The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1897-05-14
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incubation, illustrating the recK-
lessness of parents who do not take
enough pains with their children. The
eagle symbolizes riches which take
wings and fly away. The pelican en-
blemizing solitude. The bat, a lake
of the darkness. The night hawk, the
ossifrage, the cuccoo. the lapwlns. the
osprey, by the command OF God IN
Leviticus, flung out of the worlds Dill
of fare.
I wou:~ liked to have been with Au-
dubon as he went through the WOODS
with gun and pencil, bringing down
and sketching the fowls of heaven. ms
unfolded portfolio thrilling all CHRIS
tendon. What wonderful creatures CT
God the birds are, Some of them. TINS
morning, like the songs Of heaven let
loose, bursting through the gates OF
heaven. Consider their teatherS,
which are clothing and conveyance at
the same time; the nine vertebrae OF
the neck. the three eyelids to each
eye, the third eyelid an extra curtain
for graduating the light OF the sun.
Some Of these birds ~scavengers n
some of them orchestra. Thank GOD
for quail's whistle. and larks carol
and the twitter of the wren, called by
the ancients the king of birds. because
when the fowls of heaven went into
a contest as to who should fly he high
est, and The eagle swung nearest the
sur a wren on the back of the eagle.
after the eagle was exhausted, sprang
up much higher, and so was called by
the ancients the king of birds. ON
slider those of them that have golden
crowns and crests. showing them to be
feathered imperials. And listen to the
humming birds serenade in the car OF
the h~oneysuckle. Look at the belted
kingfsher, striking like a dart from
the sky to water. Listen to the voice
of the owl. giving the keynote to all
eroakers. And behold the condor
among the Andes. battling with the
reindeer. l do not know whether an
aquarium or aviary is the best altar
from which to worship God.
There is an incident in my text that
battles all the ~ornithological wonders
Of the world. The grain crop had been
cut off. Famine was in the land.
In a cave by the brook of Cherith sat
a minister of God, Elijah. waiting for
something to eat. Why did he not
90 tc the ~neighbors? There were no
neighbors; it was a wilderness. Why
did he not pick some of the berries?
There were non If there had been
they would have been dried up. Seated
one morning at the mouth of his cave,
the prophet sees a flock of birds ap-
preaching. Oh, if they were only part
ridges. or if he only had an arrow
with which to bring them down! But
as they come nearer, he finds that they
are not comestible, but unclean, and
the eating of them would be spiritual
death. The strength Of their beak, the
length of their wings, the blackness Of
their color, their loud, harsh "cruck,
cruckI" prove them to be ravens.
They whirr around about the proph-
cts head. and then they come on fut-
tering wing and pause on the level Of
his lips, and one of the ravens brings
bread. and another raven brings meat.
and after they have discharged their
tiuy cargo they wheel past. and others
come. until after awhile the prophet
has enough, ana these black servants
of the wilderness table are gone. For
six months. and some say a whole
wear morning and evening, a break
fast and a supper bell sounded as these
ravens rang out on the air their
"cruck, cruck,' Guess where they got
the food from. The old rabbins say
thew got it from the kitchen Of King
Abab. Others say that the ravens got
their food from pious Obadiah, who
was in the habit Of feeding the perse-
cuted. Some say that the ravens
brought their food TO their young in
he trees. and that Elijah had on!v
to climb UP and get it. Some say that
the whole story is improbabIe; for
these we're carnivorous birds. and the
food they carried was the torn flesh
of living beasts, and therefore cere-
monially unclean; or it was carrion.
and would not have been fit for the
prophet. Some say they were not ra-
VEINS at all. but hat the word trans
lated ravens III my text ought to
have been translated Arabs SO it
would have read: The Arabs brought
bread and flesh in the morning, and
bread and flesh in the evening"" Any
thing but admit the Bible to be true.
Hew way at this miracle until al
the miracle is gone. Go on with the
depicting process, but know. my
brother, that you are robbing only
one man-and that is yourself-of n
of the most comforting, beautiful. pa
thetic and triumphant lessons in all
the ages. l can tell you who these
p~urveyors were-they were ravens. l
can tell you who freighted them with
provisions-God. I can tell you who
launched them-God. l can tell you
who taught them which way TO fly
God. l can tell you who told them
at what cave to ~swoop-God. l can tell
you who introduced raven to prophet
and prophet to raven-God. There is
one passage l will whisper in your
ear. for l would not want to utter il