The Red Cloud chief., 1892-11-11
FLIGHT OF THE RDs
From Which Dr. Talmage Draws
Some Instructive Lessons
Birds Recognise the Appointed Time For
Moving and Men should Be Thus
Wise In Making Their start
For God and Heaven.

In . late ermon Mt Brooklyn Rev. T
Dewitt Talmage contrasted the sagaci
~ OF the birds In moving south ut thu
approach Of winter with the lack O
wisdom In men in starting for thei,
heavenly home. He took his text from
jeremiah viii. 7: 1.-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" DR.. Talmagc said,
When God would set fast a beautiful
thought He plants IL in n tree. When
He would put II afloat He fashions II
Into a fish. When He would have II
glide tho air He molds IL into q bird.
My text speaks Of four birds Of beauti.
full ~instinct--thc stork, Of such strong
affection that IL Is allowed familiarly
to come In Holland and Germany and
build it's 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 n 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 tho clutch OF stout
claw. / suppose IL may have been this
very season Of tho year-autumn-and
the prophet out Of doors. thinking Of
the impenitence OF the people Of his
day, hears q great cry overhead.
Now you know Il Ia no easy thing for
n with ordinary delicacy Of sight 10
look into the deep blue Of the MONDAY
heaven; but the prophet looks up, and
there are flocks Of storks, and turtle
doves, and cranes, and swallows, drawn
out In long lines for fight southwark.
As is their habit, the cranes had ar
ranged themselves into two lines maxi
ing m 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
70 write: 1.-THE stork 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"
II you are in the field to-day, in the
clump of trees at the corner of the field,
you would see n convention of birds,
noisy as the American congress the last
night before adjournment, or as the
English parliament when some unfor-
tunate member proposes more economy
In the queens household convention
OF birds all talking ut once, moving and
passing resolutions or the subject of
~migrations; some proposing TO 60 to-
morrow, some moving that they 90 to-
day. some moving that they go to Bra
Zil, some to Florida, some to the table
lands OF Mexico, but oil unanimous in
the fact that they must GO 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 q belted
kingfisher, or q chafiinch. or q fire
crested wren, or o plover, or q red
legged partridge but expects to spend
The winter ut 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,
Swayl Fly on, great band Of heavenly
musicians! Strew the continents with
music, and whether from northern
fields, or Carolina swamps. or Brazilian
groves, men SCI your wings, or hear
your voice, may they bethiuk them
selves of the solemn words Of the text:
1.-THE stork 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"
4proposc, SO far rs God may help me,
this morning, carrying out the idea of
the text, to show that the birds of the
air have more saRacity than men. And
l begin by particularizing and saying
that they mingle music with their
work. The most serious undertaking
of q birds life is the annual travel from
the Hudson to the Amazon, from the
Thames to the Nile. Naturalists tell
N that they arrive there thin and
weary, and plumage rufied, and yet
they go singing all 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. suppose their song gives elias
ITCHY TO their wing and helps on with
the journey, dwindling 1000 miles into
900. Would God that we were as wise
rs they in mingling Christian song with
our every day work. I believe there Is
such a thing a. taking the pitch Of
Christian devotion In the morning and
keeping Il all the day. I think we
might take some OF the dullest, heavi-
eat, most disagreeable work of our life
and set IL to the tune OF antioch" or
"Mount Pisgah."
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