The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1893-02-24

1
ton At tho beginning Of the question
the interrogation point is presented up
side down. and at the close OF the ques-
ton right side up When infldelity puts
question about the Scriptures, as II
always indicates ignorance, the question
ought to be printed with two interroga-
ton points, one ut the beginning and
one at the close, but both upside down
TnR ROYAL FAMILIES OF NATURE.
Thank God for the wealth Of mollusks
all up and down the earth, whether feed
ing the Israelites on their way to the
land flowing with milk and honey, or, as
we are better acquainted with the mol
lusks, when flung to the beach of lake
or sea- There are three great families of
them. If should ask you to name three
of the great royal families Of the earth.
perhaps you would respond, 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 shell OF
two parts, and the multivalve. or shell
in many parts, and | see God in their ev-
cry 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 shell for still ponds
and thick coatings for boisterous seas,
They all dash upon me the thought OF the
proyidential care of God
What is the use of all this architecture
of the shell, and why is it pictured from
the outside lip clear down into its laby
rinths of constructions Why the infinitv
of skill and radiance in shell? What is
the use of the color and exquisite curve
of thing so insignificant as a shellfish?
Why, when the conchologist by dredge
or rake fetches the crustaceous speci-
mems to the shore, does he find at his feet
whole alhambras and coliseums and
parthenons and crystal palaces Of beauty
in miniature. and these bring to light
only an infnitesilnal part of the opu-
lehce In the great subaqueous world
Linnaus counted $500 species Of shells,
but conchology had then only begun it's
achievements
| While exploring the bed Of the Attain
tic ocean in preparation for laying the
cable shelled animals were brought up
from depths of 1000 fathoms. When
lifting the telegraph wire from the Med
iterranean and Red seas, shelled crea-
lures were brought up from depths of
1000 fathoms The English admiralty,
exploring in behalf of science, round
mollusks at depth of 2,435 fathoms, or
1920 feet deep What a realm awful
for vastness!
AS the shell is only the house and the
wardrobe of insignificant animals OF the
deep, why all that wonder and beauty OF
construction? Gods care for them is the
only reason And If God provide SO
munifcently for them, will he not see
that you have wardrobe and shelter?
Wardrobe and shelter for pcriwinkle
Shall there not be wardrobe and shelter
for man? Would God give coat of
mail for the defense of nautilus and
leave you no defense against the storm?
Does he build stone house for crea-
ture that lasts season and leave with
out home il soul that takes hold on cen
turtles and cons?
Hugh Miller found the Footprints
| of the Creator in the old red sand
stone" and hear the harmonies of God
| in the tinkle of the sea shells when the
tides come in The same Christ who
drew lesson of providential care from
the fact that God clothes with grass
the field lnstructs me to draw the same
lesson from the shells.
THE CORAL INSECT TEACHES FAITH.
In almost every mans life, however
we'll born and prosperous for years, and
in almost every woman's life, there comes
very dark time, at least once A con-
junction of circumstances will threaten
bankruptcy and homelessness and starya-
ton. It may be that these words will
meet the ear or will meet the eye of those
who are in such state of foreboding
Come, then, and see how God gives an
ivory palace to water animal that you
could cover with a 10-cent piece and
clothes in arlnor against all attack a
coral no bigger than snowflake dc
not think that God will take better cars
of a bivalve than of one of his own chill
dren,
rake to your feet with the gospel
rake the most thorough evidences OF
Gods care for his creatures. lpile around
you great mounds Of shells that they
may teach you most comforting theol-
ogy Oh We of little faith, walk among
these arbors of coraline and look at these
bouquets of shell fit to be handed a
queen on her coronation day. and see
these fallen rainbows of color, and ex-
anime these lilies in stone, these prim.
roses in stone, these heliotropes in stone
these cowslips in stone, these geraniums
in stone, these japonicas in stone.
o We who have your telescopes ready
looking out ON clear nights, trying to see
what is transpiring in Mars, Jupiter and
Mercury, know that within few hours
walk or ride of where you now are there
are whole worlds that you might explore,
but of which you are unconscious, and
among the most beautiful and suggest
i've of these worlds is the Genealogical
world Take this lesson of provitlen-
tial care. How does that old hymn goi
. We may. like ships, by tempest be tossed
| On perilous deeps, but cannot be lost.
Though satan enrages the wind and the tide
The promise assures us the Lord will provide
GODS CARE AND MANS FREEDOM.
But while you get this pointed lesson
Of providential care from the shelled
creatures of the deep, notice in thei1
construction that God helps them to helr
themselves This house of stone in which
they live is not dropped on them and i:
not built around them. The materia,
for it exudes from their own bodies ani
is adorned with colored fluid from tls
pores of their own neck 1t is mosi
interesting thing to see these crustacea,
animals fashion their own homes out Of
carbonate of lime and membrane.
And all of this is a mighty lesson K
those who are waiting for others to built
their fortunes when they ought to go t.
l work and, like the mollusks, build theil
7 own fortunes out of their own brain
out of their own sweat, out of their Owl
industries Not mollusk on all tn
beaches of all the seas would have ,
i house of shell if it had not itself bull