Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1892-04-11
THE PALM BRANCHES
SUBJECT OF DR.. TALMAGE'S REGU-
LAR SUNDAY SERMON.

Went Forti, to Meet EIim''-rFext. John
xii, IS.
Brooklyn, April I0.-This day is rec
ognized as Palm Sunday throughout the
world, and that fact gave direction TIC
DIR. Talmagos sermon. Among the
hymns sung was the hymn
Clad in railncnt pure and white,
Victor palms in every hand.
Text. John xii. 10. They took branches
of palm trees and went forth to meet
him.
How was that posi- le' How. could +
palm branches be cast IN the way OF +
Christ as lie approached Jerusalem: /
There are scarcely any palm trees in
central Palestine. Even the one that I
was carefully guarded for many years
at Jericho has gone. | went over the I
very road by which Christ approached /
Jerusalem, and there are plenty Of olive
trees and fig trees, but no palm trees
that | could see You must remember /
that the climate has changed. The palm
tree likes water, but by The cutting down
of the forests. which are leafy prayers
for rain. the land has become unfriendly
to the palm tree. Jericho once stood IN
seven miles of palm grove. Oivet was
crowned with palms. The Dead sea has
ON its banks the trunks of palm trees
that foated down from some old time
palm grove, and are preserved from de-
cav by the salt which they received from
the Dead sea. Let woOdmen spare the
trees of America, if they would not ruin
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, trying to
atone for the ruthlessness which has de-
stroyed them. Yes, my text is In har-
mony with the condition of that country
ON the morning of Palm Sunday. About
three million people have come to Jeru-
salem to attend the religious festivities.
Great news! Jesus Will enter Jerusalem
today. The sky is red with the morn
ing, and the people are flocking out to
the foot of Olivet, and up and on over
the southern shoulder of the mountain,
and the procession coming out from the
city meets the procession escorting Christ
as he comes toward the city. There is
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 ruins
of the house of Mary and Martha and
Lazarus, and were somewhat weary OF
sight seeing, when there suddenly arose
before our vision Jerusalem, the reli-
gious capital of all Christian ages. That
was the point of observation where my
text comes in. Alexander rode Buceph
alus. Duke Ellie rode his famous Marche
gay, Sir Henry Lawrence rode the high
melted Conrad, Wellington rode his
proud Copenhagen, but the conqueror
of earth and heaven rides colt, one
that had been tied at the roadside. 1t
was unbroken, and have no doubt
fractions at the vociferation of the popu-
lace. An extemporized saddle made out
of the garments of the people was put
on the beast. While some people
gripped the bride of the colt, others
reverently waited upon Christ at the
mounting The two professions of peo-
pie now become one-those who came
out Of the city and those who came over
the hill. The orientals are more de-
monstrative than we of the western
world, their voices louder, their gesticu-
lations more violent. and the symbols
by which they express their emotions
more significant. The people who left
Phocea in the far east, wishing to make
impressive that they would never re-
turn. took a red hot ball of iron and
threw it into the sea and said they
would never return to Phocea until that
ball rose and foated on the surface Be
not surprised therefore, at the demon
.;tration in the text. AS the colt with
its rider descends the slope of Olivet,
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, and
some must needs climb the trees and tear
off the leaves and throw them down,
and others make of these leaves an en-
erald pavement for the colt to tread on.
THE PALM TYPICAL OF TRIUMPH.
Long before that morning the palm
tree had been typical of triumph. Herod-
otus and Strabo had thus described it.
Layard finds the palm leaf cut in the
walls of Nineveh with the same signif-
canoe. In the Greek athletic games the
victors carried palms. l 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
Oh, the glorious palm! Amarasinga, the
Hindoo scholar, calls it 1.-THE king among
the grasses Linneus calls it ''the
prince of vegetation" Among all the
trees that ever cast a shadow or yielded
fruit or lifted their arms toward heaven
it has no equal for multitudinous uses
Do you want flowers? One palm tree
will put forth a hanging garden OF then
one cluster counted by a scientist con
tanning 207,0 900 blooms. Do you wan
food? 1t is the chief diet of whole ma
tons One palm in Chill will yield ninet.
gallons of honey. In Polynesia it is TIN
chief food of the inhabitants. In Indi;
there are multitudes of people dependen