The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-04-27

DIR. Talmagc's text Palm Sunday was:
John xii, II: They took branches of
palm trees and went forth to meet
Him"
How --as that possible? 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 guarded at Jericho has
gone. ] went over the 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 remember that thu climate has
changed.
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
the trunks of palm trees that floated
down from some old-time palm grove
and are preserved from decay by the salt
which they received from the Dead sea.
Let woodmen spare the trees of America,
If they would not ruinously change the
climate and bring to the soil barren
ness instead of fertility. Thanks to God
and the legislatures for arbor day,
which plants trees, trying to atone for
the ruthlessness which has destroyed
them.
Yes, my text is in harmony with the
condition of that country on the morn
ing of Palm Sunday. About 100000
people have come to Jerusalem to attend
Jesus will enter Jerusalem to-day. The
sky is red with the morning, and the
people are focking out to the foot of
Olivet, and up and over the southern
shoulder of the mountain, and the pro-
cession coming out from the city meets
the procession escorting Christ, as he
comes toward the city. There is a turn
In the road, where Jerusalem suddenly
bursts upon the vision. We had ridden
that day all the way from Jericho, and
1ad visited the ruins of the house of
Mary and Martha and Lazarus, and
were somewhat weary of sightseeing,
when there suddenly arose before our
vision Jerusalem, 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 Marchegay.
Sir Henry Lawrence rode the high-met-
tied Conrad. Wellington rode his proud
Copenhagen, but the Conqueror of earth
and Heaven rides colt, one that had
been tied at the roadside. 1t was UNI
broken, and / have no doubt fractions
at the vociferation of the populace. An
extemporized saddle made out of the
garments Of the people was put on the
beast.
While some people gripped the bride
of the colt, others reverently waited
upon Christ at the mounting. The two
professions of people now become one
those who came out of the city and
those who came over the hill. The ORR
entails are more demonstrative than we
of the western world, their voices louder,
their gesticulations more violent, and
the symbols by which they express their
emotions more significant. The
people who left Phocca in the
Ear east, wishing to make impressive
shat they would never return, took
red-hot ball of iron and threw it into
the sea, and said they would never re-
turn to Phocea until that ball rose and
tloated on the surface. Be not surpris-
cd. therefore, at the demonstration in
the text As the colt with its rider de-
sends the slope of Olivet, the palm
trees lining the road are called upon to
render their contribution to the scene
of welcome and rejoicing. The
branches Of these trees are high up,
and some one must needs climb the
trees and tear off the leaves and throw
them down, and Others make of these
leaves an emerald pavement for the
colt to tread on.
Long before that morning the palm
trees had been typical of triumph
Ilerodotus and Strabo had thus described
it. Layard finds the palm leaf cut in
the walls of Nineveh, with the same
significance. In the Greek atheletic
games, the victors carried palms. 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!
Amarasigna, the Hindoo scholar,
calls it the king among the grasses"
Lnnpus calls it 1.-The prince of
vegetation Among all the trees that
ever east a shadow or yielded fruit or
lifted their arms toward heaven, it has
no equal for multitudinous uses. Do
you want flowers? One palm tree will
put forth n hanging garden of them,
one cluster counted by scientist con-
aiming 100000 blossoms. Do you want
food? 1t is the chief diet of whole ma
tons One palm in Chilli will yield
ninety gallons of honey. In Polynesia
il is the chief food of the inhabitants
In India there are multitudes of people
dependent upon it for sustenance.
Do you want cables to hold ships or
cords to hold wild beasts? 1t is wound
into ropes unbreakable. Do you want
articles of house furniture? 1t is twist
ed into mats aud woven into baskets
and shaped into drinking cups and
swung into hammocks. Do You want
medicine? Its nut is the chief prevent
i've of disease end the chief cure ftr vast
populations Do you want housay? Its
wood furnishes the wall for the homes,
and - lcaves thatch them. DO You
need a supply for the pantry? 1t Yields