The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-04-30

tourse DIR. Talmage draws his ~illustra-
tons 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,
provldeth her meat in the summer and
gathereth her food in the harvest"
The most of Solomon's writings have
persisted. They nave gone out of exist
ence as thoroughly as the 20 books of
PIiny n most of the books Of Eschylus
and Euripides and Varro and Quintilian.
Solomon's Song and Ecclesiastes and Prov
erbs, preserved by inspiration, are a small
part OF his yoluminous productions. He
was a great scientist One verse in the
Bible suggests that he was a botanist, a
zoologist, an ornithologist, an ichthyolo-
gist and knew all about reptilia. I Kings
iv, 80, "He spake of trees, from the cedar
tree that is in Lebanon even unto the
hyssop that s%pringeth 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 1905 songs.
Although Solomon lived long before the
microscope was constructed, he was also
an insectologist and watched and de-
scribes the spider build it's suspension
bridge Of silk from tree to tree, calling it
the spiders web, and he notices it's skill
full foothold in climbing the smooth wall
of the throneroom in Jerusalem, saying,
1.-THE spider taketh hold with her hands
and is in kings palaces" But he is espe-
cially interested in the ant and recon-
mends its habits as worthy OF study and
imitation, saying, $50 to the ant, thou
~sluggard, consider her ways and be wise,
which HAVING M Or1i1a ororcoor nr rTrIor
provideth her meat in the summer and
gathereth her food in the harvest"
But it was not until about 300 years
ago., when Jan Swammerdam, the son
of an apothecary at Amsterdam, Holland,
began the study of the ant under power
full lens that the full force Of Solomon's
injunction was understood. The great
Dutch scientist, in his examination Of the
insect in my text, discovered as great a
display of the wisdom of God in its anat-
omy as astronomers discover in the heay-
ems and was so absorbed and wrought
upon by the wonders he discovered in the
ant and other insects that body and mind
gave way, and he expired at 43 years of
age, 4 martyr of the great science of in
sociology.
No one but God could have fashioned
the insect spoken of in the text or given
- ouNh kNhAoS vi III 10 Nlt
for harvesting at the right time. it's won
ders of antenna, by which il gathers
food. and of mandibles. which. instead of
the motion of the human jaw up and
down in mastication. move froIi side to
side; its nervous system. its enlarging
doors in hot weather for more sweep OF
breeze, its mode of attack and defense,
closing the gate at night against bandit
invaders: its publication OF the earth for
human residence. its social life. its re-
publican government. with the consent of
the governed: its maternal tidelities. the
habit of these creatures OF gathering
now and then under the dome of the ant
hillock. seemingly in consultation. and
then departing to execute their different
missions.
Not Altogether Commendabl
But Solomon would not commend all
the habits of the ant. for some of them
are as bad as some OF the habits of tie
human race. Some Of these small crea-
lures are desperadoes and murderers.
Now and then they marshal themselves
into hosts and march in straight line
and come upon an encampment of their
W race and destroy its occupants, ex-
cept 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. Solo
mon gives no commentator to such SAN
culinary behavior among insects any
more than he would have commended
sanguinary behavior among men. These
little creatures have sometimes wrought
fearful damage, and they nave undermin-
ed a town in New Granada, which in
time may drop into the abyss they have
dug for it
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, anticipation
of coming necessities. / am sorry to say
these qualities are not characteristic CT
all the ants. These creatures Of God are
divided into granivorous 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
snowbank they import their cargoes of
food. They bring in their caravan of
provisions: they haul in their long train
of wheat or corn or oats The farmers
are not more busy in July and August in
reapin% their harvest than are the ants
busy III July AMI August rtapin2 their
harvest They stack them away. they
pile them ZIP. They question when they
have enough. They aggregate d sufficient
amount TO last them until the next warm
season. When winter opens. they are
ready. Blow, ye wint-y blasts! Hang
your icic!eS from the tree branches. Inn
bed all the highways under snowdrifts.
Enough for all the denizeES of the hills
Hunger shut out. and plenty sits within
God, who feedeth every living thing. has
blessed the ant hill.
In contrast with that insectlle De-
havior. what DO you think of that large
number OF prosperous men and women
who live up to every dollar thai they
make. raising their families in luxurious
habits and at death expecting some kind
friend to give their daughters employ
ment as music teachers or typewriters
Or government employees? Such parents
have no right TO children Every neigh
borhood has specimens of such improyt
dance The two words that most strike