Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-04-14
THE GLORIOUS PALM.
DIR. TALMAGE SPEAKS OF THE TYPE
OF CHRlST'S TRIUMPH.

The Gospel OF Sell SnCriticc.
BRooKLYN. April l0.--Ths day is recog-
lizcd as Palm Sunday throughout the
World, and that fact gave direction to DR..
lalmage's sermon. Among the hymns
mnS was the hymn
Clad in raiment pure and white,
Victor palms in every hand.
Text, John xii, IL, They took branches OF
palm trees and went forth to meet him"
How was that possible? How could
palm branches be cast in the way of Christ
as he approached Jerusalom2 There are
scarcely any palm trees in Central Pales-
tine. Even the one that was carefully
guarded for many years at jericho has
gone. went over the very road by which
Christ approached Jerusalem, and there
ire plenty of olive trees and fig trees, but
no palm trees that / could see. You must
remember that the climate has changed.
The palm tree likes water, but by the cut
ting down of the forests, which are leafy
prayers for rain, the land has become I'M
friendly to the palm tree. Jericho once
,tood in seven miles of palm grove. Oil
yet was crowned with palms The Dead
,ea has on it's banks the trunks of palm
trees that floated down from some oldtime
palm grove and are preserved from decay
~ the salt which they received from the
Dead sea.
SPARE THE TREES.
Let woodmen spare the trees of America,
they would not ruinously change the eli
mate and bring to the soil barrenness in
stead of fertility. Thanks to God and the
legislatures for Arbor Day, which plants
irees, trying to atone for the ruthlessness
which has destroyed them. Yes, my text
in harmony with the condition of that
country on the morning of Palm Sunday.
About three million people have como to
Jerusalem to attend the religious festivi
les Great news Jesus will enter Jeru-
allen today. The sky is red with the
morning, and the people are Hooking out
% the foot of Olivet, and up and on over
he southern shoulder of the mountain,
nd the procession coming out from the
ity meets the procession escorting Christ,
IS he comes toward the city. There is a
urn in the road, where Jerusalem sud-
lcnly bursts upon the vision.
We had ridden that day all the way from
cricho, and had visited the ruins of the
rouse of Mary and Martha and Lazarus,
md were somewhat weary of sight seeing,
when there suddenly arose before our Wis
ion Jerusalem, the religious capital of all
Christian ages That was the point of OBJ
}ervation where my text comes in. Alex
lnder rode Bucephalus, Duke Ellie rode his
famous Marchegay, Sir Henry Lawrence
code the high melted Conrad, Wellington
rode his proud Copenhagen, but the con-
Queror of earth and heaven rides colt,
one that had been tied at the roadside. 1t
was unbroken, aud | have no doubt frac-
tious at the vociferation of the populace.
An extcmporiZed saddle made out of the
garments of the people was put on the
beast. While some ueoule prined the
birdie Of rbe colt. Others reverentlv waited
anon Christ Mt the mounting.
The two professions of people now be-
;ome one-those who came out of the city
md those who came over the hill. The
,ricntals are more. denonstrative than we
of the western world. their voices louder.
their gestic,llations more violent and the
symbols bv which they express their emo
Lions more significant. The people who
,cf, phoccl. in the far east wishing to
make IMPRESSIVE that they would never
,eturn, 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 foaled on the surface. Be not sur.
prised. therefore. at the demonstration in
be text.
THE VISTA or PAINS.
As the colt with its rider descends the
slope of Olivet, the palm trees lining the
road are called upon to reuder their contri-
button to the scene of welcome and rcjOic
ing. The branches of these trees are high
up. and some must needs climb the trees
and tear off the leaves and throw them
lown, and others make of these leaves al
Emerald pavement for the colt to tread on
Long before that morning the palm tree
lad been typical of triumph Herodotus
md Strabo had thus described it, Layard
snds the palm leaf cut in the walls OF
Eineveh, with the same Significance. Ir
the Greek athletic games the victors car
ried palms. am very glad that our Lord
who five DAYS after Lad thorns upon hi.
brow, for little while at least had palm,
rrewn under his feet. Oh, the gloriou,
salmi Amarasinga, the Hindoo scholar
calls it 1.-THE king among the grasses" Lin
naus calls it 1.-THE prince Of vegetation
Among all the trees that ever cast
shadow or yielded fruit or lifted their arm.
howard heaven, it has no equal for multi
kudinous uses. DO you want flowers? On,
palm tree will put forth n hanging garder
of them, one cluster counted by scientis
containing POI, 900 blooms. Do you wan