Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-12-21


import. To these graver lessons we
devote our sermon. This giant no
doubt in early life gave evidences OF
what he was to be. 1t is almost al
ways so. There were two Napoleons
the boy Napoleon and the man Ma
poleon-but both alike; two Towards
1.-The boy Howard and the man How
ard-but both alike; two Samsons-
the boy Samson and the man Samson
but both alike. This giant was no
doubt the hero of the playground, and
nothing could stand before his eXhi-
billions Of youthful prowess. At
eighteen years of age he was betrothed
10 tho daughter of Philistine. Going
down toward Timnath, lion came
upon him. and, although this young
giant was weaponless, he seized the
monster by the long name and shook
him as a hungry hound shakes
March hare, and made his bones crack.
and left him by the wayside bleeding
under the shifting of his fist ana .ae
grinding heft of his heel.
There he stands. looming up above
other men, a mountain of flesh, his
arms punched with muscle that can
lift the gate OF city. taking an atti-
fude defiant of everything. His hair
has never been cut, and it rolled down
~ seven great plaits over his should
crs, adding to his bulk, fierceness and
terror. The Philistines want to con-
.quer him, and therefore they must
lind out where the secret OF his
strength lies.
There is dissolute woman living
in the valley of Sorek by the name OF
Delilah. They appoint her the agent
in the case. The Philistines are secret
ed in the same building. and then Del
tlah goes to work and coaxes Samson
TO tell what is the secret of his
strength Well" he says, ''if you
should take seven green withes, such
as they fasten wild beasts with, and
put them around me | should be per-
fectly 'poWerless." So she binds him
With the seven green withes. Then
she claps her hands. and says: "They
the PhilistiAes" and he walks
so2s4sn they were no impede
She coaxes him again, and
Now, tell me the secret Of this
1T Strength" and he replies: "If
/ should take some ropes that
I'VE never been used and tie me with
nem / should be just like other men"
She ties him with the ropes. claps her
AZ, nd CHI ~
Philistines!" He walks out as easily
as he did before-not n single obstruc-
ton. She coaxes him again, and he
says: Nov. IL you should take these
seven long plaits of hair. and by this
house-loom weave them into a web,
] could not get away" So the house.
loom Is rolled up, and the shuttle flies
backward and forward and the long
plaits Of hair are woven into web.
Then she claps her hands, and says:
f'They come-the Philistinesw He
walks out as easily as he did before.
dragging a part of the loom with him.
But after a while she persuaded him
to tell the truth. He says: IF you
should take a razor or shears and cut
of this long hair, / should be power
less, and in the hands Of my enemies"
Samson sleeps, and that she may not
wake him up during the process of
shearing, help is called in. You know
that the BARRIERS of the East have such
4 skilful way OF manipulating the head
10 this very day that instead of wax
ing up sleeping man, they will put
q man wide awake sound asleep.
hear the blades Of the shears grinding
against each other, and / see the long
locks falling of. The shears or razor
accomplishes what green withes and
new ropes and house-loom could not
do. Srddenly she claps her hands, and
says: THE Philistines be upon thee,
Samson" He rouses up with strug-
Gle, but his strength is all gone. He
in the hands OF his enemies.
~ hear the groan Of the giant as they
Ike his eyes out, and then | see him
sta ~ering on In his blindness. feeling
his = as he goes on toward GAIA.
The pris, ! door is open. and the giant
is thrust in. He sits down and puts
his hand on the mill-crank, which,
with exhausting horizontal motion,
goes day after day. week after week,
month after month--work, work, work!
The CONSERVATION of the world in cap
tivi-y, his locks shorn, his eyes pune
tured, grinding corn in GAIA,
First Of all, behold in this giant of
the text that physical power Is not al
ways an index Of moral power He
was huge mantle lion found it out,
and the three thousand men whom he
slew found II out; yet he was the sub
ject OF petty revenges and out-glanted
by low passion. / am far from throw
ing any discredit upon physical STAN
ina. There are those who seem to have
great admiration for delicacy and
sickness OF constitution. never
could see any glory in weak nerves
or sick headache. Whatever effort In
our day is made to make the men and
women more robust should have the
favor OF every good citizen as we'll as
OF every Christian. Gymnastics may
be positively religious.
Good people sometimes ascribe to