Sharp County record., 1890-09-04
DISCOURSE 70 FARMERS.
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage, Talks to
Pennsylvania Farmers.
The Plow on the Farm Typical OF Divine
Grace in the Human Hoart-Both
Must 60 Straight to Produce
Beet Results.

L no lOllONlub ulNCOuloo ""' N''
cred by Rev. 7. Dewitt Talmage at the
American Farmers Encampment al
Mount Greina, Pa, from the text:
| Elisha, the son OF Shaphat who was plow'
| Ing with twelve oxen before him. ana he
with the tWclfth.-I Kings, xvly., 10.
Farmers of America! Accept my salu-
tation. Our text puts us down into the
plow furrow, where many Of us have
been before My boyhood passed on
farm, and my father a farmer your
style of lifo is familiar to me. one oil
my earliest recollections is that oil my
father coming in from the hot har-
vest-feld exhausted, the persplratlon
streaming from his forehead and chln
and fainting on tho door-sill, and my
mother resuscitating him UNTIL see
ing tho alarm of the household,
he said: Don't be frightened
got little tired, and the sun was hot,
but am ali right now." And lremem-
Der mother seated at the table, often
saying: "Well, | am too tired to eat!'
The fact is that do not think the old
folks got thoroughly rested until they
lay down in tho graveyard back OF
Someryille to take the last sleep
Onice-socbers go through the land,
and they stand on political platforms
and they tell the farmers the story
about tho Independent life Of farmer,
giving nattery whore they ought tc
give sympathy. Independent OF what?
No classs of people in this country has
it harder than farmers. Independent
of what? OF the curculio that stings
the peach trees? OF the rust in the
wheat? Of the long rain with the rye
down? Independent of the grasshop-
per? of the locust? of the army-worm?
of the potato bug? Independent Of the
drought that burns up the harvest? In
dependent of the cow with the hollow
horn? or tho sheep with the foot-rot?
or the pet horse with nail in his hoof?
Independent Of the cold that freezes
out the winter grain? Independent OF
tho snow-bank out Of which he must
shovel himself? Independent of the
cold weather when he stands thrashing
his numbed fingers around his body to
keep them from being frosted? In
dependent of the frozen ears and the
frozen feet? Independent of what?
Fancy farmers who have made their
fortunes in the city and go out in the
country to build houses with all the
modern improvements, and make farm
ing luxury, may not need any solace;
but tho yeomanry who got their living
out Of the soil, and who that way have
to clothe their families, and educate
their children, and pay their taxes, and
meet the interest on mortgaged farms
such men find terrific struggle. And
my hope is that this great National
Farmers Encampment may do some
thing toward lifting the burden Of the
agriculturSsts. Yes; we were nearly all
OF us born in the country. We dropped
corn in tho hill, and went on Saturday
TO the mill, tying the gristin the center
Of the sack, so that the contents on
either side of the horse balanced each
other, and drove tho cattle afleld, our
bare feet wet with tho dew, and
rode the horses with tho halter to the
brook until we fell Off, and hunted the
NOW for nests until the ieathered oc-
cupants went cackling away Sowe all
understood rustic illusions The Biblo
is full Of them. In Chris's Sermon on
the Mount you see the full.blown lilies
and the glossy back of tho crows wing
as it flies over Mount Olivot David
and John, Paul and Isaiah find in coun-
try life source of frequent illustra-
ton, while Christ takes the RESPONSE
bility of calling God farmer, declar-
ing: "My Father is the husbandman,
Noah was the first farmer Wo say
nothing about Cain, tho tiller of tho
soil. Adam was gardener on q largo
scale, but to Noah was given all the
acres OF tho earth. Elisha was an agri-
culturists, not culturing q ton-acro lot
for in my text you find him plowing
with twelve yoke Of oxen before him,
and he with the twelfth. In Biblo
times the land was so plenty and the in
habitants so few, that Noah was right
when he gave to every inhabitant a
certain portion Of land; that land, II
cultured over TO be his own possession
They wore not small crops raised in
those times, for though tho arts were
rude, the plow turned up very rich soil,
and barley and cotton and flax and all
kinds Of grain came up at the call OF
haryostors, Pliny tolls Of one stalk of
grain that had on 1t botwoon throo hun.
drcd and four hundred oars, Tho rivers
and tho brooks, through artificial chan.
ncls, were brought down to tho roots OF
the corn, and TO this habit of turning n
river wherever 1t was wanted Solo.
mon refers whom he says "Tho Kings
heart Is In tho hand Of the Lord, and
llo tumuth IL as tho rivors OF wNtcr arc
turned, whithorsooyor llo WILL
Tho wild beasts wore caught and
then y hook was put into thoIr noso,
and then thoy wore led over tho field,
and TO that God refers whom llo says
TO wiclScd ScnnOchorib! 81 will put
n hook in Thy noso, and will bring
thco back by tho way which thou
camost," And God has u hook In Oyory
mans nose, whothor IT be NobuchNd'
noaaar or AhOb, or llorod, llo may
.l.t,t. Al.,,,1f mann, lnlnNan1,nt hui