Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-04-15
REV. DR.. 4ALMAGH.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine's Sun
day Sermon.
Subject: "The Glorious Palm"

any palm trees in Central Palestine. Even
the one that was carefully guarded for many
years at Jericho has gone. went over the
very road by which Christ appro lched Jer-
usalen, and there are plenty OF olive trees
and fig trees but no palm trees that | could
see. You must remember that the climate
has changer. The palm tree likes water, but
by the cutting down of the forests, which
are leafy prayers for rain, the land has be
come unfriendlY to the palm tree. Jericho
once stood in seven miles OF palm grove.
Olivet was crowned with palms. The Dead
Sea has on its banks tho trunks OF palm
trees that Hoatel down from some oldtime
palm grove and are preserved from decay
by the salt which they received from the
Deal Sea.
Let woodmen spare the trees OF America,
if they would not ruinously chanye the eli
mate and bring to the soil barrenness instead
of fertility. Thanks to God and the legisla
lures for Arbor Day, which plants trees, try
ing to atone for the ruthlessless 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. Greatnews!
Jesus will enter jerusalem to-day. The sky
is red with the morning and the people are
hocking out TO the foot of Ohvet, and up
and on over the southern shoulder o. the
mountain, and the procession coming out
from the city meets the procession escortlng
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 AMI Martha and Lazarus, and were
somewhat weary Of sight seeing, when there
suddenly arose before our vision Je- usaem,
the religious capital of all Christian ages.
That was the point of observation where my
text comes in. Alexander rode BucephaluS,
Duke Ellie rode his famous Merchegay, Sir
Henry Lawrence rode the high mettlet Con-
rad, Wellington rode his proud Copenhagen,
but the conqueror OF earth AMI heaven rides
colt, one that had been tied at the roadside.
1t was unbrozen. and have no doubt frac-
tious at the vociferation of the populace. An
extemporizsd saddle made ont Of the gar
ments of the people was put on the beast.
While some people griped the bride OF the
colt, others reverently waited upon Christ at
the mountain.
The two professions Of people now become
one-those who came out OF the city and
those who came over the hill. The orientals
are more demonstrative than we Of the
western world. their voices louder, their
gestlcuations more violent an 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 bail rose and foated on the surface. BE
not surprised, therefore, at the demonstra-
ton in the text
As the colt with is rider de; ,enis the
slope of Olivet, the palm trees inning the
road are called upon to render their contri-
button TO the scene OF welcome and rejoc~
ing. The branches Of these trees are high up,
and some must Deels climb the trees and tear
off the leaves and throw them down, and
others make Of these leaves an emerald pave
ment for the colt to trol on.
Long before that morning the palm tree
had been typical of triumph. Herodotus and
Strabo had thus described it. Lsyard finds
the palm leaf cut in the walls Of Nineveb,
with the same significance. 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 a little
while at least had palms strewn under His
feet. Oh, the glorious palm! AmarasinEa,
the HindOo scholar, calls it "the king among
the grasses" Lhnneus calls it 1.-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 multi
tuiinous USES. Do you want mowers: One
palm tree will put forth hanging garden
of them. one cluster counted by scientist
containing 2O7, 900 blooms. Do you want
food, Its the chief diet Of tine whole nations.
One rain in Chile will yield ninety gallons
of honey In Polynesia it is the chief food
of the inhabitants. In India there are null
titu es OF people dependent upon 1t for sus-
tenance.
DO YOU want cable to hold ships or cords
10 hold wild beasts? 1t is wound into ropes
unbreakable. Do you want articles of house
furniture? 1t is twisteiinto mats and woven
into baskets and shaped into drinking cups
and swung into hammocSs. Do you want
incidence Its nut is the chief preventive Of
disease and the chief cure for vast populs-
tons Do you want house lis wood Turn
ishes the wall for the homes, AMI 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 AM
vinegar and candles.
Oh. the palm! 1t has a variety Of endow-
ments. such as no othe- growth that ever
rooted the earth or kissel the h.avers. To
the willow, God says, stand by thu water
courses and weep" To the cedar lie says,
'Gather the hurricanes into your bosom"
To the fig tree He says, Bear fruit and put
it within reach Of all the people" But to
the palm tree He says, "Be garden and
storehouse and wardrobe and ropewalk and
chandlery and bread and banquet and man
ufsctory, and then be type of ~hat l meant
when | inspired Davi], My servant, to say
The righteous shall flourish like palm
tree"
Oh. Lord God, give US more palm trees
men and women made for nothing but to be
useful: dispositions all ablOom; branches OF
influence laden with fruit; people good for
everything, as the palm tree. 1tkird words
are wanted they are really to utter them.
II helpful deeds are needed they are ready
to perform them. II plans OF usefulness are
to be laid out they are ready to project
them. If enterprises ara to be forwarded
they are ready to lift them. People who
say Yes Yesm when they are asked for
assistance by word or deed, instead Of mol
Nor
Most of the mysteries that bother others
do not bother me, because | adjourn them;
but the mystery that really bothers me Is
why God made so many people who amount
to nothing so far as the worlds betterment
is concerned. They stand in the way. They
object. They discuss hin frances. They
su gest possibilities Of failure. Over the
road of lie, instead OF pulling in the traces,
they are living back 10 the breachings. They
are the everlasting No. They are brambie
trees, they are willows, always mourning;
or wild cherry trees, yielding only the bit
ter: CT crab apple trees, producing only the
sour while Col would have us all flourish
like the palm tree. Planted in the Bible that
tree always means usefulness.
But how little any OF lis or all OF US ac-
comulish in that direction. We take twenty
or thirty wears to get fully ready for Chris
tan wors, and in the after part OF lite we
take ten or twenty years for the gradual
closing o. active worS. AMI that leaves only
so little time between opening an stopping
work that all we accomplish is 50 little an
angel OF Golnee1s to exert himself TO see 1t
all.
Nearly everything | seq around, beneath
and above in the natural world suggests
useful service. IL there is nothing In the
Bible that inspires you to usefulness, go out
and study the world around you this spring
time, and learn the great lesson OF useful
ness "Wha art thou doing up there, little
starr Why no. saut thine eyes and sleep
for who cares for for thy shiningT 'No,
saith the star, ~ will not sleep. ] guild.
the sailor on the sea. l cheer the traveller
among the mountains. | help tip the deg
with light. Through thu window OF the
poor mans cabin / cast a beam OF hopa aud
the child on her mothers lap asks in glee
whittier come and wdat do aud whence
60. To CLEAN and glitter, God set me here
Away have no time to Sleep
The snowflake comes struggling down.
"Frail, tickle wanderer, why CONTEST thoI
here's al am no idle wauderer" responds