Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1897-05-13
A ABATTLE FOR BREAD
DR.. TALMAeE breaches ON FAMINEs
PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL.

The Birds of the Blble-EIIjah and the
Ravens That Fed Him-rhe Ravens That
the Lord Ras TodAy-The Vast Family
of God.
WASHINGTON, May 9.-Dr. Talmage has
returned home after a most remarkably
successful tour through the west, and in
behalf of the famine struck of India, speak
ing In the great corn centers to vast null
titudes of people and raising many car
loads of brcadstuffs and many thousands
of dollars. His subject is today to the last
degree appropriate TO all who are trying to
achieve livelihood. Text, / Kings xvii,
9, "And the ravens brought him bread
and flesh in the morning and bread and
flesh in the evening""
The ornithology of the Bible is a very
interesting study. The stork which know
eth her appointed time; the common spar.
rows teaching the lesson of Gods proyi-
dence; the ostriches of the desert by care
less incubation illustrating the reckless
ness Of parents who do not take enough
pains with their children; the eagle SYM
bolizing riches which take wings and fly
away; the pelican emblemizing solitude;
the bat, a fake of the darkness; the night
hawk, the ossifragc, the cuckoo, the lap
wing, the osprey, by the command Of God
in Levitious, flung out Of the worlds bill
of fare.
/ would like to have been with Audu-
bon as he went through the woods, with
gun and pencil, bringing down and
sketching the fowls of heaven, his unfold
ed portfolio thrilling all Christendom.
What wonderful creatures of God the birds
arel Some of them, this morning, like
the songs Of heaven let loose, bursting
through the gates of heaven. Consider
their feathers, which are clothing and con-
veyance at the same time; the nine yerte-
bre of the neck, tho three eyelids to each
eye, the third eyelid an extra curtain for
graduating the light Of the sun. Some of
these birds scavengers and some of them
orchestra Thank God for quail's whistle,
and lark g 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
the highest, ard the eagle swung nearest
the sun, wren ON back of the eagle, after
the eagle was exhausted, sprang up much
higher, and so was called by the ancients
the king of birds. Consider those of them
that have golden crowns and crests, show
ing them to be feathered imperials And
listen to the humming birds serenade in
the car of the honeysuckle. Look at the
belted kingfsher, striking like dart from
sky to water. Listen to the voice of the
OWL giving the keynote to all croakers.
And behold the condor among the Andes,
battling with the reindeer do not know
whether an aquarium or aviary is the best
altar from which to worship God.
Elijah and the Ravens.
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 cave by the
brook Cherith sat minister of God, Eli
jah, waiting for something to eat Why
did he not go to the neighbors? There
were no neighbors; it was wilderness
Why did he not pick some of the berries
There were none. If there had been, they
would havo been dried up. Seated one
morning at the mouth of his cave, thu
prophet sees flock of birds approaching
Oh, if they We're only partridges or if ht
only had an arrow with which to bring
them down. But as they come nearer
he finds that they are not comestible, bu
unGlean, and the eating of them would b.
spiritual death. The strength of theil
beak, the length of their wings, the black
ness of their color, their loud, harsl
'cruck, cruck," prove them to be ravens
They whir around about the prophet
head, and then they come on dutterinl
wing and pause on the level of his lips
and one of the ravens brings bread, ant
another raven brings meat, and after the.
have discharged their tiny cargo the.
wheel past, and others come, untis afte
awhile tho prophet has enough, and thes
black servants of the wilderness table ar
gone. For six months, and some say
whole year, morning and evening, % break
fast and q supper bell sounded as thes
ravens rang out on the air their "cruck
cruckW Guess where they got the foot
from. The old rabbins say they got
from the kitchen of King Ahab. Other
say that the ravens got their food iron
pious Obadiah, who was in the habit O
feeding the prosecuted. Some say that th
ravens brought tho food to their young Il
the trees, and that Elijah had only t
climb up and get it. Some say that th
whole story is improbable, for these wer
carnivorous birds, and the food they car
ried was the torn flesh of living beasts
and therefore ceremonially unclean, or
was carrion, and would not have been
| for the prophet. Some say they were no
ravens at all, but that the word Translates
ravens" in my text ought to have beel
translated ARABS. So it would hav
read, 1.-The Arabs brought bread and flesl
in the morning and bread and flesh in th
evening" Anything but admit the Bibl
to be true.
The Battle For Bread.
Hew away at this miracle until all th
miracle is gone. Go on with the depletin
process, but know, my brother, that 20
are robbing only one man-and that
Iyourself-of one of the most comforting
beautiful, pathetic and triumphant les
sons in all the ages. can tell you VIII
these purveyors were. They were ravens
l can tell you who freighted them wit
Iprovisions-God. can tell you VIII
tuuuCuSu OllClA--oOu. i Sull4 VIII yOi W II
taught them which way to fy-God.
can tell you who told them at what cav
to swoep--God. ! can tell you who intro
duced raven to prophet and prophet to rs
iyen-God. There is one passage l wi
whisper in your ear, for would not wan
to utter it aloud, lest some one Shoul
drop down under its power, "If any ma
shall take away from the words of til
prophecy of this book, God shall take ava
his part out of the book of life and out {
the Holy City.
| While, then, we watch the ravens feet
ing Elijah, let the swift dove Of God
spirit sweep down the sky with divin
food, and on outspread wing pause at til
| lip of every soul hungering for comfort.
On the banks of what rivers have bee
the great battles of the worldp While 20
nre looking over the map of the world t
lnnsyer that will fell that the n.as