Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1892-12-03
REV. DIR. TALMAGB.
qhs Eminent Brooklyn Divine's Sun.
day Sermon.
subject. Gathering the Harvest

This IS the time OF the year for husking
corn. Ii YOU have recently been in the
fields OF PENNSYLVANIA, or New Jersey. or
New York, or New England, or in any of
the country districts, you know that the
! corn is all cut The sharp knife struck
through the stalks AMI left them all along
the fields until man cana with bundle
OF straw and twisted few Of these wisps OF
straw into band, and then, gathering up
as much OF the corn as he could compass
with his arms, he bound it with this wisp OF
straw, and then stood it in the field In what
Is called shock. There are nov at least
TWO billion bushels OF corn either standing
in the shock or having been alrea ly husk d.
The farmers gather one day on one farm
aud then another day on another farm, and
they put on their rolgh huskng apron, and
they take the husSing peg, which is piece
; OF iron with leathern loop fastened to the
hand, and with it unsheath the corn fl IN
the husk and toss it into the golden heap,
Ihen the wagons come along and take it to
the corncrib.
About corn as an important cereal or
corn as d metaphor the Bible is constantly
speaking. You know about the people in
famine coming 10 buy corn OF Joseph, and
the foxes on fire running into the standing
corn, and about the oxen treading out the
corn, and about the seven thin ears c. corn
that in Pharo1h's dream devoursd Che seven
/ good ears, and the "parchs ed corn handed
/ to beautiful Ruth by the harvesters of Beth
! lehem, and Abigas tivA measures of
"parched corn" with which she hoped to
appease tbs enemies of her drunken hus-
band, and Dayid's description of the valleys
covered over with corn and 1.-THE handful
I OF corn IN the earth. and the full corn in
the ear" and CIrists Sa obath morning
walk through cornfeldS, and the disciples
plucking ears OF corn" aud so | am not
surprised to find corn husking time referred
! TO IN my text, 'As a shock of corn coneth in
f in his SEASON.
How wildly to all those OF us who were
I born IN the country comes the remembrance
I OF husking time. We waited for it as for
gala day OF the year. IT was called a
irolic. The trees having for tle most part
/ shed Their foliage, the farmers waded
J through the fallen leaves and came through
the keen morning air to the gleeful COM
pany. The frosts, which had silvered every
thing during the night, began TO melt Oft
the top of the corn shocks While the
farmers were waiting for others they stood
blowing their breath throug h their finrers
or thrashing their arms around their bo1y
to keep up warmth OF circulation Roaring
mirth greeted the late farmer as he era WED
over the fence. Joke and repartee and
rustic salutation abounied All ready now!
The men take hold of the shock of corn
AMI hurl 1t PROSTATE, while the moles and
/
for warmth attempt escape. The withe Of
straw is unwouud from the corn shock, and
the stalks heavy with the wealth of grain
7 are rolled into two b1niies, between which
the husker sits down. The husking per is
thrust in until it strikes the corn. and then
the fingers rip off the sheathing of tue ear,
and there is crack as the root OF the corn
is snapped off from the husk. and the grain
disimprisoned is harled up into the sunlight.
Tine air is SO tonic, the work is so very exhil-
aratlng, the company Is SO blithe that soma
laugh, and some shout, and some sing. and
some banter, ami some tease neighbor for
romantic ride along the edge Of the woods
IN an eventlde i'll carriage that holds but
TWO, and some prophesy as to the number OF
bushels to the field, and others go into COM
petition as to which shall rife the most corn
shocks before shutdown.
After awhile the dinner horn sounds from
the farmhouse aud the table is surrounds
by group of jolly and hungry men From
all the pantries and the cellars and the
percnss OIL FOWL on The place the richest
dainties come and there is carnival and
neighborhoot reunion, and scene which
nils our memory, part vita smiles, but moro
with tears, as We remember that the farm
belongs now to other owners, ami other
hands gather in the field, and many Of those
who mingled in that merry huskIng scsne
have themselves been reap9d like as IA
m.
There is difference Of opinion as to
whether the ORIGINALS knew anything about
the corn as 1t stands III our fields. but recent
discoveries have found out that the Hebrew
bnew all about Indian maiza for there have
been grains OF corn pickle up out of ancient
cryIts ami exhumsd from hiding places
where they wers put down many centuries
ago, and they have been planted IN our time
an1 have come up just such Indian maiz9 as
we raise 10 New York aud OHIO; so | an
right when | say that my tex5 may refer to
n shock OF corn Just as You nj | bound it;
just as you AMI threw it; Just as you and /
nusket t. here may come some pracgicat
ami use nj and com orting lessons to all our
sou while we tllus OF coming in at last
like sh-ci o. corn cometh III in his
season.
II is high time that thu King Of Terrors
were thrown Uu5 OF the Christian V0caO-
ulary. A vast mutitu e OF people talk OF
death Is though it were the disaster of dis
asterS, lnsteat OF being 10 a good man the
blessing OF blessings Il is moving out OF
cold vestibule lnG) worm temple. 1t is
migrating into groves of redolence and per-
petu1l fruitage, 1t is change from bleak
March to roseate June. 1t is a change OF
manacles for 4rlands. it is the transmitting
of the iron han lcu3fs OF earthly incarcera.
ton into the djamondel wrtstlets OF a bri jal
party, or, to use tbs suggestion OF nv text,
1t Is only hussing time 1t is the rearing
oil of the rough sheath OF the boly that the
bright and beautiful soul may go free. Com4
ing IN Ike shock OF cora cometh in in his
season. Christ broke up funeral proc ss-
sion at the gate of Main by making a rasur-
rection day for young man an his mother
and would that | could break up your sad
ness AMI hait the long luleral proc ession of
the worlds grief by so ms cheerful view Of
the last transition
oil hat a.
Of frost Frost on the fenc frost on the
stubbie; frost on the grould; frost on the
bare branches OF the trees: frost in the air:
frost on the hands os the huSkers You re-
member we used to hils between the corn
stacks 50 as TO keep or the wni, but still
you remember how shivering was the boIy
and how painful was the cheek, and how be-
numbed were the hands. Bat after awhile
the sun was high up, and all the frosts went
out Of the air, and hilarities awakened the
echoes, aud JOY from one corn shock went
up "Ahs, aha p and was answered by ioy
from another corn shock "Ah', aha ~ So
we all realiz, that the death Of our frien / is
the nlpping OF many expectations, the freez-
ing, the chilling, the frostiug 0 MANY Of
our hopes. II is far from beng a south
win1.
1t comes out Of the frigid north, an
when they go away from us we stani b.
numbed in body AMI benunbai in mind and
benumbel in soul. We stant among our
dead neighbors, our dea families, and wa
say, Twill we ever get over it2' Yes, we
will get over it amid the shou sings of heag-
euly reunion, and we will look bac 70 all
these GiStresses of bereave neut only as the
temporary distrasses OF huskiug time.
"Wesping may endure for a night, but joy
cometh in the morning. Light and but
for q moment" said the apostle as he
appel his hands; light ami but for
moment The chill Of the frosts followed
by the gladness that comsth in like a shock
oil corn comsth in in his season"
! OF course the husxing time made rough
work with the ear OF cora. The huSking
peg had TO be thrust in, and the hard thumb
of the husker had to come down on the
sWAthing Of the ear, ana then there was q
pull and there was a ruthless tearing, ald
then a cOmpiets swapping off before the
corn was free, ami il the husk coHll have
spoken it would have said; "Why do you
lacerate mes Why do you wrench me27
All, my friends, rat is the way God has ar
ranged that the ear AMI husk shall part,
and that is the way He has arranged that
the ooly and the soul shall separate. You
can aft Jrd to have your physical dlstressss
when you know that tley are only forward
Ing the souls liberation. Every rheumatic
pain is only a plunge of the husking peg.
, Every neuralgia twlnge is only "A twist by
the husker
There is gold in you that must come ont.
Some way the snacSle must be broken.
Some way the snip must be launched for
heavenly voyage. You must let the Heaven
/ ~ EuSbanimen hnsk off the mortality from
the immortality. There ought to be great
consolation in this for all wac have clronic
ailments, since the Lord is gradually and
more mil lily taking away from you that
which hin lerS your souls liberation doing
d adj AIl vyh of IN,