The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-11-11
FLIGHT OF THE BIRDS.
From Which DR.. Tslmage Draws
Some Instructive Lessons
Birds Recognize the Appointed Time For
Moving and Men should Be Thus
Wise In Making Their Start
For God and Heaven.

approach of winter with the lack OF
wisdom in men in starting for their
heavenly home. He took his text from
jeremiah viii. Z: THE stork in the
heaven knoweth her appointed times;
and the turtle and the crane and the
swallow observe the time of their COM
ing; but my people know not the judg-
ment of the Lord" DIR. Talmage said:
When God would set fast beautiful
thought He plants it in a tree. When
He would put it afloat He fashions 1t
into fish. When He would have it
glide the air He molds it into bird.
My text speaks of four birds of beauti-
full instinct-the stork, of such strong
affection that it is allowed Familiarity
TO come in Holland and Germany and
build its nest over the doorway; the
sweet dispositioned turtle-dove, min
Cling in color white and black and
brown and ashen and chestnut; the
crane. with voice like the clang of a
trumpet; the swallow, swift as a dart
shot out of the bow of heaven, falling,
mounting. skimming, sailing - four
birds started by the prophet twenty
five centuries ago, yet flying on through
the ages. with rousing truth under
glossy wing and the clutch of stout
claw. / suppose it may have been this
very season of the year-autumn-and
the prophet out of doors, thinking of
the impenitence of the people of his
day. hears great cry overhead.
Now you know it is no easy thing for
enc with ordinary deiicacy of sight to
look into the deep blue of the MONDAY
heaven: but the prophet looks up. and
trcrc are ilocl1s of storlIs. and turtle
doves. and cranes, and swallows, drawn
out in long lines for flight southwark.
As is their habit, the cranes had ar
ranged themselves into two lines MAX
ing an angle. a wedge splitting the air
with wild velocity, the old crane with
commanding call bidding them onward:
while the towns and the cities and the
continents slid under them. The
prophet, almost blinded from looking
into the dazzling heavens, stoops down
and begins to think how much superior
the birds are in sagacity about their
safety than men about theirs; and he
puts his hand upon the pen and begins
TO write: THE storl in the heaven
knoweth her appointed times; and the
turtle and the crane and the swallow
observe the time of their coming; but
my people know not the Judgment of
the Lord.
If You are in the field to-day, in the
clump of trees at the corner of the field,
you would see a convention of birds,
noisy rs the American congress the last
night before adjournment, or as the
English parliament when some unfor
tunate member proposes more economy
In tne queens household convention
Of birds ali talking at once, moving and
passing resolutions on the subject of
nigrations; some proposing to go to-
morrow, some moving that they go to-
day, some moving that they go to Bra
I'll some to Florida, some to the table
lands of Mexico, but all unanimous in
the fact that they must 90 soon, for
they have marching orders from the
Lord. written on the first white sheet
OF frost, and in the pictorial of the
changing leaves. There is not belted
kingfsher. or a chatfinch, or a fire
crested wren, or a plover, or a red
legged partridge but expects to spend
the winter at the south. for the apart
ments have already been ordered for
them in South America, or in Africa:
and after thousands of miles of fight,
they will stop in the very tree where
they spent last January. Farewell,
bright plumage. Until spring weather,
away, Fly on. great band of heavenly
musicians, Strew the continents with
mTsic. and whether from northern
fields, or Carolina swamps, or Brazilian
groves, men see your wings, or hear
your voice, may they bethink them
selves of the solemn words of the text:
1.-The storb in the heaven knoweth her
appointed times; and the turtle and the
crane and the swallow observe the time
of their coming; but my people know
not the judgment OF the Lord
| propose, so far as God may help me,
this morning, carrying out the idea of
the text. to show that the birds of the
air have more sagacitv than men. And
begin by particularizing and saying
that they mingle music with their
work. The most serious undertaking
of birds life is the annual travel from
the Hudson to the Amazon, from the
Thames to the Nile. Naturalists tell
US that they arrive there thin and
weary, and plumage rutfled, and vet
they 60 singing ali the way; the ground,
the lower line of the music the sky,
the upper line of the music, themselves
the notes scattered up and down be-
tween. l suppose their song gives elias
ITCHY 10 their wing and helps on with
the journey, dwindling 1000 miles into
900. Would God that we were as wise
as they in mingling Christian song with
our every day work, ] believe there Is
such a thing as taking the pitch of
Christian devotion in the morning and
keeping it all the day. / think we
might take some of the dullest, heavi-
est. most disagreeable work of our life
and set ii to the tune of Antioch" or
"Mount Pisgah-'
Il is a good sign when you hear a
workman whistle. 1t is a better sign
when you hear him hum a roundelav.
1t i still better sign when you hear
him sing the words of Isaac Watts or
Charles Wesley. A violin chorded and
strung, if something accidentally strikes
II, makes music, and l suppose there is
such thing as having our hearts so at
tuned by divine grace that even the
rough collisions of life will make
heavenly vibration. do not believe
that the power of Christian song has
yet been fully tried. believe that if
you could roll the ''Old Hundred" dox-
ology through Wall street, it would put
an end to any financial disturbances! l
believe that the discords, and the sor-
rows, and the sins of the world are to