Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1892-03-24
| GIANTS COUCH.
The Iron Bedstead Used by King Og
Was Certainly a Mammoth
Affair.
DR.. Talmage Argues in Favor Of Sleep
as Necessary for the Well-Beiug
of the Human Race.

IL. "Only Og, king OF Bashan, re-
manned OF the remnant of giants; be-
hold, his bedstead was q bedstead of
iron: is it not in Rabbath OF the chill
dren OF Ammon? Nine cubits was the
length thereof and four cubits the
breadth OF it,
The story OF giants is mixed with
myth. William the Conqueror was
said to have been OF ove-towering
altitude, but when, in after time, his
tomb was opened. his bones indicat-
ed that he had been physically OF
only ordinary size. Roland the Hero
was said to have been OF astounding
stature, but when his sepulchre was
examined his armor was found only
large enough to fit an ordinary
man. Alexander the Great had
helmets and shields oil enormous size
made and left among the people whom
he had conquered, so as to give the
impression that he was giant, al
though he was rather under than over
the usual height OF man. But that
i'll other days and lands there rereal
giants is authentic. One OF the guards
OF the duke OF Brunswick was 81 feet
high. In q museum in London is the
skeleton OF Charles Brine, s feet 4
inches in stature. The Emperor
MaXimin was over s feet. Pliny tells
of q giant feet high, and two other
giants 81 feet. So l am not incredu-
lous when come to my text and find
King Og a giant, and the size Of his
bedstead, turning the cubits Of the
text into feet-the bedstead OF Og,
the king, must have been about 13b
feet long. Judging from that, the
giant who occupied it was probably
about IL feet in stature, or nearly
twice the average human size. There
was no need of Rabbincial writer's
trying to account for the presence Of
this giant, King Og, as they did, by
other side OF the flood, being tall
enough to wade the waters beside
Noah's Ark: or that he rode on the
top OF tho Ark, the passengers inside
the Ark daily providing him with
food. There was
NOTHING SUPERNATURAL
about ..hlm. He was simply mon
ster in size.
Cyrus and Solomon slept on beds OF
u gold, and Sardanapalus had $50 bed
Il steads OF gold burned up with him,
II but this bedstead OF my text was OF
vi thing sacrificed for strength
~ to hold this excessive avoirdupois,
NJ this Alp OF bone and flesh. No won
sSder this couch was kept as q curiosity
Mat Rabbath, and people went from tar
|ssand near to see it, just as now people
ss%go to museums to behold the armor
mot the ancients.
ssS A land OF indescribable opulence
|Ss#comes into their possession, and all
is lett of the giant king is the iron
"Nine cubits was helength
and four cubits the breadth OF
NH Why did not the Bible give us the
|s|#size OF the giant instead of the size OF
Sthe bedstead? Why did it not indi-
sNscate that the man was IL feet high in
sgsstead OF telling us that his couch was
S13k feet long? No doubt among
Bic ther things it was to teach us that O.
Aman can be Judged by his surround
I'll ings. Show me q mans associates,
III show me a mans books, show me q
II mans home and I will tell you what
n hi is without your telling me one word
about him. You cannot only tell a
man according to the old adage, "6y
the company he keeps" but by the
\ books he reads, by the pictures he adj
h mires, by the church he attends, by
the places he visits. Moral giants and
MORAL PIGNIEs,
intellectual giants and intellectual
pigmies, like physical giants or physl-
cal pignies may be judged by their sur
roundngs. -.
When a man departs this life you
can tell what has been his influence IN
a community for good by those who
mourn for him and by how sincere
and long continued are the regrets OF
his taking off. There may be no pomp
or obsequies and no pretense at cpl
tapheoogy, but you can tell how high
he was in conservation, and how high
in usefulness by how long is his shad-
ow when he comes to lie down. What
{ is true OF individuals is true OF cities
and nations. Show me free libraries
and, schools OF a city, and Twill tell
you the intelligence of it's people;
Show me it's gallery OF painting ana
sculpture, and will tell you the ar
tistic advancement OF its citizens;
Show me it's churches, end will tell
the moral and religion status OF the
place. :4a
Notice furthermore that even giants
must rest. Such enormous physical
endowment on the part OF King og
might suggest the capacity to STRIDE
across ali fatigue and omit slumberr.
No. He requires an iron bedstead.
Giants must rest. Not appreciating
that fact, how many OF the giants liant:
yearly break down. Giants in bust
ness, giantsin art, giants in eloauences,
Z, giants in usefulness; Iney I'VE 9r ,,oe
try to escape the consequence OF over.
work by voyage across the sea or a
summer yacht, or call on physicians
for relief from insomnia orrestoration,
81 unstrung nerves or the arrest o.
apoplexies, when all they need is VIVA.
this giant of my text resorted toIan
iron bedstead. Let no one think be
cause he has great strength OF body o. o.
mind that he can afford to trifie witt