The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-11-28
A HARVEST TIME SERMON
A SHOCK OF CORN THE SUBJKCT
OF TALMAGE'S DISCOURSE.

Terrors Ceased TO be q Figure of
Terror.
BROOKLYN, N. Y. Nov. 27.-Rev. DIR.
Talmage to-day chose for his subject Of dis
course one eminently suited to the time fol-
lowing the ingathering of the harvests, and
TO the Thanksgiving season. The decora.
tions Of the Thanksgiving day still remained
on the platform aud the galleries, and long
rows OF yellow and white corn on the 'front.'
and back of the platform were In accord
With the sermon. The text selected was "As
q shock Of corn cometh In in his season."
Job ". ,26.
This is the time Of the year for husking
corn. II you have re Gently been in the
fields Of Pennsylvania, or New Jersey, or
New York, or New ngland, or In any Of
the country districts, you know that the
corn is all cut. The sharp knife struck
through the stalks aud left them all along
the fields until man came with a bundle
OF straw and twisted a few Of these wisps
Of straw into a 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 IL in the field In
what is called a shock. There are now az
least two billion bushels OF corn either
standing In tue shook or having been
uhCAuf hh1hbus Aub khbu6E, Qu9
day on one farm. aud then another day on
another farm, and they put on their rough
husking apron, and they take the huskinR
peg, which Is piece of iron with a leathern
loop fastened Co the hand, aud with
1t unsheath the corn from the husk and toss
1t into the golden heap. Then the wagons
come along and take IL to the corn crib.
About corn as an important cereal Of
corn az a metaphor the Bible is constantly
speaking. You know about the people in
famine time coming to buy corn OF Joseph,
and the foxes on fire running into the
standing corn." and about the oxen tread
ing out the corn, and about the seven thin
ears Of corn that In Pnaraoh's dream de-
voured the seven good ears, and the
''parohed corn" handed to beautiful Ruth
by the harvesters of Bethlehem, and Abb
gals five measures OF "psrohed corn,"
With which she helped to appease the
enemies of her drunken husband, and
David's description Of the valleys!' !'covered
over with corn" and "the handful OF corn
in the earth, and 1.-THE full corn in the ear"
and Christ's Sabbath morning walk through
corn fields, and the disciples ''plucking ears
Of corn and so l am not surprised to find
oorn-buskinR time referred to In my text;
"As shock OF corn cometh in in bis season."
How vividiy TO all those Of US vino were
born In the country Gomez the remembrance
Of huskiDR time. We waited for 10 as for u
gala day of she year. IL was called frolio.
The trees having for the most part shed
their foliage, the farmers waded through
| the fallen leaves and came through the
keen morning air TO the Rleeful company.
The frosts which had silvered everything
during the night began 20 melt of che top
OF the corn-shocka While the farmers
were waiting for others, they stood blow
ing their breath through their fingers, or
thrashing their arms around their body to
keep up warmth OF circulation. Roaring
mirth greeted the late farmer as he crawled
over the fence. Joke and repartes
ready, nowl The men take hold OF
the shock of corn and hurl 10 PROSTATE,
while the moles and mice which have
Seoreted themselves there for warmth, at-
tempt escape The withe OF straw 10 un-
wound from the corn shock and the stalks
heavy with the wealth of grain are rolled
into two bundles between which the husker
sits down. Ths husking peg is thrust in
until 1t strikes the corn, and then the I'M
gers rip off the sheathing Of the ear. and
there Ia q crack as the root of the corn Ia
snapped Off from the husk, and the grain
distmprisoned 10 hurled up into the SUM
light. The air Is so tonic, the work 10 so
very exhilarating, the company is so blithe,
| that some laugh, aud some shout, and some
| sing, and some banter, and some tease q
neighbor for romantic ride along the edge
Of the woods, In an eventide,
In carriage that holds bus
two. and some prophesy as TO the number
| others go into competition as to which shall
| rife the most oorn-shocks before shutdown.
| After while the dinner horn sounds from
| the farm house, and the table Is surrounded
| by a group Of jolly and hungry men. From
all the pantries and the cellars and the
perohes Of fowl on the place the richess
dainties come, and there is carnival and
nafuhh0rhn2d rannfnD and n Whfrh
fills our memory, part with smiles but more
with tears, as we remember that the farm
belongs now to other owners, and other
hands gather in the field, and many Of
those who mingled In that merry husking
scene have themselves been reaped, "like
season."
There is a difference Of opinion as to
whether the Orientals knew anything about
the corn as IL stands in our fields; but recent
discoveries have found out that the Hebrew
knew all about Indian maize, for there have
been grains Of corn picked up out of ancient
orypts and exhumed from hiding places
where they were put down many centuries
ago. and they have been planted in our time
aud have come up just such Indian maize
as we raise In New York and Ohio; 80 ann
right when say that my textsmay refer to
a shock of corn just as you and bound 1t.
just as you and l threw IL, just as you and
aud useful and comforting lessons to all our
souls, while we think of coming In at last
"like q shock OF corn coming In in his
season"
IL is high time that the king Of terrors
were thrown out of the Christian vocabu-
larry. A vast multitude OF people talk OF
death as though it were the disaster of dis
asters instead Of being to good man the
blessing of blessings. 1t is moving out Of q
cold vestibule into a warm temple. 10 il
migrating into groves of redolence and per-
petusl fruitage. 1t is a change from bleak
March to roseate June. IL is change OF
manacles for garlands. 1t is the transmut-
ing of the iron handouts OF earthly incar-
ceration into the diamonded wristlets of a
bridal party; or 70 use the suggestion of my
text, II is only husking time. It Is the tear
ing of of the rough sheath of the body that
the bright aud the beautiful soul may 20
free. Coming in "lilze a shock Of corn oom-
eth in in its season." Christ broke up q
funeral procession at the gate Of Main by
making q resurrection day for young man
and his mother. And would that could
break up your sadness and half the long
| funeral procession of the worlds grief by
some cheering and cheerful view Of the last
| transition.
| We all know that husking time was a
| time Of frost. Frost on the fence. Frost