Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1892-04-30
REV. DR.. TALMAGE


how wac tnaL possible. now COulQ palm
branches be cast in the way OF Christ as He
any palm trees in Central Palestine. Even
the one that was carefully guarded for many
years at Jericho has gone. | vent over the
very road by which Christ approached Jer-
usalem, and there are plenty OF olive trees
and fig trees, but no palm trees that | could
SEE. You must remember that the climate
has cnangei. The palm tree likes water, but
by the cutting down of the forests, which
are leafy prayer for rain. the land has be-
come unfriendlY to the palm tree. Jericho
once stood in seven miles Of palm grove.
Oliv-t was crowned with palms. Tbs Dead
Sea has on its banks the trunks of palm
trees that foatei down from some oldtime
palm grove AMI are preserved from decay
by the salt which they received from tho
Dea Sea.
Let woodmen spare the trees Of America,
If they would not ruinousiy change the cli-
mate and hrlng TO tue soft barrenness instead
Of fertility. Thanks to God and the legisla.
lures for Arbor Day, which plants trees. try
ing TO atone for the ruthleSsness which has
destroyed 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 Jerusalem to
attend the religious festivities. Great newsl
Jesus will enter Jerusalem to-day. The sky
is red with tho morning, and the people arc
focaing 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 lie comes toward the city. There
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 ruins Of the house
OF Mary and Martha and Lazarus, INC were
somewhat weary Of sigh seeing, when there
suddenly arose before our vision Jerusalem,
the religious capital OF all Christian ages.
That was the point Of observation where my
text comes in. Alexander rode Bucephalus,
Duke Ele rode his famous Merchegay, Sir
Henry Lawrence rode the hiyhmettleI Con-
RAJ, Wellington rode hi. proud Copenhagen,
but the conqueror OF earth and hcaven rides
u colt, one tuat had been tied at the roadside.
1t was unbroxen. and [ have no doubt frac-
tous at the vociteration Of the populace. An
e~xtemporiZed saddle made ont of the gar
mcnto OF the people was, put on the beast.
While some people gripe1 the bride of the
colt. others reverently waited upon Christ at
the mountain.
The two professions Of people COW become
one those who came out OF the city and
chose who came over the hill. The %orientals
are more administrative than we of the
western world, their voices louder, their
gesticulations 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 return, took a red hot
ball OF iron and threw it into the sea, and
said they would never return to Phocea until
that ball roseanl foated on the surface. Be
not surprised, therefore, at the demonstra-
ton 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 contri-
button to the scene OF welcome and rejoio-
ing. The branches of these trees are high up,
and some must peeds climb the trees and tear
off the leaves and til row them down, and
others make Of these lbaves an emerald pave
ment for the colt to III Oh ON.
Long before that m4rning the palm tree
had been typical Of triumph. Herodotus and
Strabo had thus described it. Leyard finds
the palm leaf cut in the walls of Nineveh,
with the same significance. In the Greek
athletic games the victors- carried palms. !
am very glad that our LA-d, who five days
after had thorns upon His brow, for O little
while at least had palms strewn under His
feet. Oh, the glorious palml Amarasinga,
the Hindoo scholar, calls it the king among
the grasses Llnna-us calls it 1.-The prince Of
vegetation
Among all the trees that ever cast q
shadow or yielded fruit or lifted their arms
toward heaven, it has no equll for multi
tudlnous uses. Do you want nowers? One
palm tree Will put forth a hanging garden
of them. one cluster counted by q scientist
containing 2O7, 600 blooms. Do you want
food? 1t is the chief diet Of the whole nations.
One palm in Chile will yield ninety gallons
of honey. In Polynesia it is the chief food
of the inhabitants. In India there are null
titu les OF people dependent upon it for sus.
%tepance.
DO you want cable to hold ships or cords
to hold wild beasts. 1t is wound into rope
unbreakable. Do you want articles of house
furniture? 1t is twisted into mats and woven
into baskets and shaped into drinking cup:
AMI swung into hammocks. Do you wan4
medicine? Its nut is the chief preventive OF
disease and the chief cure for vast popula.
tions. DO you want houses? Its wood turn.
ishes the wall for the homes, and its leaves
thatch them. DO you need a supply for the
pantry: 1t yields sugar and starch AMI oil
and sago and milk and salt and wax ant
vinegar and candles.
Oh, the palm. 1t has a variety of en- low
ments, such as no othe: growth that eve
rooted the earth or kisSsi the heavens. I,
the willow. God says stand by the waite
courses and weep. 10 the CEDAR ne say
"Gather the hurricanes into our bosom.
To the fig tree He says, Bear fruit and p,
it within reach of oil the people" But
the palm tree He says, BE garden al
storehouse and wardrobe and ropewaik an
chandlery and bread and banquet and man
utactory, and then be type OF what l mean
when | inspired Davi', Ny servant, to say
The righteous shall flourish like a pair
tree"
Oh, Lord God. give us more palm trees
men and women made for nothing but to b
useful: dispositions all abloom: branches c
influence laden with fruit; people good fo
everything, as the palm tree. fkiEd word
are wanted they are ready to utter then
If helpful deeds are needed they are read
to perform them. II plans of usefulness ar
to be laid out they are ready to projee
them. Ii enterprises are to be forwarde
they are ready to lift them. People VIII
say Yes! Yesr' when they are asked fo
assistance by word or deed, instead of INC
Nor
Most OF the mysteries that bother other
do not bother me. because l adjourn then
but the mystery that really bothers me
why God made so many people who anou
to nothing SO far as the worlds bettermel
Is concerned. They stand in the way The
object. They discuss hinirances. The
suggest possibilities Of failure. Over Il
road of HE, instead of pulling in the trace
they are lying back in the breechings. The
are the everlasting No. They are bramb
trees, they are willows, always mournin.
or wild cherry trees, yielding only the 81
ter; OF crab apple trees. producing only I