Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-12-08
AT THE TABERNACLE.
THE INeATHERlNe SEASON THE oc-
cAsloN OF AN IMPORTANT LESSON.


Harvest Of the Year but Foreshadow.
ing OF the Harvest Of Earth.
BRooKLFN, 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 the
Thanksgiving season. The decorations OF
the Thanksgiving day still remained on
the platform and the galleries, and long
rows Of yellow and white corn on the front
and back Of the platform were in accord
with the sermon. The text selected was
Job v, 90, "As shock Of corn cometh in in
his season."
This is the time of the year for husking
corn. If 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
upas much of the corn as he could compass
with his arms, he bound it with this wisp
of straw, and then stood 1t in the field in
WddO 10 Cullou u suOChs lutTt dTt uOW db
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
another farm, and they put on their rough
husking apron, and they take the husking
peg, which is piece Of iron with leath-
ern 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.
THE BIBLE USES CORN AS TYPE.
About corn as en- important cereal or
corn as metaphor the Bible is constantly
speaking. You know about the people in
famine coming to buy corn Of Joseph, and
the foxes on fire running into the stand
ing corn" and about the oxen treading 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 harvest
ers of Bethlehem, and Abigail's five meas
ures of "parched corn," with which she
hoped to appease the enemies of her drunk
en- husband, and David's description of the
valleys covered over with corn" and "the
handful of corn in the earth, )" and 1.-THE full
corn in the ear" and Christ's Sabbath
morning walk through corn fields, and the
disciples 'plucking ears Of corn," and SO |
am not surprised to find corn husking time
referred to in my text, "As shock OF corn
cometh in in his season."
How vividly to all those of us who were
born in the country comes the remem-
brance 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
through the fallen leaves and came
through the keen morning air to the giee-
full company. The prosts, which had sill
vered everything 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 withe OF
straw is unwound from 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 crack as the root
of the corn is snapped off from the husk,
and the grain disimprisoaed is hurled up
into the sunlight. The air is so tonic, the
work is so very exhilarating, the company
is SO blithe that some laugh, and some
shout, and some sing, and some banter
and some tease neighbor for a romantic
ride along the edge Of the woods in an
eventide In carriage that holds but two
and some prophesy as to the number of
bushels to the field, and others 20 into
competition as to which shall rifle the most
corn shocks before sundown.
After awhile the dinner horn sounds
from the farmhouse, and the table is sur
rounded by a group of jolly and hungry
men. From all the pantries and the eel
lars and the perches of fowl on the place
the richest dainties come, and there is
carnival and neighborhood reunion, and a
scene which fills our memory, part with
smiles, but more with tears, us we remem-
Der that the farm belongs ROW to other
owners, and other hands gather in the
field, and many of those who mingled in
that merry hCsking scene have themselves
been reaped like as shock of corn COM
eth in in his season."
THERE IS NO DEATH TO THE CHRISTIAN.
There is u 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 knew all about Indian maize,
for there have been grains of corn picked
up out of ancient crypts and exhumed
from hiding 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 as we raise in
New York and Ohio; so am right when
say that my text may refer to 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 some practical
and useful and comforting lessons to all
our souls while we think Of coming in at
last "like shock of corn cometh in in his
season."
1t is high time that the King of Terrors
were thrown out of the Christian vocab-
ulary. A vast multitude of people talk of
death as though it were the disaster of
disasters, instead Of being to good man
the blessing of blessings. 1t is moving out
of cold vestibule into warm temple. It
is migrating into groves of redolence and
perpetual fruitage 1t is a change from
bleak March to roseate June. 1t is
change of manacles for garlands. 1t is the
transmitting of the iron handouts OF
earthly incarceration 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 the
beautiful soul may go free. Coming in
"like shock Of corn cometh in in his sea-
son." Christ broke up funeral process
sion at the gate of Main by making a
resurrection day for young man and his
mother, and / would that could break