Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-03-11
DIR. FAY's DISCOURSE
At the Southern California
Citrus Fair.
THE RELIGION OF FRUIT.
An Elegant Tribute to the Ameri.
can Horticultural AssOcia-
tiOn and its Works.
Published by request.


gers and consented to by DIR. Fay
{whose church occupies Armory Hall
on Sundays) to let the entire exhibit
remain as it vas during the week; SC
all the vacant space on the floor
and in the balcony was filled
with chairs to accommodate the
large audience. The charming enyi
ronment Of fruits and flowers was in
spring to the preacher, and the
sermon and surroundings a feast to
the congregation. The general sub
ject of the discourse was on "The
Beauty and the Bounty of Nature" /"
"For 10 the winter is past, the rain is
over and gone; the flowers appear on the
earth, the time for the singing of birds is
come, and the voice of the turtle is heard
in the land; the fig tree putteth forth her
green figs and the vines, with the tender
grapes, give forth a goodly smell"
Song Of Solomon, II, al and 1ii.
Without adoring wonder, who can
contemplate the unvarying recurrence
of the seasons and the peculiar lessons
|.
Who can contemplate the obvious and
continually rising scale of correspon-
dences by which material things,
however beautiful or apparently ulti-
mate, symbolic things above them
selves, and these next higher things,
something higher still, till at last the
sublime truth becomes apparent that
the universe is a concatenation-that
from insensate matter to mind-from
the insect up thro' all the grades of
being to God himself--everything is
related to every other thing
and not discover that he who at
tempts to draw a boundry line be-
tween the III aterial and the spiritual,
undertakes to make radical distinc-
ton where the keenest vision detects
only striking similarities.
We speak of the creation and the
religious education OF man as preemi-
nently divine-God's work by what
ever instrumentalities it may be per-
formed. But who will say that the
changes OF the seasons, the produc-
tion OF vegetation, the growth and
ripening and coloring and fragrance
of fruit,-tne manifold, ever-changing
and eyer-recurring beauty and bounty
of the year are less divine, less
worthy of God?
Who can give the history, or hint
at the highest ministry of a peach, a
raisin, an orange, a flower, without
touching upon the most sublime
themes that ever engrossed human
thought, and losing himself very soon
in the immensity of God What is
the history of the matter of which its
seed was composed and what its pedi-
gree back to the beginning?
By the mysterious law of reproduc-
ton through decay, how many times
and in how many forms has its SUBJ
stance been previously vitalized
What is the nature of the life-princi-
pie that protects it against the decom-
posing agencies of autumn and the
frosts of winter?
What are the mysterious influences
that come from beyond the Pleads to
quicken the life principle of vegeta-
tation and help it transmute chemi-
Gals, crude minerals. and even often
sive fertilizers, into delicious veget-
ables, appetizing fruits and exquisite
flowers? How wonderful the power
of chemical analysis, b, which it sep
arates from all the other elements and
appropriates to itself only those which
its peculiar nature requires, convert
ing even the air and the sunlight into
roseate hues and grateful perfumes,
that the art of man has never equaled /!
A peach tree, a lemon tree and pear
tree stand in the same soil-their
roots interlocking, and yet by their re-
spective instincts, how very, very
different the fruits they manufacture
from the same materials. And how
obvious to some, that just below the
surface Of these familiar operations,
there is an intelligent power that
plans and executes all; so that the
flowers and fruits, and grains and for
ests and minerals, all that beauties
the earth and ministers to the welfare
and happiness of man is directly
caused by the sole and sovereign
Lord, and in this sense is as divine as
any Eden. Therefore, if l am sufii-
GENTLY sensitive to spiritual influences,
shall feel myself as Immediately in
the presen ce of the infinite when |
gaze upon flower or fine specimen
of fruit and consider of what exactly
balanced, mutually helpful and wisely
and constantly directed forces it is
the production, as when in Holy
Writ, l read thu benedictions and
beatitudes of the blessed.
Ii our minds and hearts were so
educated and attuned that we could
hear and interpret the voice and feel
the presence of God in His works
SO disciplined that we should not be
simply pleased by the beautiful, or
awed by the stupendous for their own
sake, but be taught, inspired, blessed
and made reyerent as we penetrate
the surface of things and feel the pull
sations Of life that are continually
working such wonders before our
eyes, not only should we have num-
berless themes for profitable meaita-
ton, but also broader and clearer
vision of spiritual things-a far better
knowledge OF God and more mediums
OF the holiest communing-mediums
unknown to him who supposes that
the soul can be swept by divine in
fiuences only in acts of homage and
worship.
As we turn to the sacred pages, we
find that the most sublime concep-
tions of God, and many of the most
devout and spiritual explanations and
aphorisms were penned under aspira-
tions drawn, not from reading the
law, nor from Witnessing or partici-
pating in the imposing services OF the
great temple, nor yet impaired to the
soul in secret homage and worship,
but from communion with God
through his works.
Hear the Psalmist as with un-
wonted fervor he sings-"The heav-
ems declare the glory of God, and the
armament showeth his handiwork,
day unto day uttereth speech and
night unto night showeth knowledge. "
Thoro tc mot a no ooeano II, oil caoraJ