Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1892-12-09
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINEs SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: 1.-THE Ingathering Season"

corn. II you have recently been in the
fields of Pennsylvania, or New Jersey, or
New York, or New 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 man came with bundle
of straw and twisted few OF these wispS Of
straw into band, and then, gathering up
as much of the corn as he could compass
with his arms, he bound It with this wlSp or
straw, and then stood it in the field in what
is called a shock. There are now at least
two billion bushels Of corn either standing
in the shock or having been already husksd
The farmers gather one day on one farm
and then another day on another farm, and
they put on their rough husking apron, and
they take the husking peg, which is piece
OF iron with leathern loop fastened TO the
hand and with it unsheath the corn from
the husk and toss it into the golden heap.
Then the wagons come along and take it to
the corncrib.
About corn as an important cereal or
corn as metaphor the Bible is constantly
speaking. You know about the people IL
famine coming to buy corn Of Joseph, and
the foxes on fire running into the standing
corn" and about the oxen tfeading out the
corn, and about the seven thin ears of corn
that in Pharoah's dream devoured the seven
good ears, and the 'parched corn" handed
to beautiful Ruth by the harvesters Of Beth
lehem, and AbigaiPs five measures of
''parched corn" with which she hoped to
appease the enemies of her drunken hus-
band, and David's description of the valleys
covered over with corn" and ''the handful
of corn in the earth" and ''the full corn in
the ear,' and Cnrists Sabbath morning
walk through corn6elds, and the disciples
''plucking ears of corn" and so [ not
surprised to find corn husking time referred
to in my text, LAS a shock of corn conleth in
in his season."
How wildly to all those of us who were
born in the country comes the remembrance
of husking time We waited for it as for
a gala day of the year. 1t was called
frolic The trees having for the most part
shed their foliage, the farmers waded
the keen morning air to the gleeful COM
pany. The frosts, which had silvered every
thing during 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 keep up warmth OF circulation. Roaring
mirth greeted the late farmer as he crawled
over the fence. Joke and repartee and
rustic salutation abounded. All ready now!
The men take hold of the shock of corn
and hurl it PROSTATE, while the moles and
mice which have secreted themselves there
for warmth attempt escape. The wlthe OF
straw is unwound trom the corn shock, and
the stalks heavy with the wealth OF grain
are rolled into two bundles between which
the husker sits down. The husking peg is
thrust in until it strikes the corn, and then
the fingers rip off the sheathing of the ear,
and there is q crack as the root of the corn
is snapped off from the husk, and the grain
disimprisoned is hurled up into the sunlight.
The air is SO tonic, the work is SO very exhil-
arating, the company is so blthe that some
laugh, and some shout, and some sing, and
some banter, and some tease q neighOOr for
a romantic ride along the edge of the woods
in an eventide in carriage that holds but
bushels to the field, and others go into COM
petition as to which shall rifle the most corn
shocks before shutdown.
After awhile the dinner horn sounds from
the farmhouse and the table is surrounded
by group of jolly and hungry men. From
all the pantries and the cellars and the
Derches of fowl on the place the richest
daintles come, and there is carnival and
AelghbOrhOOd reunion, and scene which
fills our memory, part with smiles, but more
with tears, as we remember that the farm
belongs now to other owners, and OJher
hands gather in the field, and many of thosa
who mingled in that merry husking scene
have themselves been reaped like q
shock of corn cometh in in his season."
There is a difference of opinion as to
whether the orientals knew anything about
the corn as it stands in our fields. but recent
discoveries have found out that the Hebrew
Fnew all about Indian maize, for there have
been grains OF corn picked up out of ancient
CIJpUS anu eAuuulSu from nlOlu9 places
where they were put down many centuries
ago. and they have been planted IN our time
and have come up just such Indian maize
we raise in New York and Ohio; so [ am
right when l say that my text may refer to
a shock Of corn just as you and | bound it,
just as you and l threw it; just as you and l
husked it There may come soma practical
and useful and comforting lessons to all our
souls while we think o. coming i'll at last
like a shock OF corn cometh in in his
season."
It is high time that the King of Terrors
were thrown out OF the Christian vocab-
ulary. A vast multitu ie of people talk of
death as though 1t were the disaster OF dis
asters, instead of being TO good man the
blessing OF blessings. It is moving out OF a
cold vestibule into a warm temple. 1t is
migrating into groves OF redolence and per-
petual fruitage. It is change from bleak
March to roseate June. 1t is e change of
manacles for garlands 1t is the transmitting
of the iron handouts of earthly incarcera.
ton into the diamonded wristlets of bridal
party, or, to use the suggestion Of my text,
it is only husking time 1t is the tearing
off of the rough sheath of the body that the
bright and beautiful soul may go free. Com
ing in like a shock of corn cometh in in his
season." Christ broke up funeral process
sion at the gate of Main By making a resur-
rection dav for young man and his mother.
and [ would that / could break up your sad
ness and halt the long funeral procession of
the worlds grief by some cheerful view Of
the last transition.
We all know that husking time was time
of frost. Frost on the fence; frost on the
stubble; frost on the ground; frost on the
bare branches of the trees; frost in the air;
frost on the hands OF the huskers. You re-
member we used to hide between the corn
stacks so as to keep off the wind, but still
you remember how shivering was the body
S,,l OBJ