Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-04-29
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WASHINGTON, april ZS.-1n CQlS OlS-
Eourse DR.. Talmage draws his illustra-
lions from a realm seldom utilized for
moral and religious purposes; text,
Proverbs vi, 6-S: go to the ant, thou
sluggard. Consider her ways and be
wise, which, having no guide, Overseer
or ruler, provideth her meat in the
summer and gathereth her food in the
harvest"
The most of Solomon's writings have
persisted. They have gone out of ex-
Sstence as thoroughly as the 20 books
OF Pliny and most of the books of
Eschylus and Euripides and Varro
and Quintilian. Solomon's Song and
Ecclesiastes and Proverbs, preserved
by inspiration, are a small part of his
voluminous productions. He was a
great scientist. One verse in the Bible
suggests that he was a botanist, a 70
ologist, an ornithologist, an ichthyolo-
giSt and knew all about reptilia. l
Kings iv, 33, "He spake of trees, from
the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even
unto the hyssOp that springeth out of
the wall; he spake also of beasts and
OF fowl and of creeping things and of
fishes" Besides all these scientific
works, he composed 5000 proverbs and
: 4 ,0O5 songs.
Although Solomon lived long before
: the microscope was constructed, he was
also an insectologist and watched and
describes the spider build its suspen-
sion bridge of silk from tree to tree,
), calling it the spiders web, and he no.
tees it's skillful foothold in climbing
49, ~,
Jerusalem, saying, "The spider taketh
hold with her hands and is in kings
palaces" But he is especially interest
ed in the ant and recommends its hab-
its as worthy of study and imitation,
saying, $50 to the ant, thou sluggard,
consider her ways and be wise, which.
having no guide, overseer or ruler, pro-
yideth her meat in the summer and
gathereth her food in the harvest
/ But it was not until about 800 years
ago, when Jan Swammerdam. the son
OF an apothecary at Amsterdam, Hol-
land, began the study of the ant under
powerful lens, that the full force of
Solomon's injunction was understood.
The great Dutch scientist in his exam
ination of the insect in my text discov-
cred as great display of the wisdom of
God in it's anatomy as astronomers dis
cover in the heavens and was so alb
sorbed and wrought upon by the won
ders he discovered in the ant and other
insects that body and mind gave way
and he expired at 43 years of age, a
martyr of the great science of insectol-
ogy.
No One but God.
No
ed the insect spoken of in the text or
given it such genius of instinct-its
wisdom for harvesting at the right
time, it's wonders of antennR, by which
it gathers food. and of mandibles.
which, instead of the motion of the
human jaw up and down in mastica-
ton, move from side to side; it's nerv-
Gus system. it's enlarging doors in hot
weather for more sweep of breeze, it's
mode of attack and defense, closing
the gate at night against bandit in
yaders; its publication of the earth for
human residence. it's social life. it's re-
publican government with the consent
of the governed. it's maternal facilities,
the habit of these creatures of gather
Ing now and then under the dome of
the ant hillock seemingly in consulta-
ton and then departing to execute
their different missions.
But Solomon would not commend all
the habits of the ant, for some of them
are as bad as some of the habits of the
human race. Some of these small
creatures are desperadoes and murder
ers. Now and then they marshal them
selves into hosts and march in straight
line and come upon an encampment of
their own race and destroy its oc-
cupants. except the young, whom they
carry into captivity, and if the army
come back without any such captives
they are not permitted to enter but
are sent forth to make more successful
conquest. Solomon gives no CON-
mendation to such sanguinary be-
havior among insects any more than he
would have commended sangunary be-
havior among men.
But what are the habits which Solo
mon would enjOin when he says. ''con-
slider her ways and be WISE" First of
all, providence, fOrethOught. anticipa-
ton of coming necessities. | am sorry
to say these qualities are not charac-
teriStic of all the ants. These crea-
lures of God are divided into granivOr-
Gus and carniVOrOuS. The latter are
not frugal but the former are frugal.
While the air is warm and moving
about is not hindered by ice or snow
bank, they import their cargoes of
food. They bring in their caravan of
provision; they haul in their long train
of wheat or corn or oats. The farmers
are not more busy in July and August
in hon +I,o
ants busy in July and August reaping
their harvest. They stack them away,
they pile them up. They question