The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1893-02-22

which the Israelites could with the
greatest case bake the dough they
brought with them on small iron plates,
which form a constant appendage to the
baggage of an Oriental traveller. Lastly,
the herbage underneath these trees and
shrubs is completely covered with snails
OF prodigious size and OF the best sort,
and however uuinviting such repast
mightseem to us, they are here esteemed
a great delicacy. They are so plentiful
in this valley that it may be literally
said that 1t is difficult to take one step
without treading on them"
80 the shelled creatures saved the
host Of Israelites on the march to the
Promised Land, and the attack of inf
deity at this point is defeated by the
facts, as infdelity is always defeated by
facts, since 1t Is founded on ignorance
In writing and printing, our interroga-
tion point has at the bottom mark
like period and over It flourish like
the swing Of teamster's whip, and we
put this interrogation point at the end
OF question; but in the Spanish Ian
guage the interrogation point Is twice
used for each question. At the begin
ming OF the question the interrogation
is presented upside down and at the
close Of the question right side up.
When infdelity puts question about
the Scriptures, as 1t always indicates
ignorance, the question ought to be
printed with two interrogation points.
one at the beginning and one at the
close, but both upside down.
Thank God for the wealth Of molluslks
all up and down the earth, whether
feeding the Israelites on their way to
the land flowing with milk and honey,
or, as we are better acquainted with
the mollusks, when flung to the beach
of lake or sea. There are three great
families Of them. II should ask you
to name three of the great royal fami-
lies of the earth perhaps you would re-
spond, the house of Stuart, the house Of
Hapsburg, the house of Bourbon, but
the three royal families Of mollusks are
the Univalve, or shell in one part, the
Bivalve, or she'll of two parts, and the
Multivalve, or shell in many parts, and
see God In their every hinge, in their
every tooth, in their every cartilage, in
their every ligament, in their every
spiral ridge, and in their every color.
prism on prism, and their adaptation
Of thin she'll for still ponds and thick
coatings for boisterous seas They all
dash upon me the thought Of the provi-
dental care OF God. What is the use OF
all this architecture Of the shell and
why is 1t pictured from the outside
lip clear down into its labyrinths
Of construction Why the infnity
OF skill and radiance in shell2
What is the use of the color and
exquisite curve of a thing so insignif-
cant as a shellfish? Why, when the
conchologist, by dredge or rake, fetches
the crustaceous specimens to the shore,
does he find at his feet whole Alham.
bras, and Colosseums, and Parthenons,
and Crystal Palaces Of beauty in minia'
ture, and these bring TO light only an
infinitesimal part Of the opulence in the
great subaqueous world Linn@us
counted twenty-five hun dred species Of
shells, but conchology had then only
begun its achievements While explort
ing the bed Of the Atlantic ocean In
preparation for laying the cable, shelled
animals were brought up from depths
of nineteen hundred fathoms When
lifting the telegraph wire from the
Mediterranean and Red seas, shelled
creatures were brought up from depths
OF two thousand fathoms The English
admiralty, exploring in behalf Of
science, found mollusks at a depth oi
twenty-tour hundred and thirty-fvC
fathoms, or fourteen thousand two
hundred and ten feet deep. What q
realm awful for vastnessl
AS the shell is only the house and the
wardrobe of insignificant ami mails oi
the deep, why all that wonder and
beauty Of construction Gods care fol
them is the only reason. And II God
provides so munifcently for them, will
He not see that you have wardrobe and
shelter? Wardrobe and shelter for 6
periwinkle; shall there not be ward
robe and shelter for man? Would
God give a coat OF mail for the defens,
Of nautilus and leave you no defenst
against the Storm Does He build 4
stone house for creature that lasts {
season and leave without home sou
that takes hold on centuries and aeons,
Hugh Miller found ''The Footprints o.
the Creator in the Old Red Sandstone,
and / hear the harmonies Of God In tn,
tinkle Of the sea shells when the tide
comes in. The same Christ who drew
a lesson OF providential care from th'
fact that God clothes the grass Of tn,
field instructs me to draw the same les
son from the shells
In almost every mans life, howevei
wellborn and prosperous for years, anC
in almost every woman's life, ther'
comes a very dark time, at least once
A conjunction OF circumstances viii
threaten bankruptcy and homelessnes
and starvation. II may be that thes,
words will meet the ear or will NEE
the eye OF those who are In such stat
Of forboding. Come, then, and see how
God gives an ivory palace to wate
animal that you could cover with tel
cent piece and clothes In armor agains
all attack coral no bigger than I
snowflake. / do not think that Got
will take better care Of bivalve thar
Of one Of His own children. rake u
your feet with the gospel rake the mos
thorough evidence Of Gods care for Hi
creatures / pile around you grea
mounds Of shella that they may teacl
you most comforting theology. o, y,