Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-01-14
JEWELRY OF THE SEA
REV. DR.. TALMAGE FINDS LESSONS IN
THE CORAL REEFS.
He breaches n Highly Eloquent Sermon
Upon Sculpture as Seen at the Bottom of
the Ocean-New Regions of Contempla-

hht Ottau-N'tN ANShcho Va
tion.
copyright. 49, By American Press Asso-
ciftion.I
WASHINGTON, - @S.-This pic
turesque discourse of Dr. Talmage leads
his hearers and readers through un-
wonted regions Of contemplation and is
full of practical gospel; text, Job xviii,
IS, "No mention shall be made of
coral.
Why do you say that, inspired dram
atist? When you wanted to set forth the
superior value of our religion, you tossed
aside the onyx, which is used for max
ing exquisite canoes, and the sapphire,
sky blue, and topaz of rhombic prism
and the ruby Of frozen blood, and here
you say that the coral, which is mir
acle Of shape and a transport Of color to
those who have studied it, is not worthy
of mention in comparison with our holy
religion. "No mention shall be made Of
coral" At st. Johnsbury, Vt, in a
museum built by the chief citizen, as l
examined specimen on the shelf, l
first realized what a holy of holies God
can build and has built in the temple OF
one piece of coral. | do not wonder that
Ernst Heckel, the great scientist, while
in Ceylon, was so entranced with the
specimens which some Cingalese divers
had brought up for his inspection tnat
he himself plunged into the sea and
went clear under the waves at the risk
of his life again and again and again
that he might know more Of the coral,
the beauty Of which he indicates cannot
even be guessed by those who have only
seen it above water, and after the
polyps, which are its sculptors and
architects. have died and the chief glo-
ries Of these submarine flowers have ex-
pired. Job, in my text, did not mean to
depreciate this divine sculpture in the
coral reefs along the seacoasts.
White Palaces of the Deep.
No one can afford to depreciate these
white palaces Of the deep, built under
God s direction. He never changes hi:
plans for the building of the islands and
shores, and for uncounted thousands OF
years the coral gardens and the coral
castles and the coral battlements 90 on
and up. / charge you that you will
please God and please yourself II you
will go into the minute examination OF
the corals-their foundations, their pin
nacles their aisles, their pillars, their
curves, their cleavages, their reticula-
tion, their grouping-familie Of them,
towns Of them, cities Of them and con-
tinents of them. Indeed you cannot ap-
preciate the meaning Of my text unless
you know something Of the coral-laby-
rinthian, stellar, columnar, floral, dent
ed like shields from battle, spotted like
leopards, embroidered like lace, hung
like upholstery; twilight and aurora'
and sunbursts of beauty. From deeI
crimson to milk white are its colors.
You may find this work of God through
the animalcules so fathoms down ol
amid the breakers, where the sea dashe'
the widest and beats the mightiest anc
bellows the loudest. These sea creatures
are ever busy. Now they build islands
in the center Of the Pacific ocean. Now
they lift barriers around the continent
Indian ocean, Red sea and coast OF Ian
zibar have specimens of their infinitesl
NAL but sublime masonry. At the reces
sion Of the tides you may in some places
see the top of their Alpine elevations
while elsewhere nothing but the deeI
sea soundings from the decks of thu
Challenger, the Porcupine and the
Lightning of the British expedition cal
announce them. The ancient Gauls EN-
Moved the coral to adOrn their helmets
and the hilts Of swords. In many lands
it has been used as amulets. The Alge
rian reefs in one year Cls13) had a
work amid the coral 3ll vessels, witt
g. l5O sailors, yielding in profit S565,
600, but the secular and worldly value
of the coral is nothing as compared
with the moral and religious as when
in my text, Job employs it in compari
son. do not know how any one can ex
anime a coral the size Of the thumb mai
without bethinking himself Of God ant
worshiping him and feeling the opposite
of the great infdel surgeon, lecturinI
TO the medical students in the dissectinl
room upon q human eye which he hell
in his hand, showing its wonders o
architecture and adaptation, when th'
idea of God flashed upon him so power
fully he cried out to the students, Gen
tlemen, there is a God, but hate himP
Picking up a coral, feel like cryinl
out, There is a God, and adore him J
Nothing so impresses me with tn
fact that our God loves the beautiful
The most beautiful coral Of the worl
never comes to human observation sun
rises and sunsets he hangs up for ma
tions to look at. He may green tn
grass and round the dew into pearl an
set ON fire autumnal foliage to pleas
mortal sight, but those thousands o
miles of coral achievement ! think b
has had built for his own delight Il
those galleries he alone can walk. Th
music Of those keys, played ON by tn
fingers of the wave, IN only can hear
The snow Of that white and the bloor
of that crimson he alone can see. Hav
inp parnitured this world to please th
human race and lifted a glorious heav
en- to please the angelic intelligences
/ am glad that he has planted these gaI
dens of the deep to please himself Bu
here and there God allows specimens q
submarine glory to be brought up an
! set before Us for sublime contemplation
While / speak these great nations
zoophytes, meandrinas and madrepore'
with tentacles for trowel, are buildin
a lust such coral as we find in our tex
| The diamond may be more rare IN
/ crystal may be more sparkling tn
t chrsyoprase may be more ablaze' bu
. the coral is the long, deep, eyerlastin
; blush of the sea. Yet Job, who under
stood all kinds Of precious stones d'
y clarss that the beauty and value OF th
coral are nothing compared with ou
: holy religion, and he picks up this col
alline formation and looks at 1t an
filings It aside with all the other bea'
tiful things be has ever heard OF al
, cries out in ecstasy Of admiration 4