Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1893-10-13

! England on the steamship President, Marc
| 18th, 1871. The ship never arrived in port
| No one ever signaled her, and on both side
| of the ocean it has foc fifty years been ques
| toned What became OF her. But this Enoy
| about COOkman-that whether it was iceber
| or cOnflagratiOn midsea or collision he har
| moro garlands on his ocean tomb than if, ex
| piring on land, each of his million friend
| had put q bouquet on his casket. In tn
| midst OF the garden was his sepulcher.
| But that brings me TO hotiGe tbs misRone
in this Jonahitic e. preston of the text. Tn
prophet not only made mistake by tryin;
| to go to Tarshish when God told him to e
to Ninevah, but ne made mistake when b.
styled as weeds these growths that enwrappet
him on the day he sank. weed Is some
thing that is useless. 1t is something yo,
throw ont from the garden. It Is somethini
that chGkes the wheat. It is something e
be grubbed out from 8morg the cotton. 1
is something unsghtly to the eve It is q!
invader Of the vegetable or floral world.
But this growth that sprang up from tn,
depth of the Mediterranean or foated on it
surface was among the most beautiful thing
that God ever makes, It was q water plan
known as the red colGred algs and Dc weeC
at ell. X. comes from the loom of infnit,
beauty. 1t is planted by heavenly love. L
is the star Of sun&en armament. II is
lamp which the Lord kindled. It is cor,
by which to bind whole sheaves Of practica
suggestion: 1t is a poem all whCsS canto:
are rung by Divine goodness. Yet we al
make the mistake that Jonah made in regard
to it and call it n weed.
''The weeds were wrapped about nv he1d >
Ah; that Is the trouble dp the land as on the
sea . We call those weeds that are flowers,
Pitched up on the beach Of society are chill
dren without home, without opportunity for
ANYTHING but sin seen1inolv without God:
They are washed up helpless. They are called
raganuf1ins. They are spoken Of as the
n EinuQ Hf tho world FTbau nov
are street arabs. They are fiotsam and jet
sam of the social sea. They are something
to be left alone or something t. be trO i on.
or something to give up to decay, Nothing
but weeds: They are up tho r1ckety stairs Of
that gaftes. They are down in the cellar Of
mers when they see not one blade Of green
grass, AMI shtver in winters that allow them
not one warm coat or shawl or sh5e
Such the city missionary found in one Of
our city rOO&eries, and when the poor woman
was asked if she sent her children to school
she replied "NC, sir, never did send 'em
to school. I know it; they ought to learn;
but l couldn't ] try I'd sham6 him some
times lit is my husband, sir); but hd drinks
and then beats me-iOjG at that briiso on
my face-and tell him to see what is comm
to his children. There's Peggy goes sellin'
fruit every night in those cellars in Water
street, and they're hells; sir She's learnin'
all sorts Of bad words there AMI don't get
back till II O'clock at night. il it wasn't for
her earnn' q shiIlin' or two in them places.
should starve Oh, I wish they was ont of
the city. Yes, it is the truth. L would rather
have all my children dead than nthe street,
but can't help it
Another one of those poor women founI
by r1fornatory association re;itei her
5toty Of want and woe and looked up aid
said, III felt so hard to lose the children
when they died, but now I'm glad thsy're
ASl- HDn of no GuJ11 5IjR
children on the streets, "Where do you livo?
and they will answer, II don't live no
where. They will sleep tonight in ash bar
re!s, or under outdoor stairs, or on the
wharf, kicked and bruised and hungry. Who
cares for them? Once in while a city mis-
sionary, or a tract distributor, or teacher
of ragged schools will rescue one of them,
but for most people they are only weeds.
Yet Jonah did not moro completely mis-
represent the re alga about his head in the
Mediterranean than most people misJudge
these poor and forlorn and dying children Of
the street They are not weeds They are
immortal flowers. Down in the deep sea OF
woe; but flowers. When society ami the
church Of God come to APPRECIATES ttGlr eter-
nal value, there will be moro @. l.. Braces
and moro Van Meters and more angels of
mercy spending their fortunes and their lives
in tho rescue.
Hear it, We philanthropic and Christian
and merciful sOulS-nOt weeds; but flowers.
| abiure YOU as the friends of all neWsboys
lodging houses Of all industrial schools, Of
all homes for friendless girls, ard for the
many refOrn1atOries and humane associa-
tions now on foot. How much they have al
ready accomplished OIt of what wretch
edness, into what good homes! Of21,0 900 Of
these picked up out of the streets and sent
into country homes only tweleve children
turned out badly.
In the last thirty years number that no
man can number of the vagrants have been
lifted into responsibility an1 usefulness and
q Christian life. Many of them have homes
OF their own. Though ragged boys once and
street girls, now at the head Of prosperous
families. hOnorei on earth aud to be glorious
in heaven. Some of them have been Govern
Ors of StItes Some Of them are ministers Of
the gospel. In all departments of life those
who were thought to be weeds have turned
out to be flowers. One of those rescued lads
from the streets of our cities wrote to another,
saying Il have heard you are studying, for
the ministry. So am l.
My hearers. implead you for the news
boys OF the streets, many of them the bright
est childVn of the city, but with no chance
Do not step on their bare feet. Do not,
when they steal ride, cut behind. When
the paper is three cents, once in a while give
them five cent piece and tell them to keep
the change. like the ring of the letter the
newsboy sent back from Indiana, where he
nau Deen sent 10 u SOOI home, W d NEW
York newsboy's lodging house boys, we
should show ourselves that we are no fools,
that we can become as respectable as any of
the countrymen, for Franklin and Webster
aud Clay were poor boys once, and even
George Law and Vanderbilt and Astor. And
now, boys, stand up and let them see you
have got the real stuff in you Come out
hero and make respectable and honorable
men. so they can say. There, that boy was
once a newsboy.'" My hearers, join the
Christian philanthropists who are changing
organ grinders and boOtblacks and news
those who shall be kings and queens unto
God forever. 1t IS high time that Jonah
finds out that that which is about him is not
weeds, but flowers.
As I examine this rel alga which was
about the recreant prophet down in the
Mediterranean depths, when. in the words
of my text, he cried out. ''The weeds were
wrapped about my head and I am led
thereby to further examine this submarine
world. am compelled to exclaim. What n
wonderful God we have! am glad that. by
diving bell and Brooks deep sea sounding
apparatus" and ever improving machinery,
we arc permitted to walk tho floor Of tho
ocean and report the won 1ers wrought by
the great God.
Study these gardens OF the sea. Easier an j
easier shall the prOfOundS of the ocean be-
come TO US, and more AMI more its opulenae
of color and plant unroN. especially as ''Vil-
leroy submarine boat" has been construct
ed. making it possible to navigate under the
sea almost as we'll on the surface of tho
sea. and unless God in His mercy banishes
war from the earth whole fleets of armed
ships far down under the water move on tO
blow up the argOSies that float the surface.
May such submarine ships be used for laying
open the wonders of Gods workings in the
great deep and never for human devastation
Oh. the marvels of the water world These
so-called saaweeds are the pasture fields and
the forage of the innumerable animals of the
deep. Not one species of them can be spared
from the economy of nature. Valleys and
mountains and plants miles underneath the
waves are all covered with flora and fauna.
Sunken Alps and Apennines and Himalayas
of Atlantic and Pacific oceans. A continent
that once connected Europe and America, SC
that in the ages past men came on foot
across from where England is to where We
now stand. all sunken and now covered witt
the growths OF the sea as it once was covered
with GrOwths of the land.
England and Ireland once all one piece o.
land, but now much of it so far sunken as tc
make q channel. and Ireland has become IN