Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-08-22
i. 'i.A:.i1AGE'S SERMON.
"FaRMiNG A GOSPEL TYPE
THE SUSPECT OF THE: TEXT.
~, irc:,,A"s Before, tho American !Farm-
..rs' Enca,npn,..n at Mount Gretna-h's
Words to Christian Workers "fiow
Jc.p"-7hs Reward of Perseverance,"


Jc+p:-1he Reward OF Perseverance,"
The American Farmers Encampment
at Mount Grctnil. near Lebanon Pa.
ON Sunday. Aug. IL, listened attcntivcly
to a remarkable discourse by the great
Brobklvn preacher, Rev. L. DE Witt
Tulmaec. Tho subject was one pccu-
liarlv suited 20 the vast audience. being
on Charming Gospel Type" l Kings
xix. 10: Elisha, the son of Slaphat, who
was blowing with twelve yoke of oxen
before him. and he with the twelfth.
Representatives of the great farmers
associations from all parts of the coun-
Try are at the cmcampmcnt. preparations
for which have been going on Tor months
in advance. Tho surrounding dcnscly
populated counties of Pennsylvania are
also fully represented. To-day's services
were held in the open air. An immense
choir from tho churches of Lebanon lea
the music.
Rev DR.. Talmagc spoke as follows:
Farmers of America. Accept my
salu1atol. Our text puts us down INTO
the pluw's furrow, where many OF us
have been before. My boyhood passed
ON a farm and my father farmer, Your
style of life is familiar to me-. One OF
my earliest rccollcctions is that OF my
father coming in from the hot harvest
field exhausted, the pcrspiratlon stream
ing from his forehead and chin. and
fainting ON the doorsill, and my mother
rcsuscitating him, until seeing the alarm
of the household he said: "Dont be
frightened. | got a little tired and the
sun was hot, but am all right now
And remember mother seated at the
e., I fCnt
TO cat' The fact is that do not think
the old folks got thoroughly rested until
they lay down in the graveyard back of
Somervillc to take the last sleep.
Office seekers go through the land and
they stand on political platforms and
they tell the farmers the story about the
independent life of farmer, giving
tlattcry whore they ought to give SYM
pathy. Independent of what? No class
of people in this country have it harder
than farmers. Independent of what?
OF tho curculio that stings the peach
trees? OF the rust in the wheat? of the
long rain with the rye downo indcp"nd-
ent of the grass..oppcra of the locust?
Independent of the drought that burns
up the harvest? Independent of the COW
with the hollow horn? or the sheep with
the foot rot? or tho pet horse with a nail
in his hoof? Independent of the cold
that freezes out the winter grain? In
dependent of the snowbank out of which
he must shovel himself? Independent of
the cold weather when he stands thresh-
ing his nGmbcd fingers around his body
to keep them from being frOst"do indie
pendent of the frozen cars and 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 inn
proycmcn,S. and make farminga luxury,
may not need amy solacc; but the yco-
many who get their living out of the
soil. and who that way have to clothc
their families and educate their children
and pay their taxes and meet their in
tcrcst Oh nOrtgagcd farmS-such men
find terrific struggle. Aud my hope is
that this great National Farmers En-
campment may do something toward
lifting the burdens of the ;igl,iculturSts.
Yes, we We're nearly all of lis born in the
country. We dropped corn in the hill,
and went on Saturday 10 the mill. tying
the griSt in the center of the sack so
that tho contents OF either side OF the
horse balanced each other, ana drove the
cattle alield. our bare feet wei with the
dew. and rode the horses with the halter
to the brook until we fell off, and hunted
the NOW for nests until the feathcrcd
occupants went cacliling away. SO we all
understand rustic alusions. The Bible
is full of them. In Christs sermon on
the mount you see the full blown lilies
and the glossy back of the crows wing
as it flies over Mount Olivet. David and
John, Papl and Isaiah find in country
life a source OF frequent illustration
while Christ takes the responsibility o
calling God Il farmer, declaring, ''Ms
Father is the husbandlnan.
Noah was the first farmer. We sa,
nothing about Cain. the lillcr of the soil
Adam was a gardener on Il large scale
but to Noah was given ali the acres o
the earth. Elisha was AN agrjsuturSt
not culturing a ten acre lot: for in M,
text You find him blowing with twclv'
yoke of oxen before him. and he With TIL,
twelfth. In Bible times the land WAS 5,
plenty and the inhabitants so few tha
Noah was right when he gave to ever.
inhabitant a certain portion of land: tina
land. il cultured, ever after to be his owl
possession.
They were uot small crops raised il
those times. Tor though the arts wcr
rude the pillow turned up very rich soil
and barley, and Gotten, and Han. and al
kinds OF grain came up III the call of th
harvesters. l'liny tells of one stalk O
grain that had ON il between three am
four hund red cars. Iii" rivers and til
brooks through artificial channels. wcr
brought down to tle roots oi the corn
and to this habit of turning a rive
wherever it was wanted Solomon rcfnl
when he says: "Nhc kings heart is i
the hand of the Lord, and He turncth
as the rivers of water are tulnrC
whithcrSocvcr iic will
The wild beasts were caught and the
hook was put into their nose. and the
they were led over the field and to tina
God refers when He says to wicked Sen
nacherib. Il will put hook in thy nos
and | will bring thee back by th" wa
which thou camcst." And God has
hook in every mars nose. whether ii b
acknowledgements or Ahab or i!Hn"G. III
may think himself Very independent, b,
sometime in his life or in the hour OF ii
death he Will Gnd that the Lore. Al.night
has hook in his nose.
This was the rulr ii! regard TO The en-
ture of the ground. Chou shalt ne
plow with an OK and All lsS together. j
Illustrating the folly OF ever putting il
telligent and useful and pliablc men