crack
as the root of the corn is snapped off
from the husk, and the grain disim-
prisOned, is hurled up into the SUM-
light. The air is so tonic, the work
is so exhilarating, the company is so
blithe that some laugh, and some
shout, and some sing, and some
banter, and some tease a neighbor
for a romantic ride along the edge
of the woods in eventide in a car
riage that holds but two, and some
prophecy as to the number of BUSH
els to the field, and others go into
competition as to which shall rifle
the most corn shocks before sum
down. After while the dinner
horn sounds from the farm house
and the table is surrounded by a
group of jolly and hungry men.
From all the pantries and perches of
fowl on the place the richest dain-
ties come, and there is carnival and
neighbOrhood reunion, and a scene
which fills our memory, part with
smiles, but more with tears, as we
remember that the farm belongs now
to other owners, and other hands
gather in the fields, and many of
those who mingled in the merry
husking scene have themselves been
reaped "like as shock of corn
cometh in his season."
There is difference of opinion as
to whether the OrieDtals knew any
thing about the corn as it stands in
our fields; but recent discoveries
have found out the ancient Hebrews
knew all about Indian maize, for
there have been grains of corn pick
I'd up out of ancient crypts and ex-
humed from hiding places where
they were put down many centuries
ago, and they have been planted IN
our time and have come up just such
Indian maize as we raise IN New
York and Ohio; so am right when
L say that my text may refer to a
shock of corn just as you and bound
it, just as you and L threw it, just as
you and l husked it. There may
come some, practical and useful
comforting lessons to all our souls,
while we think of coming in at last
like shock of corn coming in IN
his season." 1t is high time that the
king of terrOrs were thrown out of
the christian vocabulary. A vast
multitude of people talk of death as
though it were the disaster of disas-
tiers, instead of being to good man
the blessing of blessings. 1t is moY-
ing out of a cold vestlbule into a
warm temple. lis migrating into a
grove of re1olence and perpetual
truitage. 1t is a change from bleak
March to Roseate June. 1t is a
change of manacles for garlands. 1t
is the transmitting of the iron
handouts of earthly Incarceration
into the diamond wristlets OF a
bridal party, or to use the sugges-
ton of my text, it Is only husking
time. 1t is the tearing off of the
rough sheath of the body that the
bright and the beautiful soul may
go free. Coming in "like shock of
corn cometh in in his season." Christ
broke up funeral procession at the
gate of Main by making a resurrec-
ton day for young man and his
mother. And l would that l could
break up your sadness, and halt the
long funeral procession of the
worlds grief by some cheering and
cheerful view of the last transition.
We all know that husking time was
time of frost. Frost on the fence.
Frost on the stubble. Frost on the
ground. Frost on the bare branches
of the trees. Frost In the air. Frost
on the hands of the huskers. You
remember we used to hide between
the cornstacks go as to keep off the
wind, but still you remember how
shivering was the body and how
painful was the cheek and how be-
numbed were the hands. But after
while the sun was high up, and all
the frost went out of the ali, hilarities
awakened the echoes, and joy from
one corn shock went up, ~Hal hap
and was answered by joy from an
other corn shock, "Hal hap SO we
all realize that the death of our
friends is the nipping of many ex-
pectations, the freezing, the chilling,
the frosting of many of our hopes.
1t is far from being a south wind. 1t
comes from the rigid north, and
when they go away we stand be-
numbed in body, and be-