Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-10-16
THE CORN HARVEST.
REV. DIR. TALMAGE DISCUSSES A
SEAsoNABLE TOPIC.

His Graphic Word Pictures OF Rural Life
In Autumn The Heavenly Harvest.
"Comcth rs Shock of Corn In His Sea-
SON."
copyright. 1897, by American Press Asso-
ciation.]
WASHINGTON, Oct. 1O-This sermon
by Dr. Talmago is peculiarly seasonablo
at the present time, when tho teeming
harvests all over the land arc awaiting
the husbandman. His text is Job V, 26,
LAS shock OF corn cometh i'll in his
season. y
Going at the ratio of 40 miles the
hour IL few days ago, l caught this SER
mon. If you have recently been in the
fields Of Pennsylvania Or New Jersey or
New York or New England OF any of
the country districts, you know that the
corn is nearly all cut. The sharp knife
struck through the stalks and left them
all along tho fields until u man came
with bundle of straw and twisted Il
few of these wisps of straw into band
and then, gathering up us much OF tho
corn as he could compass with his arms
he bound itwith this wisp of straw and
then stood it in the field i'll what is call
cd shock.
1t is estimated that there are now
several billion bushels of corn standing
in the shock, waiting to DO husked.
Some timo during the latter part OF next
mouth the farmers will gather, one day
OH one farm. another day on another
farm, and they will put OH their rough
husking apron, and they will take tho
huslilng peg, which is a piece Of iron
with u leather loop fastened to the
hand, aud with it unsheath the corn
from the husl and toss it into the gold
en- hoap Then the wagons will come
along and take it to the corncrib
How windy to all those of us who
were born i'll tho country comes the re-
membrance of huslling time. We waited
for it as for gala day of the year. 1t
was called frolic. Tho trees having
for the most part shed their foliage, the
farmers wadcd through the fallen leaves
and came through the keen morning air
to the gleeful company The frosts,
which had silvcrcd everything during
the night. began to melt off of the top
of the corn shocks. While the farmers
were waiting for others they stood blow
ing their breath through their fingers or
thrashing their arms around their bodies
TO keep up warmth of circulation.
The Cornticld.
Roaring mirth greeted the late farmer
as he crawled over tho fence Joke and
repartee and rustic salutation abounded.
All ready nowl The men take hold tho
shock of corn and hurl it PROSTATE,
while the moles and mice which have
secreted themselves there for warmth
attempt escape. The withe Of straw IS
unwound from the corn shock, and tho
stalks, heavy with the wealth of grain,
are rolled into two bundles between
which the husler sits down. The husE-
ing peg is thrust III until it strikes the
corn, and then the fingers rip off the
sheathing Of the ear, and there is a
crack as tho root of the corn is snapped
of from the husE, and the grain, disim-
prisoned, is hurled up into the sunlight.
The air is so tonic, tho work is so
very exhilarating the company is so
blithe, that some laugh and some shout
and some sing and some banter and
some tease neighbor for romantic
ride along the edge of the woods i'll an
eventide in q carriage that holds but
two and some prophesy as to the num-
Der OF bushels to the field and others go
into competition as to which shall rifle
the most corn shocks before shutdown.
After awhile the dinner horn sounds
from the farmhouse, and the table is
surrounded by group of jolly and
hungry men, From all the pantries and
the cellars and the perches Of fowl OH
the place the richest dainties come, and
there are carnival and neighborhood re-
union and scene which fills our MEM
DRY, part with smiles, but more with
tears, us we remember that the farm be-
longs now to other owners, and other
hands gather in the fields, and many of
those who mingled i'll that merry husl1-
ing scene have themselves been rcaped
like as shock of corn cometh i'll in
his season
There is difference of opinion as to
whether the orientals knew anything
about the corn as it stands III our fields,
but recent discoveries have found out
that the Hebrew knew all about Indian
maize, for there have been grains of the
corn picked up out of ancient crypts and
exhumed from hiding places where
they were put down many centuries
ago, and they have been planted i'll our
time and have come up just such Indi-
an maize as we raise in New York and
Ohio, so am right when say that my
text may refer to shock of corn just
as you and bound it, just as you and
| threw it, Just as you and husl1ed it.
There may come some practical and
useful and comforting lessons to all our
souls while we think Of coming in at
last like shock of corn coming i'll in
his season.
1t Is high time that the king of ter
rors were thrown out of the Christian
vocabulary A vast multitude of people
talk of death as though it were the dis
aster of disasters instead of being to
good man the blessing of blessings 1t
is moving out of cold vestibule into
warm temple. 1t is migrating into
groves of redolence and perpetual fruit
age. 1t is change from bleak March to
roseate June. 1t is change of mana
Giles for garlands 1t is the transmitting
OF the iron handouts of earthly incfT-
ceration into the diamonded wristlets
of bridal party. Or, to use the sugges-
ton of my text, it is only husking
time. 1t is the tearing off of the rough
sheath of the body that the bright and
the beautiful soul may go free. Com
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