The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-11
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APALM SUNDAY SERMON.
SCATTERING OF THE BRANCHES IN
THE PATH OF CHRIST.


Rev, TalmaRe breaches on Text
Taken From the Book of John-Cen-
tral Palestine Now Bare of the Palm
Trees That Flourished in the Day of
the Savior.
BROOKLYN, N. Y, April 10.-This day 10
recognized as Palm Sunday throughout the
world. and that fact gave direction to DIR.
Talmage's sermon. Among the hymns sung
was the hymn
Clad in raiment pure and white,
| Victor palms in every hand
Text: John xii, Is, ''They took branches
of palm trees and went forth to meet him."
How was that possiblel How could palm
branches be cast in the way Of Christ as he
approached Jerusalem. There are scarcely
any palm trees In Central Palestine. Even
the one that was carefully guarded for many
years at Jericho has gone. | went over ths
very road by which Christ approached
Jerusalem, and there are plenty Of olive
trees and tig trees, but no palm trees that
could see. You must remember than
the climate has changed. The palm
tree likes water, but by the cuts
ting down of the forests, which ara
leafy prayers for rain, the land has be-
come unfriendly to the palm tree. JeriA
ohio once stood in seven miles OF palm
grove. Olivet was crowned with palms.
The Dead sea ON its banks the trunks OF
palm trees that fioated down from some old
time palm grove. and are preserved from
decay by the salt which they received from
the Dead sea. Let woodmen spare tha
trees OF America, II they would not rum
ously change the climate and bring to the
soil barrenness instead OF fertility. Thanks
TO God and the legislatures for Arbor day,
which plants trees, I'll ying TO atone for the
IrtE xukE oh kma
Yes, my text is in harmony with the cons
dition of that country on the morning Of
| Palm Sunday. Alb ut three million peopla
have come to Jerusalem to attend the re-
ltgious festivities. Great news Jesus will
enter Jerusalem to-day. The sky is red
with the morning, and the people are fiock-
ing out to the foot OF Olivet, and up and on
| over the southern shoulder of the mounts
ain, and the procession coming out from
the CITY meets the procession escorting
Christ as he comes toward the city. Theirs
Is a turn in the road where Jerusalem sud-
denly bursts upon the vision. We had ridden
that day all the way from Jericho. and had
visited the ruias of the house of Mary and
| Martha and Lazarus, and were somewhat
weary of sightseeing, when there suddenly
| arose before our vision Jerusalem, the re-
| liRious capital OF all Christian ages That
| was the point of observation where my
text comes in. Alexander rode Bucephalus,
| Duke Ellie rode his famous Marchegay, Sir
Heury Lawrence rode the high-mettled
Conrad, Wellington rode his proud Copen-
| hagen, but the conqueror of earth and
heaven rides a colt, one that had been tied
| at tie roadside. 1t was unbroken, and
have no doubt fractions at the vociferation
of tho populace. An extemp1rized
saddle made out Of the garments Of she
people was put on the beast While soms
people gripped the bride of the colt. others
reverenty waited upon Christ at the
| en- g~E
people now became one--those
who came out Of the city and those who
came over the hill. The Orientals are more
demonstrative than we of the western
| world their voices louder, their gesticula--
tions more violent aud the symbols by
| which they express their emotions more
significant. The people who left Phocea ia
she far east, wishing to make impressive
that they would never return, took a red
hot ball Of iron and threw it into the sea,
and said they would never return TO PhOcea
until that bali rose and fioated on the
surface. Be not surprised, therefore, an
| the demonstration In the text. AS the colt
with ito rider descends the slope Of Olives
the palm trees lining the road are called
upon to render their contribution to the
| scene of welcome and rejoicing. The
branches OF these trees are high up. aud
some must nesds climb the trees and tear
Off the leaves and throw them down, and
others make of these leaves an emerald
pavement for the colt to tread on.
Long before that morning the palm tree
had been typical of triumph. Herodotus
| and Strabo had thus described it, Iayard
finds the palm leaf cut in the walls Of Nine
veh, with the same Significance. In the
Greek athletic games the victors carried
palms | am very glad that our Lord, who
five days after had thorns upon his brow,
for little while, at least, had palms strewn
| under his feet. O, the glorious palmt
| AnaFagiuOa HInnnn lla ft-
''the king among the grasses" Lnnmus
oalls it ''the prince OF vegetation" Among
all the trees that ever cast a shadow or
yielded fruit or lifted their arms toward
heaven, 1t has no equal for multitudinous
uses. Do you want flowers One palm
tree will put forth hanging garden Of
them, one cluster counted by a scientist
containing two hundred and seven thousand
blooms. Do you want foodl 1t is the
| chief diet Of whole nations.
One palm in Chile will yield ninety
| gallons of honey. In Polynesia il is the
chief food OF the Inhabitants Ia India there
are multitudes Of people dependent on it for
| sustenance. Do you want cable to hold
ships, OF cords to hold wild beastsl Ii is
| wound into ropes unbr5 akable Do you
want articles OF house furniture2 It is
| twisted into mats, and woven into baskets
and shaped into drinking cups and swung
into hnmmocks. Do you want medicnef
Its nut is the chief preventive of disease
and the chief cure for vast populations. Do
you want housesl Its wood furnishes the
wall for the homes, and its leaves thatch
them. Do you need a supply for the pantrys
1t tyields sugar, and starch. and oil, and sago,
and milk, and salt, and wax. and vinegar
and candles.
o, the palml IL has variety Of endow-
ments, such as no other growth that ever
rooted the earth or kissed the heavens To
the willow, God says "Stand by the water
courses and weep To the cedar, he says:
"Gather the hurricanes into your bosom"
To the fig tree. he says: Bear fruit and
put IL within reach of all the people" But,
to the palm tree. he says: BE garden aud
store house and wardrobe and rope-walk
and chandlery and bread and banquet and
mandatory, and. then, be type Of what
meant when inspired David, my servant,
to say: The righteous shall flourish like
palm tree" o, Lord God, give us more
palm trees-men and women made for
nothing but to be useful; dispositions al
abloom; branches Of influence laden with
fruit, people good for everything, as the
palm tree. If kind words are wanted.
they are ready to utter them. II helpful
deeds are needed, they are ready to perform
them. If plans of usefulness are to be
laid out. they are ready to prject them. IL
enterprises are to be forwarded, they are
ready to lift them. People who say, "Yes!