The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-12-08
] LESSONS OF THE SEASON
THE CORN-HUsKING SEASON
AND ITS LESSONS, ..5!
The Ear Represents the Soul and
the Shuck the Body--Why
Good People Sometimes
Suffers The HusI<ing
III. Party Beyond.

Ialmage chose for his subject Of dis.
course one eminently suited to the
time following the ingathering Of the
harvests, and the Thanksgiving sea-
son. The text selected was GAS q
shock OF corn cometh in in his sea-
SON" (Job ", 26.)
This is the time OF the year for
husking corn. Ii you have recently
been in the fields Of Pennsylvania or
New Jersey or New York or New Eng
land, or in any OF the country dis
tricts, you know that the corn is all
cut. The sharp knife struck through
the stalks and left them all along the
fields until a mar came with bundle
OF straw and twisted 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 it in the field in what is
called O. 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, ana then an
other day on another farm, and put
on their rough husking apron, and
they take the husking peg, which is q
piece OF iron with a leathern loop fas-
tened to the hand, and with it un-
sheath 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 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 standing corn.
and about the seven thin ears of corn
that in Pharaoh's dream devoured
the seven good ears, and the "parched
corn" handed to beautiful Ruth bv
the harvesters of Bethlehem, and
Ablgalls five measures of ''parched
corn" with which she hoped to ap-
pease the enemies of her drunken
husband, 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
Christ's Sabbath morning walk
through cornfelds, and the disciples
'plucking ears OF corn" and so am
not surprised to find corn husking
time referred to in my text: Gas a
shock ofcorn cometh in in his season.
HUsKING-TIAIE.
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 gala day Of the
year. It was called frolic. The
trees for the most part having shed
their foliage, the farmers waded
through the fallen leaves and came
through the keen morning air to the
gleeful company. The frosts which
had silvered everything during the
night began to melt off the top Of the y
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. Allready,now!
The men take hold of the shock of
corn and hurl it PROSTATE, while the
moles and mice which have secreted
themselves there orwarmth, attempt
to escape. The withe OF straw is un-
wound 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 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 exhilarating, the com
pany is 80 blithe, that some laugh,
and some shout, and some sing, and
some banter, and some tease a neigh
borfor some romantic ride along the
edge OF the woods in an eventide, in a
carriage that holds but two, and some
as to the number of bushels
to the field, and others go into COM
petition as to which shall rifle the
most corn-st alks before shutdown.
After q while the dinner-horn sounds
from the farmhouse, and the table is
surrounded by a group OF Jolly and
hungry men. From all the pantries
and cellars and the perches Of fowl on
the place the richest danties come, and
there is carnival and neichborhood re-
union, and a scene which fills our
memory, part with smiles, but more
with tears, as we remember that the
farm belongs now to other owners,
and other hands gather in the fields,
and many OF those who mingled in
that merry husking scene have them
selves been reaped, like as a shock Of
corn cometh in in his season.
MAIZE IN PALESTINE.
THERE'S difference OF opinion as to
whether the Orientals knew anything
about corn MS it stands in our fields;
but recent discoveries have found out
chat the Hebrew knew all about
Indian maize, for there have been
grains OF corn picked up out OF an
ancient crypts ana eXhumed fromhid-
ing places where they were put down
many centuries ago. and they have
hnor nj opfo1 IN n,,,G 4; no q M hove