Democratic messenger., 1893-12-02
THE ART OF HUNTING
REV. DR.. TALMAGe AGAIN DISCUSSES
A SEASoNABLE TOPIC.

REV. DR.. TACNiAGe AGAIN DISCUSSES
A SEASONABLE TOPIC.
The Crack of the Sportsman'. Gun-Hunt-
Ing the Gains Of the World Religion ].
Dividing the Sp"iI a Resting Place.
BROOKLYN. Nov. 90 In the forenoon
service at the Tabernacle to-day Rev. DIR.
Talmage took for his subject most sea-
sonable one. "A Hunting Scene" tho
text being Genesis Xix. -. 'In tho
morning he shall 'levour tho prey. and at
night he shall divide the spoil"
A few nights ago 500 men encampcd
along the Long Island railroad so IA to
bc ready for tho next morning, which
was the first "opcn day" for deer hunt
ing. Between sunrise and o'clock in
tho afternoon Of that day IL deer were
shot. On tho 20th of October our woods
and forests resound with shock Of fire.
arms and are tracked of pointers and
settlers. because the quail are then n
lawful prize for the sportsman.
On certain day in all England YOU
can hear the crack of the sportsman's
gun, because grouse hunting has begun,
and every man that can afford the time
and ammunition aud can draw bead
starts for the fields Xenophon grew
eloquent in regard Ia the art of hunting.
In the far east people. elephant mount
ed. chase the tiger. The American In
dian darts his arrow at the buffalo until
the frightened herd tumble over the
rocks. European mobiles are often found
in the fox chase and mt the stag hunt.
Francis was called the father of hunt
ing. Moses declares Of Nimrod, He
was n mighty hunter before the Lord"
Therefore, in all ages of the world, the
imagery of my text ought 10 he suggest
i've, whether it means wolf after n fox
or man after n lion.
Old Jacob. dying. is telling the for
tunes of his children. He prophesies the
deyouring propensities of benjamin and
his descendants. With his dim old eyes
he looks off and secs the hunters going
out to the fields. ranging them all day,
and at nightfall coming home. the game
slung over the shoulder. and reaching
the door of the tent the hunters begin to
distribute the game. and one takes Il
coney. and another a rabbit. and another
roe. ''ln the morning he shall dcvour
the prey, and at night he shall divide the
spoil" Or il may I've Il reference to the
habits of wild beasts that slay their
prey, and then drag it back to the cave
or lair. and divide it amons; the young.
THE woRID's GAIN.
take my text, in the first place. as de-
scriptive of those people who in the
morning of their life give themselves up
to hunting the world. but afterward. by
the grace of God. in the evening of their
life divide among themselves the spoil
of Christian character. There are aged
Christian men and women in this house
who. if they gave testimony. would tell
you that in the morning Of their life they
were after the world as intense as
hound after n hare. or as a falcon swoops
upon gazclle. They wanted the worlds
plaudits and the worlds gains. They
felt that if they could get this world
they would have everything. Some of
them started out for the pleasures of the
world. They thought that the man who
laughed louiest was happicst. They
tried repaTtee and conundrum and bur
lesque and madrigal.
They thought they would like to be
Tom Hoods or Charles Lambs or Ed
gar A. Poes. They mingled wine and
music and the spectacular. They were
worshipers of the harlequin. and the
A.,.I al, Al.
jester Life was to them foam and bub-
BILE and cachinnation and registering and
grimace. They were So full of slcc they
could hardly reprcSs their mirth even
on solemn occasions. and they came near
bursting out hilariously even at the bur
ial because thero was something SO dol
orous in the tone or countcnance of tho |
undertaken.
After awhile misfortune struck them
hard on the back. They found there was
something they could not laugh at. I'm
der their late hours their health gave
way, or there was death in the house.
Of every green thing their soul was ex
foliated. They found out that life was
more than a joke. From the heart Of
God there blazcd into their soul an ear
nestness they had never felt before.
They awokc to their sinfulness and their
immortality. and here they sit at 60 or
40 years of age as apprrciative Of all in
nocent mirth as they ever were. but they
are bent on style Of satisfaction which
in early life they never hunted-the |
evening Of their days brighter than the
morning. In the morning they dcvoured
the prey. but ut night they divided the
spoil.
Then there are others who started out
for financial success. They see how linn
Der the rim OF mans hat is when he
bows down before some one transpicu-
ons. They felt they would like to see
how the world looked from the window
Of a g.. 900 turnout. They thought they
would like to have the morning sunlight
tangled in the headgcar Of dashing
span. They wanted the bridges in the
park to resonnd undcr the rataplan Of
their swift hoofs. They wanted gilded |
baldric. and 80 they started ON the dol
lar hunt. They chased it up one street |
and chased it down another. They fol-
lowed il when it burrowcd in the cellar.
They treed it in the roof.
Wherever dollar was expected to be,
they were They chased it across the
ocean. They chased it across the land.
They stopped not for the night. Hear
ing that dollar even in the darkness
thrilled them as an Adirondack sports
man is thrilled at midnight by Il looms |
laugh. They chased that dollar 10 tine |
money vault They chased it to the gov
ernment treasury. They routed it frca |
under the counter. All the hounds were |
out-all the pointers and the settlers. |
They lcapcl the hedges for that dollar,
and they cried: "Hdrk away. A dollar! |
4 dollarr' And when nt last they came |
upon it and had actually captured it
their excitement was like that nf fall |
concr who has successfully flung his first
hawk