Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-12-01
AT THE TABERNACLE.
THE INeATHERINe SEASON THE oc-
cAsloN OF AN IMPORTANT LESSON.

DR.. Taimage Thinks the Ancients Were Ac-
quainted with Our American Corn-The
Harvest OF the Year but Foreshadow-
ing Of tho Harvest OF Earth.
BROOKLYN, Nov 27.-Rev. DR.. Talmage
today chose for his subject Of discourse
one eminently suited to the time following
the ingathering of the harvests and to che
Thanksgiving season. The decoratic ns of
the Thanksgiving day still remair ed on
the platform and the galleries, aid long
rows of yellow and white corn on ghe front
and back Of the platform were in accord
with the sermon. The text selected was
Job v, 20, "As shock Of com cometh In in
bis season."
This is the time OF the year for huslxing
corn. If you have recently been in the
fields of Pennsylvania, or New Jersey, or
New York, or Nezs England, or in any of
the country districts, you know that the
corn is all cut. The sharp knife struck
through the stalks and left them all along
the fields until q man came with bundle
of straw and twisted few Of these wisps
of straw into a band, and then, gathering
up as muchof the corn as he could compass
with his arms, he bound it with this wisp
of straw, and then stood it in the Geld in
what is called a shock. There are nov at
least two billion bushels of corn either
standing In the shock or having been al
ready husked. The farmers gather one
day ON one farm and then another day on
anotherifarm, and they put on their rough
husking apron, and they take the husking
peg, which is piece of iron with'R leath-
em loap fastened to the hand, and with it
uusheath the corn from the husk and toss
it into the golden heap. Then the wagons
come along and take it TO he'corncrib.
THE BIBLE USES CORN AS "A EYPE.
Abeut corn as an important cereal or
cornsas a metaphor the Bibleis constantly
speaking You know about the people in
famine coming to buy corn Of 5oseph, and
the foxes on fire running intothe ''stand-
| ingcorn," and about the oxentreading out
| the'corn, and about the seven thin ears of
cg1n that in Pharoah2 8 SdreamSlevoured the
| seven good ears, and the ',pnrched corn"
handed to beautiful Ruth ibE the harvest
| ,ers of Bethlehem, and Abigail's five meas
| stres of "parched corn," with which she
! hoped to appease the enemies of her drunk
en- husband, and David s descriptions the
| valleys covered over with corn" and "the
handful of corn in the earth, I" and ~the full
Ycorn in the ear" and 'Christ's Sabbath
rmorning walk through, corn fields, and the
sdisciples "plucking ears Of corn, !" and so
aam not surprised to find corn husking time
referred to in my text, '"As q shock of corn
cometh in in his season."
4 How vividly 10 all Those of usVwho were
4 horn in tho 0dd1Ot1,u mamma tho rap,au1.
/ brance of husking time. We waited for ii
as for a Sala day of the year. Itawas called
/ frolic. The trees having for the most
! part shed their foliage, the farmers waded
/ through the fallen leaves and came
| through the keen morning air to the glee
4 full company. The frDsts, which had sill
| vered everything duning the night, began
to melt off the top of the corn shocks
While the farmers were waiting for Others
they stood blowing their breath through
their fingers or .thrashing their arms
around their body,to keepqp warmth OF
circulation Roaring mirth greeted the
late farmer as he crawled, over the fence
Joke and rePartee and rustic salutatioI
abounded. All ready now!
The men take hold of the.|Shock of corr
and hurl it prostrate, while the moles anG
mice which have secreted themselves there
for warmth attempt escape. The withe o.
straw is unwOund from the corn shock
and the stalks heavy with Ithe wealth O
grain are rolled into two bundles, between
which the hnsker sits down. The huskins
peg is thrust in until it strikes the corn
and then the fingers rip off, the sheathinl
Of the ear, and lthare is a.crsrk as the roo
| op tho 10 ano a1 off bo b,,,l
and the grain disimprisonsd is hurled III
into the sunlight. The air rs so tonic, thl
work is SO very,eahilarating, 'the company
is so blithe that some laugh, and som,
shout, and some sing and some banter
and some tease eanefghborgf FOR romanti,
ride along the edge Of the woods in al
eventide in carriage that holds but two
and some prophesy4as to tho number O
bushels to the field, and others go int
competition as towhich shalLrifie the mos
corn shocks before snndown.
i After awhile the dinner horn sounds
I from the farmhouse, and thertable is sur
| rounded by group ,of jolly;and hungry
men. From adj the tpantries and the eel
i lars and the parches sof fowl oOn the plac,
A the richest dainties come, and there i.
4 carnival and neighborhood reunion, and 1
| scene which fills our memory, part will
\ smiles, but more with tears, MS we remem
h ber that the farm belongs now to othel
! owners, and other hands gather in tn,
field, and many of these who mingled il
that merry husking scene have themselves
been reaped like asia,Bhock,ef corn com
eeth in in his seasan."
| THERE IS NO DEATH T8 THE GIJRISTIAN.
! There is a difference of opinion as tx
whether the onientals knew anything
about the corn as it stands in our fields
but recent discoveries have foundeout thai
the Hebrew knew all ;ahaut Indian maize
for there have been grains of corn picked
up out of ancient crypts and eyhumet
from hiding places wheEs .they,were put
.dewn many centuries aga and they have
bsen planted in our time and have comt
up just such Indian maize as we. raise il
| Now York and Ohio SO Lam rightyWhen
| say that my text may refer to q shock o.
! corn just as you ami / ib0und it; just az
you and l threw it; just as you and
huaked it. There may come some prastica
and useful and comforting lessonsito al
Oursspuls while we think of eomingtin al
Last like shock of corn eonaath iniR his
season."
Mis, high time that the King of Terror:
werethrown out of the Christian vocab
ulary. A vast multitude of people talk Of
death as though it were the disaster oi
disasters, instead of being to a good mar
the blessing of blessings. 1t is nsOvingout
of e0ld'vestibule into warm tample Gi
is migrating into groves OF redolance and
perpetual fruitage, 1t is a change from
bleak March to roseate june. 1t lis 20
change of manacles for garlands. tits the
transmitting Of the iron handenffs ,qi
earthly Incarceration iato the diamonded
wristlets of bridal party, or, to use the
suggestion pf my text. it is only hnsking
time. 1t is the tearing off of the rough
sheath of the body that the bright and the
beautiful sola may go free. Coming in
like shock of corn cometh in in his sea.
| son." Christ broke nm a funeral nr0ces.