The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1900-04-20
A WORK FOR THEM.
DR.. Ialmage breaches on the Duties
Of the Strong.
Responsibilities Resting Upon Those
Who Possess Physical Power TO
DO the Lords WOrL-Ihe
Value of Health.

In this discourse DR.. Tamage sets
forth the responsibility of those who
are strong and we'll as in a former
discourse he preached 10 the disabled
and 1.-THE shut in;" text, Judges, 14:1:
And Samson went down TO Iimnath."
There are two sides TO the character
of Samson. The one phase of hi. life,
If followed into particulars, would adj
ginistert to the grotesque and the mirth-
ful. But there is a phase of his char
acter fraught with lessons of solemn
aud eternal 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 always so. There were
two Nspoleons-the boy Napoleon and
the man Napoleon-but both alike; two
HOwardS-the boy Howard and the
man Howard-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 ex-
hibitions of youthful prowess. At lS
years OF age he was betrOthed TO the
daughter OF a Philistine. Going down
toward Timnath, lion came out 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 a March hare and
made his bones crack, and left him by
the wayside bleeding under the shifting
of his fist and the grinding heft of his
heel
There he stands looming up above
other men. mountain of flesh. his
arms punched with muscles that can
lift the gate of city, taking an atti-
tude defiant Of everything. His hair
had never been cut, and il rolled down
IN several great plaits over his shoul-
ders. adding TO his bulk. ferceness and
/ terror. The Philistines want 10 conquer
him, and therefore they must find out
where the secret Of his strength lies.
There is an evil woman living in the
valley Of Sorek by the name of Delilah.
/ They appoint her the agent in the case.
/ The Philistines are secreted in the same
building. and then Delilah goes TO work
and coaxes Samson 10 tell what is the
secret Of his strength. "Well." he says,
"if you should take seven 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
rlaps her hands and says: They come
the Philistinesl" and he walks out
as though there. were no impediment.
She coaxes him again, and says: "Now
tell me the secret of this great
strength" and he replies: ''If you
should take some ropes that have never
been used and tie me with them, l
should be Just like other men," She
tied him with the ropes, claps her hands
and shouts: "They come-the Philis-
tinesl" He walks out as easily as he
/ did before-not a single obstruction.
She coaxes him again, and he says: "Now,
/ If 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 a web. Then she claps her
hands and says: "They come-the
Philistlnes!" He walks out as easily as
be did before. dragging a part OF the
loom with him.
But after awhile she persuades him
10 tell the truth. lie 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
skillful way of manipulating the head
to this very day that instead Of waking
up a sleeping man they will put a man
wide awake sound asleep. ! hear the
blades Of the shears grinding against
zach other, and I see the long locks
falling off. The shears or razor accom-
plishes what green withes and new
ropes and house loom could not do.
Suddenly she claps her hands and says;
"The Philistines be upon thee, sam
son!" He rouses up with a struggle,
but his strength is all gone. He Is in
the hands of his enemies.
hear the groan Of the giant as they
take his eyes out, and then | see him
staggering on in his blindness, feeling
his way as he goes on toward GAIA.
The prison door IS open. and the giant
Is thrust IN. He sits down and puts his
hands on the mill crank, which, with
exhausting horizontal motion, goes day
after day, week after week, month aft
er month-work. work, work! The
CONSERVATION Of the world in captivity,
his locks shorn, bis eyes punctured,
grinding corn in Gazal
First Of all. behold in this giant OF
the text that physical power is not
always an index Of moral power. He
was a huge mantle lion found il out,
and the 1900 men whom he slew found
IL out; yet he was the subject of petty
revenges and outgianted by low pas
sion. am far from throwing any dis
credit upon physical stamina. There
are those who seem TO have great ad-
miration for delcacy ana sickliness OF
constitution. never could see ary
glory in weak nerves or sick headache.
Whatever effort in our day is made TO
make the men and women more robust
.bou1d have tho favor Of every GOOD