The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1890-08-22
SERMON TO FARMERS.
Dr.. Talmage on Farming and the
Farmers Struggles.
Farm Facts In the BIbls-Deep Flowing
Needed For the Field ~ Well ss
the Soul The Great
Harvest.

1AImage preached 70 great crowd on
Farming. Gospel Type" his text be-
Ing from L Kings, xix. 10: Elisha,
che son of Shaphat who was blowing
with twelve oxen before him and he
with the twelfth" DIR. Talmage said:
Farmers of America, accept my salu-
tationI Our text puts us down into the
plow'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 recollections is that of my
father coming in from the hot harvest
field exhausted, the perspirat ton stream
ing from his forehead and chin, and
fainting on the doorsill. and my mother
resuscitating him, until seeing the
alarm of the household he said: Don't
be frightened. l got little tired and
the sun was hot but 1 am all right
now" And 1 remember mother seated
at the table often saying: We'll, l am
too tired to eatT' The fact is that do
not think the old folks got thoroughly
rested until they lay down in the grave
yard back of Somerville TO take the
last sleep.
once 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
fiattery where they ought to give sym
pathy. Independent of what? OF the
curculio that stings the peach tree? of
the rust in tho wheat? of the long rain
with the rye down? Independent of the
grasshopper? OF the locust? of the army
worm? of the potato bug? 1ndepend-
emit OF the drought that burns up the
harvest? Independent of the cow with
the hollow horn? or the sheep with the
foot rot? or the pet horse with a nail in
his hoof? Independent of the cold that
freezes out the winter grain? Independ-
ent OF the snowbank out of which he
must shovel himself? Independent of
the cold weather when he stands thrash
ing his numbed fingers around his body
to keep them from being frosted? In
dependent of the frozen feet? INDIE
pendent 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 q luxury may not need any solace;
but the yeomanrYwho get 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 4 terrific struggle.
The Bible is full of them. In Christ's
sermon on the mount you see the full
blown lilies and the glossy back of the
crows wing as IL flies over Mount Olivet
David and John, Paul and Isaiah find in
country life source of frequent illus
tration. while Christ takes the RESPONSE
bility OF calling God farmer, declar-
ing: MY Father is tho husbandman. VI
Noah was the first farmer. We say
nothing about Cain, the tiller of the
soil Adam was n gardener on a large
scale, but to Noah was given all the
acres of tho earth. Elisha was an agri.
culturist, not culturing a ten-acre lot
for in my text you find him blowing
with twelve yoke OF oxen before him,
and he with the twelfth. In Bible times
tho land was so plenty and the inhabit.
ants so few. that Noah was right when
he gave to every inhabitant n certain
portion of land; that land, il cultured.
ever after to be his own possession.
They were not small crops raised in
those times, for though tho arts were
rude, the pillow turned up very rich soil,
and barley, and cotton, and flax, and all
kinds of grain came up at the call of tho
harvesters. Pliny tells of one stalk Of
grain that had on IL between three anC
four hundred ears The rivers and the
brooks, through artificial channels
were brought down to the roots of the
corn, and to this habit OF turning q rivei
wherever 1t was wanted Solomon refer
when he says: THE Kings heart is il
the hand of tho Lord and He turneth
as the rivers of water are turned, width
ersoever He will"
The wild beasts were caught ant
then hook was put in TO their nose, ant
then they were led over tho field. and u
that God refers when lie says to WICKED
sSennacherib: II will put a hook in tn.
nose and will bring thee back by tn,
way which thou earnest" And God ha
hook in every mans nose, whether 1
be NebuchadnezZar or Ahab or Herod
He may think himself very independent
but some time In his life or in the hon
of his death he will find that the Lor'
Almighty has hook in his nose.
This was the rule in regard to tho cul
tivation of the ground: Thou shalt no
pillow with an OK and an ass together,
illustrating the folly of ever putting in
teligent and useful and pliable men il
association with the stubborn and un
troubles in the churches and in reforma
tory institutions comes from the disre
gard of this command of the Lord
Thou shalt not pillow with an OK and a.
ass together"
There were large amounts of propert
invested in cattle. Tho Moabites pal,
100 900 sheep as an annual tax Job ha
1000 sheep. 5000 cameIs, 500 yoke @
ko - -. u.
in with mirth and music The cluster
OF the vine were put into the wine press
and then five men would get into tn
press and trample out the juice from tn
grape until their garments were satu
rated with the wine and had become tn
emblems of slaughter. Christ Himself
wounded until covered with the bloc
of crucifixion. made use of this allusio
when the question was asked: Where
fore art thou rcd in thine apparel an
thy garments like one who treadeth tn
wine vat?" lilo responded: II hav
trodden tho vino press alone"
In all ages there has been great homo
paid to agriculture. Sevcn-eighths @
the people in every country are disciple
of the pillow. a government is strong Il
proportion as it is supported by an ath
letic and industrious yeomanry. 5
long ago as before tho TALL OF Carthage
Strabo wrote twenty-eight books on az
riculture. Hesoid wrote poem on tn
same subject-''Tho Weeks aud Days.
Cato was prouder Of his work on hus
bandry than of all his military cor
quests.
In the first place. REMARK. in grace a
in the fields. there must be n pillow
That which theologians call convictio
Ia 0nlv the ntnwQhara tnrn;nr ~ a.,