St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1900-03-17
! WORK FOR THEM.
d.. Talmage breaches on the Duties
Of the Strong.

sN s
Responsibilities Resting Upon Those
who Possess Physical Power to
fE DO the LORDS Werk-The q
Value OF Health.
copyright. 1900. bS Louis Klopsch.l
Washington,
In this discourse DIR. Talmage sets
forth the responsibility of those who
are strong and well, as in former
discourse he preached to the disabled
and "the shut in;" text, Judges, 14:1:
'And Samson went down TO Timnath."
There are two sides to the character
of Samson. The one phase of his life,
IS followed into particulars, would adj
minister to the grotesque and the mirth-
full. But there is a phase of his char
acter fraught with lessons of solemn
and 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 Napoleons-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 proves. AT is
years of age he was betrothed to the
daughter of Phiistine. Going down
him, and although this young giant
was weaponless he seized the monster
by the long name and shook him as
hungry hound shakes 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, a mountain of flesh, his
arms punched with muscles that can
lift the gate of q city. taking an atti-
tude defiant of everything. His hair
had never been cut, and it rolled down
in several great plaits over his shout
ders, adding to his bulk, .fierceness and
terror. The Philistines want to 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 PhiIistines are secreted in the same
building, and then Delilah goes to work
and coaxes Samson to tell what is the
secret of his strength. SWELL" 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 wiihes. Then she
claps her hands and says: "They come
the Philistines!" and he walks out
as though there were no impeachment.
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. /
should be just like other men," She
tied him with the ropes. claps her hands
and shouts: They come-the Pbilis-
finest" He walks out as easily as he
did before-not a single obstruction.
She coaxes him again, and he says: snow.
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
Philistines!' He walks out as easily IS
he did before, dragging part of the
loom with him.
But after awhile she persuades him
to tell the truth. lie says: ''If you
should take 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 sleeping MAJ they will put a man
wide awake sound asleep. hear the
blades OF the shears grinding against
each other. and l 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 Phii;stines be upon thee, Sam
SOM" He rouses up with a struggle,
but his strength is all gone. lie il 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
err month-work. work. work! The
CONSERVATION of the world i'm captivity,
his locks shorn, his eyes punctured,
grinding corn in GAIA!
First of all, behold in this giant of
the text that physical power is not
always an index of moral power. He
was . hinge man-the lion found ii ont.
and the 5000 men whom he slew found
it out; yet he was the subject Of petty
revenges and outgianted by low pas
sion. I am far from throwing any dis
credit upon physical stamina. There
are those who seem to have great adj
miration for delicacy and sickliness of
constitution. l 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 well IS Of every Christian.
Gymnastics may be positively religious.
Good people sometimes ascribe to
wicked heart what they ought to ascribe
to slow liver. The body and the soul
are such near neighbors that they often
catch each others diseases. Those who
never saw a sick day and who. like Her
cules, show the giant in the cradle,
have more to answer for than those
who are the subjects Of lifelong infirm-
tiles. He who can lift twice as much