Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-11-28
OUR THANKSGIVING.


mo method Of Scripture In Using the
1soet Famtliar Facts to Illustrate the
Most Important Traths-The Life of the
Corn an Image of the Life of Man.
BRooKLYv, NOV. c7.--Rev. DR.. Tai
image today chose for his subject of dis
course one cminently suited to the time
following tho ingathcring of the har-
vests and to the Thanksgiving season.
4 The decorations OF tho Thanksgiving
day still remained on the platform and
the galleries. and long rows Of yellow
asd white corn on the front and back Of
the platform were in accord with the
ter,non. The text SOLICITED was Job v,
28. "As as hook of corn cometh in in his
season."
This is the time Of the year for husls-
ing corn. II you have recently been in
the fields Of Pennsylvania or New Jer-
sey 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 and left them
all along the fields until q man came
with a bundle of straw and twisted
Jew 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 IL in the field in what is called
d shock. There are now at least two
billion bushels Of corn either standing
in the shock or having been already
4. E. <s<.n 10 u
on one farm, and then another day on
another farm, and they put on their
rough huslxing apron, and they take the
husking peg, which is a piece OF iron
with d leathern loop fastened to the
hand, and with it unsheath the corn
from the husk and toss 1t into the golden
heap. Then the wagons come along and
take it to the corncrib.
SCRIPTURE STORIES ABOUT CORN.
About corn as an important cereal OF
corn as a metaphor the Bible is con-
stantly speaking. You know about the
people in famine coming to 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 of corn that in pha.
roah's dream devoured the seven good
ears. and the "parched corn" handed to
beautiful Ruth by the harvesters OF
Bethlehem, and AbigaiPs five measures
of "parched corn with which she hoped
to appease the enemies Of her drunken
husband, and David's description of the
valleys covered over with corn" and
s'the handful of corn in the earth" and
'sthe full corn in the ear" and Christs
Sabbath morning walk through corn
fields, and the disciples "plucking ears
of corn" and so / am not surprised to
find corn husking time referred to in my
text '.As shock of corn cometh in in
his season"
How vividly to all those of us who
were born in the country comes the re-
membrance of husking timei We wait.
ed for it as for q gala day Of the year.
It was called frolic. 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 gleeful company. The frosts
which had silvered everything during
the night began to melt off the top Of
the corn shocks. While the farmers
were waiting for others they stood
blowing their breath through their fin
gers or thrashing their arms around
their body to keep up warmth Of circu'
lation. Roaring mirth greeted the late
& farmer as no crawled over the fence.
Joke and repartee and rustic salutation
abounded All ready nowl
The men take hold OF the shock OF
corn and hurl it prostrate, while the
Emoles and mice which have secreted
themselves there for warmth attempt
escape The withe of straw is unwound
from the corn shock, and the stalks heavy
with the wealth Of grain are rolled into
two bundles, between which the huskei
sits down. The husking peg is thrust in
until it strikes the corn, and then the
fingers rip Off the sheathing Of the ear
and there is crack as the root Of the
corn is snapped off from the husk, and
the grain disimprisoned is hurled up inte
the sunlight.
The air Ia so tonic. the work Is 80 very
exhilarating, the company is so blitht
that some laugh, and some shout, and
some sing, and some banter, and some
tease neighbor for romantic ride
hlong the Q1ge of the woods in an even
tide in carriage that holds but two
and some prophesy as to the number o.
bushels to the field, and others go int
competition as to which shall rife tn,
most corn shocks before sundown. Aftel
awhile the dinner horn sounds from tn,
farmhouse, and the table is surrounded
by group Of jolly and hungry men.
From all the pantries, and the cellars
and the perches Of fowl ON the place thu
richest dainties come, and there is car
nival and neighborhood reunion, and /
scene which fills our memory part will
bmiles, but more with tears, as we re
member that the farm belongs now t.
other owners. and other hands gather il
the field, and many of those who min
gled In that merry husking scene hav'
themselves been reaped like as shocl
Of corn cometh in in his season."
THEY HAD OUR KIND OF CORN.
There is difference Of opinion as I,
whether the orientals knew anything
about the corn rs ii stands in our fields
but recent discoveries have found on
that the Hebrew knew all about Indiai
maize. for there have been grains of corr
picked up out Of ancient crypts and OK
huned from hiding places where the,
were put down many centuries ago, an'
they have been planted in our time an'