The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1890-08-29
SERMON TO FARMERS.
Or. TALMAGE ADDRESSES THE EN-
cAMPMENT AT MT. GRETNA.

phat, Who Was Flowing with Twelve
Oxen.
LEBANON, PA, August l7.-The
American Farmers Encampment at
Mount Gretna, near this city, to-day
listened attentivcly to a remarkable dis
course by the great Brooklyn preacher,
Rev. II. Dewitt Talmage, who arrived
here yesterday from the Chautauqua, at
Piedmont, Ga, where he spoke Wcdnes-
day last. The subject was one peculiarly
Farming Gospel Type" Kings, NiN.
l9: ELISHA, the son of fShaphat, who was
plowing with twelve oxen before him,
and he with the twelfth"
Representatives ofthc great Farmers
associations from all parts OF the country
are at the encampment, preparations Tor
which have been going on months In
advance. The surrounding denscly-pop-
ulated counties of Pennsylvania arc also
fully represented. To-day's services
were held in the open air. Animmensc
choir, from the churches of Lebanon, led
the music. Rev. DIR. Talmagc spoke us
follows:
Farmers of America! Accept my salu-
tation. Our text puts US down into the
plow's furrOw, where many OF us have
been before. My boyhood passed on n
farm, and my father, n farmer, your style
of life is familiar to me. One OF my
earliest rccollcctons is that my father
coming i'm from the hot harvcst-iield cN-
haustcd. the pcrspiration streaming from
his forehead and chin, and fainting on
the door-sill. and my mother resuscitat-
ing him, until seeing the alarm OF tho
household, he said, Don't be frightened.
got 4 little tired, and the sun was hot,
but am all rightnow." And l remem-
her mother scatcdat the table, often say
ing, "Wcll, am too tired to cat!" The
fact is, that do not think the old folks
got thoroughly rested until they lay
down in the graveyard back of Somcr-
Vile, to take the last sleep.
Onice.scckcrs 90 through tho land and
they stand on political platforms, and
they tell the farmers the story about the
independent lite of the farmer, giving
tlattGr.v where they ought to give SYM
of people in this country have it harder
OF the curculio that stiiniggss the pARini
trees? of the rust III the wheat? of the
long rain with the rye down? 1nde-
pendent of the grasshoppcr? of the
locust? of the army worm? of the potato
bug? Independent Of the drought that
burns up the harvest? Independent of
the cow with the hollow horn? or the
sheep with the foo.-rot' or the pet
horse with nail in his hoof? Indc-
pendent of the cold that freezes out the
winter grain? independent ofthc snow
lac, ~ Of trl ha
self? Independent of the cold weather
fingers around his body, to-: keep them
from being frosted? InderN,ltlensetthe
frozen cars and frozen tecb8Sdhafperr
dent ofwhat? MfH }SaAaSe'
made their tortune$mtH tHs EfAaA 90
out in the country M hA}kt kds$kfb:
all the modern 3sfkehtss and
farming q luxury u infI* 6as ased MY
sOlace; but the yedodanry "who get "tiiair'
lSas RSHs out eStha S ths s Smss Mhs and thai
their children, and pay their taxes and
meet the interest ah;mortgayed farms
my hope Is that this great National
Farmers cncampmcnt may do some-
thing towards lifting the Ltraens of'thc
agriculturists. Yes, wq w;ass Rsarlypll
of us born in the country. We dropped
corn in the hill, and went on Saturday
to the mill. tying the grist,ip the centre
Of the sack 50 that the cotf4ts N either
side the horse balanced cdh4hthr; and
drove the cattle aiield. our bareafeet wet
with the dew, and rode the horses with
the halter to the brook until we fell of,
and hunted the NOW for nests until the
icathercd occupants went Gackling
away. So we all understand rustic al
lusiOns. The Bible is full of them. In
Christ's sermon on the Mount, you see
the fnll-blown lilies and the glossy
black of the crows wing rs it flies over
Mount Olivct. David and John, Paul
and Isaiah find in country life source
of frequent Illustration, while Christ
takes the responsibility Of calling God II
farmer, declaring: "My Father is the
husbandman."
Noah was the first farmer. We say
nothing about Cain, the tillcr the soil.
Adam was gardener on large scale,
but to Noah was given all the acres OF
the earth. Elisha was an agrlculturist,
not culturing ten-acrc lot. for in my
text you find him rlowing with twelve
yoke of oxen before him, and he with the
twelfth. In Bible times the land was so
plenty, and the inhabitants SO few, that
Noah was right when he gave TO every
inhabitant certain portion OF land;
that land, If cultured, ever after to be
his own possession.
They were not small crops raised In
those times, for though the 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 the
harvestcrs. Plny tells of one stalk OF
grain that had on it between 300 and 100
ears. The rivers and the brooks, through
artificial channels, were brought down
to the roots of the corn, and to this
babt of turnin" river wherever it was
wanted Solomon refers when he saws:
The Kings heart is i'll tho hands OF the
Lord, and He turncth it rs the rivers OF
water are turned, withcrsocvcr lie WILL"
The wild beasts were caught. and then
n hook was put into thcirnosc, and then
they were led over the field. and to that
God refers when he says to wicked SEN
nacherib: Il will put hook in thynosc
and will bring thee back by the way