Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-12-01

quaihted with Onr American torfl-~Iht
Harvest of the Year but Foreshadow
ing of the Harvest of Earth.
BROOKLYN, Nov. 27.-Rev. DR. Talmagt
today chose for his subject of discourse
one eminently suited to the time following
the ingathering of the harvests and 10 tie
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, 20, Gas shock of corn cometh in in
his season."
This is the time of the year for husking
corn. II You have recently been in the
fields of Pennsylvania, or New Jersey, OF
New York, or New England or in any OF
the country districts, you know that the
corn is all cat. 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 a band, and then, gathering
upa much of the corn as he could compass
with his arms, he bound it with this wisp
of straw, and then stood it in the field in
what is called a shock. There are now NJ
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 husEing
peg, which is piece of iron with leatl-
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 A TYPE.
About corn ms an important cereal or
corn as a 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 "parcbed corn,n 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 wildly TO all those of us who were
born in the country comes the remem-
brance of husking time. We waited for il
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 glee-
full company. The frosts, 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 saluiaton
abounded. All ready nowl
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 huskiug
peg is thrust in until il strikes the corn,
and then the fingers rip off the sheathing
of the ear, and there is a crack as the root
of the corn is snapped of from the husk,
and the grain disimprisoned 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 a neighbor for romantic
ride along the edge of the woods in an
eventide in "A carriage that holds but two.
and some prophecy as to the number Of !
bushels to the field, and others 90 into
competition as to which shall rifle the most
corn shocks before shutdown.
After awhile the dinner horn sounds
from the farmhouse, and the table is sur
rounded by group of jolly and hungry
men. From all the pantries and the cell |
lars and the perches of fowl on the place |
the richest dainties come, and there is
carnival and neigh borhood reunion, and
scene which fills our memory, part with I
smiles, but more with tears, as we remem-
Der that the farm belongs now to other
owners, and other hands gather in the /
field, and many Of those who mingled IN /
that merry husking scene have themselves 1
been reaped like as a shock of corn com /
eth in in his season"
THERE is 30 DEATH TO THE CHRISTIAN.
There is a difference Of opinion as TO 1
whether the orientals knew anything 1
about the corn as il stands in our fields 1
but recent discoveries have found out that (
the Hebrew knew all about Indian maize 1
for there have been grains of corn picked I
up ont OF ancient crypts and exhumed 1
from hiding places where they were put 4
down many centuries ago, and they have /
been planted in our time and have come I
up just such Indian maize as we raise in I
New York and Ohio; so am right when I
say that my text may refer to a shock of 4
corn just as you aud l bound Il; just rs !
you and l threw it; just As you and /
husked il. There may come some practical /
and useful and comforting lessons 20 all 7
our souls while we think Of coming IN al \
last like a shock Of corn cometh in in his
season.
IL is high time that the King OF Terrors
were thrown out Of the Christian vocab-
.1ses L. - ell 3