Idaho semi-weekly world., 1891-02-13
A SERMON TO FARMERS.
DR.. TALMAGE breaches AT THE
ENCAMPMENT.

of the TiIIer of the Soil
LEBANON, Pa, Aug 1.-THE Amer
lean Farmers encampment at Mount
Gretna, near this city, today listened
attentively to a remarkable discourse
by the great Brooklyn preacher, Rev.
\ II. De Witt Talmage, who arrived here
I Yesterday from Piedmont, Chautauqua,
Ga, where he spoke on Wednesday
last. The subject was one peculiarly
suited to the vast audience, being on
Farming Gospel Type" Kings
xix, 49, Elisha, the son of Shaphat,
who was plowing with twelve yoke of
oxen before him, and lie with the
1 twelfth
Representatives of the great farmers
associations from all parts of the coun
try are ut the encampment, prepara-
tons for which have been going on for
months in advance. The surrounding
densely populated counties of Pennsyl-
vania are also fully represented. To-
days services were held in the open air
\ An immense choir from the churches OF
Lebanon led the music.
Rev DR. Talmage spoke as follows;
Farmers OF Americal Accept my
salutation. 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 a 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 perspira-
tion streaming 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. | got q
little tired, and the sun was hot, but
am all right now" And | remember
mother seated at the table often say
ing, "Wel, | am too tired to eat p
The fact is that do not think the old
folks got thoroughly rested until they
lay down in the graveyard back oi
Someryille to take the last sleep.
THE FARMERS TRIALS.
Office seekers go through the lant
and they stand on political platforms
and they tell the farmers the story
about the Independent life Of a farmer
giving fiattery where they ought tt
give sympathy. Independent of what
No class OF people in this country have
it harder than farmers. Independen
of what2 OF the curculio that sting
the peach trees2 of the rust in tn,
wheati Of the long rain with the ry,
down} Independent of the grasshop
PERI OF the locuSt2 Of the army worm
of the potato bug2 Independent o
the drought that burns up the harvest
Independent of the COW with the hol
low horn2 or the sheep with TIN
, foot rot9 or the pet horse with
nail in his hoof2 Independent o
the cold that freezes out tn
, winter grainl independent of tn
/ snowbauA out of which he must shove
himsefl Independent of the col,
r weather when he stands threshing hi
. numbed fingers around his body t
keep them from being frosted' Indc
, pendent of the frozen ears aud tn
frozen feet} Independent of what
Fancy farmers who have made thei
fortunes in the city and go out in tn
country to build houses with all tn
, modern improvements, and make farm
a ing luxury, may not need any solace
b but the yeomanry who get their livin
out Of the soil, and who that way hav
t to clotha their families and educat
j their chillran and pay their taxes an
Q meet the interest ON mortgaged farm
g such men find a terrific struggle
And my hope is that this great M
tional Farmers encampment may d
? something toward lifting the bu
: dens of the agriculturists. Yes
!, we were nearly all of us born i
the country, We dropped corn in tn
hill, and wont on Saturday to the mil
o tying the grist in the center of the sac
e SO that tine contents ON either side tn
@ horse balanced each other; and drov
y the cattle aliold, our bare feet wet wit
= the dew. and rode the horses with th
a halter to the brook until we fell of
q and hunted the NOW for nests until tn
feathercl occupants went caeklin
away So We all understand rustic Il
lusions The Bible is full of them. |
: Christ's Sermon on the Mount You sc
:, the full blown lilies and the gloss
back of Jhe crows wing rs it hies ovt
y Mount Oiivet David and John, Pat
|, and Isaiah find in country life a sourt
II of frequent illustration, while Cmi
a takes the responsibility of calling Go
s n farmer declaring, My Father is I'll
II husbaudmau.
l. NOAH THE FIRST FARMER.
Noah was the first farmer. We sa
IS nothing about Cain, the til!or of ii
y soil. Adam was a gardener on a lars
, scale, but to Noah was given an IL
: acres of the earth. Elisha was an a.
: rlculturist, not culturing ten acre lot
for in my text you lind him plowiu
:. with twelve yoke Of oxen before him
n and he with the twelfth. In Bible tim,
a the land was SO plenty and the inhat
q tants so few that Noah was right whe
9 he gave TO every inhabitant a certai
IS portion Of land; that land, if culturet
Is ever after to be his own possession.
ir They were not small crops raised
10 those times, for though the arts We
; rude the plow turned up very rich sol
u and barley and cotton and lax and 4
= kinds OF grain came up ut the call
: the harvesters. Pliny tells of one sta
" of grain that had on il between thr