Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-04-11

Ils t1s
BRooELrS, April 1O.-This day is rec
ognized as Palm Sunday throughout th'
world. and that fact gave direction tc
Dr. Talmage's sermon. Among tht
hymns sung was the hymn
Clad In rairoent pare and white.
Victor palms in every hand.
Text, John XII. 10. ''They took branchee
Of palm trees and went forth to mee
him
How was that possibleg 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 gnarded for many years
at Jericho has gone. went over the
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 reInembeI
that the climate has changed. The palm
tree likes water, but by the cutting down
Of the forests, which are leafy prayer
for rain. the Land has become unfriendig
to the palm tree. Jericho once stood IN
seven miles of palm grove. Olivet wsa
crowned with palms. The Dead sea haf
on its banks the trunks Of palm tree
that hoated down from some old time
palm grove, and are preserved from de
cyy gy the salt which they received from
tie lead sea. Let woodmen spare the
trees Of America, if they wonld not ruin
os.sly change the climate and bring to
Il IS soil barrenness instead of fertility.
Thanks to God and the legislatures fol-
Ari5aa Day, which plants trees. trying TO
atonc fsT the ruthlessness which has de
st4oyed them. Yes, my text is in haT
rnony with the condition Of that country
OF the morning Of Palm Sunday. About
three million people have come to Jeru-
srlcn 10 attend the religious festivities.
Great newsl NJesus will enter Jerusalem
tc lay. 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 Chrisi
as he 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, 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 Bueeph-
alus, Duke Ellie rode his famous Marche-
gay. Sir Henry Lawrence rode the high
mettled Conrad, Wellington rode his
proud Copenhagen, but the conqueror
of earth and heaven rides a 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 tho beast. While some people
gripped the bride Of the colt, others
reyerently 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-
rnonstratiye 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 ia 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 10 Phocea until that
ball rose and foatod ON the surface. BE
not surprised, therefore, at the demon
Btration in the text AS the colt with
It's rider descends the slope of Olivet
the palm trees lining the road are called
upon TO render their contribution 10 the
scene of welcome and rejoicing. The
branches Of these trees are high up, and
some must needs climb the trees and tear
OF the leaves and throw them down,
and others make Of these leaves an EN-
erald pavement for the colt 10 tread on.
THK PALM TYPICAL or 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 Nineyeh with the same signifi
canoe. In the Greek athletic games tbs
yictors 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
Oh, the glorious palml Amarasinga, tbs
Hindoo scholar, calls 1t ''the king among
the grasses" LinnRus calls il "ths
prince OF vegetation" Among all tbs
trees that ever cast shadow or yielded
fruit or lifted their arms toward heaven
1t has no equal for multitudinous uses
Do you want fowersg One palm tree
viii put forth hanging garden Of them
--one cluster counted by a scientist con
tanning 207 900 blooms. Do you wani
food? Il is the chief diet of whole ma
t0ns. One palm in Chill win yield ninety
gallons Of honey. In Polynesia il Is ths
chief food OF the inhabitants. In India
there are multitudes Of people dependent
up0n It for sustenance. Do you wanl
cable 10 hold ships or cords 20 hold wild
boastsf II is wound into ropes nnbreak
able. DO You want articles OF houss
furniturcg Il is twisted into mats and
woven into baskets and shaped intc
drinking cups and swung into ham
m0elksf Do You want medicinel Its nut
Is the chief preventive Of disease and the
chief cure for vast populations. DO you
want housesf lts wood furnishes the
wall for the homes and is leaves thatch
them. DO You need q supply for the
pantry Il yields sugar and starch and
Oh and sago and milk and salt aud wax
and vinegar aud candles.
Oh. fl,o uallni II has a variety Of en-