The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1897-11-18
CORN HARVEST TINE.
Rev. DR.. Talmage Presents a Sea-
sOnable Topic.
Thoughts Presented by the Harvesting of
the Yellow Conditioning of the
Husk and Ear to the Human
Body and Soul.

AS shock of corn cometh in in his season.
Job v, 26.
Going at the rate of 40 miles an hour
a few days ago l caught this sermon.
If you have recently been in the fields
of Pennsylvania, or New Jersey. or
New York, or New England, or 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 the fields until
man came with bundle of straw and
twisted few Of these wisps of straw
into band, and then gathering up as
much of the corn as he could compass
with his arms. he bound it with this
wisp of straw, and then stood it in the
field in what is called shock.
1t is estimated that there are now
several billion bushels of corn stand
ing in the shock, waiting to be huslked.
Sometime during the latter part of
next month, the farmers will gather,
one day on one farm, another day on
another farm, and they will put on
their rough husking apron and they
will take the husking peg, which is
piece Of iron with a leather loop fast
ened to the hand, and with it unsheath
the corn from the husk and toss it into
the golden heap. Then the wagons
will come along and take it to the corn
crib.
How vividly to all those OF US who
were born in the country comes the re-
membrance of husking time. We
waited for it as for gala day Of the
year. 1t was called frolic. The
trees having for the most part
shed their foliage, the farmers waded
through the keen morning air to the
gleeful company. The frosts which had
silvered every thing through the night
began to melt off the top of the corn
shocks. While the farmers were wait
for others they stood blowing their
breath through their fingers, or thresh-
ing their arms around their body to
keep up warmth Of circulation.
Roaring mirth greeted the late farmer
as he crawled over the fence. Joke
and repartee and rustic salutation
abounded. All ready, now! The men
take hold the 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 the stalks, heavy with
the wealth of grain, are rolled into two
bundles, between which the husker
sits down. The husking peg is thrust
IN until it strikes the corn, and then
the fingers rip off the sheathing of the
ear, and there is crack as the root OF
the corn is snapped off from the husk,
and the grain, disimprisoned, is hurled
up into the sunlight.
The air is so tonic, the 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 roman
tic ride along the edge Of the woods in
an evantide, in q carriage that holds
but two, and some prophesy as to the
number of bushels to the field, and
others go into competition as to which
shall rifle the most corn shocks before
sundown.
After awhile the dinner horn sounds
from the farm house, and the table is
surrounded by a group of jolly and
hungry men. From all the pantries
and the cellars and the perches of
fowl on the place the richest dainties
come, and there is carnival and neigh
borhood reunion, and a scene which
fills our memory, part with smiles, but
more with tears, as we remember that
the farm belongs now to other owners,
and other hands gather in the fields,
and many of those who mingled in
that merry husking scene have them
selves been reaped like as a shock of
corn cometh in in his season."
There is difference of opinion as to
whether the orientals knew anything
about the corn as it stands in our fields;
but recent discoveries have found out
that the Hebrews knew all about In
dian 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 CEN
turies ago, and they have been planted
in our time and have come up just such
Indian maize as we raise in New York
and Ohio; SO l am right when say
that my text may refer to a shock of
corn just as you and bound it, just as
you and I threw it, just as you and l
husked it. There may come some
practical and useful and comforting
lessons to all our souls while we think
of coming in at last like a shock of
corn coming in in his season."
1t is high time that the King of Ter.
rors were thrown out of the Christian
vocabulary. vast multitude of peo-
Pile talk of death as though it were the
disaster Of disasters instead of being to
a 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
fru;tage. 1t is change from bleal,
March to roseate June. 1t is a change
of manacles for garlands. t is the
transmitting Of the iron hand
CUTS Of earthly incarceration