The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-12-14
HUSKING TINE.
On Talmage breaches a Sermon
Suitable to the Time
Following the Ingathering of the Harvests
THE Life OF Man Likened Unto AZ
Ear of Corn-Heaven a Great So
eiabie With JOY Like the JOY
of the Husking Time.


the Thanksgiving season. The text
selected was, AS a shock of corn
cometh in in his season. job ", 20.
The sermon follows;
This is the time of the year for husK-
ing corn. If you have recently been in
the fields of Pennsylvania, or New Jer-
sey, 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
a man came with bundle of straw
and twisted d few of these wisps of
straw into a band, and then gathering
up as much of the corn as he could
compass with his arms, he bound it
with this wisp of straw, and then stood
1t in 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 husked.
The farmers gather, one day on one
farm, and then another day on another
farm, and then put on their rough
husking apron, and they take the husk-
ing peg, which is piece of iron with
a leather 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 corn crib. =.
About corn as an important cereal or
corn as a metaphor the Bible is con-
stantly speaking. You know about the
people in famine coming to buy corn of
Joseph, and the foxes on fire running
into the standing 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 har-
vesters of Bethlehem, and Abigail's Eve
measures of "parched corn" with which
she hoped to appease the enemies of
her drunken husband, and David's de-
scription of the valleys covered over
with corn" and 1.-The handful of corn in
the EARTH" and 'the full corn in the
ear" and Christ's Sabbath morning
walk through corn fields, and the disci-
pies "plucking ears of corn" and so
am not surprised to fino corn huslsing
time referred to in my text: Gas a
shock of corn cometh in in his season. p"
How wildly to all those of us who
were born in the country comes the re-
membrance of husking time. We waited
for it as for a gala day of the year. 1t
was called frolic. The trees hav-
ing for the most part shed their foliage,
the farmers waded through the fallen
leaves and came through the keen
morning mir to the gleeful company.
The frosts which had slivered 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
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 husl-
ing peg is thrust in until it strikes the
corn, and then the fingers rip off the
sheathing of the ear, and there is a
crack as the root of the ear is snapped
off from the huslz, and the grain, disim.
prisoned, is hurled up into the. sun
light. The air is so tonic, the work is
so very exhilarating, the company is sc
blithe that some laugh, and some shout
and some sing, and some banter, and
some tease neighbor for romantic
ride along the edge of the woods in an
eventide, in carriage that holds but
two, and some prophesy as to the num-
Der of bushels to the field, and others
90 into competition as to which shall
rifle the most corn-shocks before sun
down. After a while, the dinner horn
sounds from the farm house, and the
table is surrounded by group of jolly
and hungry men. From all the pantries
and the cellars and the perches OF fowl
On the place the richest dainties come,
and there is carnival and neigh borhood
reunion, and a scene which fills our
memory, part with smiles but more with
tears, 80 we remember that the farm
belongs now to other owners, and other
hands gather in the field, and many oil
those who mingled in that merry husl1'
ing scene have themselve been reaped,
like as a shock of corn cometh in in his
season."
There is difference of opinion as &c
whether the 0rientals knew anything
about the corn as it stands in our fields
but recent discoveries have found out
hat 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 oui
time and have come up just such In.
dian maize, as we raise in New York
and Ohio; so am right when say thai
my text may refer to a shock of corr
just as YOU and bound it just as you
and threw it, just as you and Ihusked
it There hay come some practical and
useful and comforting lessons to all oul
souls, while we think of coming in al
last like a!shock of corn coming in il
his season"
1t is high time that the King of Ter