The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1901-05-10
TALMAGE's SERMON.
The sluggard Advised to Study
The Ways Of the Ant.

III VAlAp NlpOOulp0 LIZ alulhkU uTAWS
his illustrations from realm seldom
utilized for moral and re]iRious pur.
/ poses; text, Proverbs, vi, 6 8. go to
the ant, thou sluggard, consider her
/ ways and be wise, which, having no
D guide, overseogg or)ruler, proyideth her
meat in tho summon aud gathoreth her
food in tho harvest"
.Ss3 The most of Solomon's writings have
perishodY They 'havo gone out Of exist.
enoe az thoroughly as tho 20 hooks of
B Pliny and most Of tho books ofHschylus
and Euripides and Varro and Quinti.
liam. Solomon's Song and EcoloBiastes
and Proverbs, preserved by inspiration,
are small part Of his voluminous pro-
Sduotions He was o gyoat scicntint.
One verse in the Biblo suggests that no
was botanist, q zoologist, an ornitholo.
gist, an iohthy ologist and know all
about reptilia 1 Kings iv, 33, "He
spake Of trees, from the csdartree that
is in Lebanon even; unto the byssop
that apringoth out Of tho wall; he spako
also Of boasts and Of fowl and Of oreop-
ing things and Of fshcs." Besides all
those scientific wosks, he composed
3, 900 proverbs and l 005 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, calling it
q tho SPIDERS wob, and he notices its
skillful foothold in climbing tho smooth
wall Of tho throneroom in Jerusalem,
saying, |'The spider takoth hold with
Ter hands and is in kings PALACES" /"
But ho is especially Interested in tho
ant and recommends it's habits as
worthy Of study and imitation, saying,
"Go to tho ant, thou sluggard, consider
her ways and bo wise, which, having
y no guide, overseer or ruler, provideth
I. her meat in the summer and gathereth
& her food, in the harvest"
But it was not until about 800 years
ago, when Jan Swammcrdam, tho son
of an apotheoary at Amsterdam, Hol-
Y land, began tho study Of the ant undor
1 powerful lens that tho full force Of
ia aSoiomon's injunction was understood
The great Dutch sciontist, ip his ex-
animation Of tho insect in my text, dis
i covered as great a display Of the wis
dom of God in it's anatomy as astrono-
y mers discover in the heavens aud was
4: 30 absorbed and wrought upon by tho
wonders ho discovered in the ant and
other insootg that body and mind gavo
way, and he I Expired at 43 years Of age,
g martyr of tho great eoionco Of insec,
tology. 5
No one but G. could have fashioned
{ the insect spoken. Of in the text or
given it such genius Of instinct, it's wis
dom for harvesting at the right time,
its wonders Of antennn %, by which il
gathers food, and Of mandiblos, which,
instead Of tho motion Of tho human Jaw
up and down in mastioation, moyo from
aide. to side; its nervous system, it's on
! larging doors in hot wcathor for moro
sweep Of breeze, itB mode Of attack and
defenso, closing tho gate at night
againat bandit invaders; its publication
OF the earth for human residence, it's
social life, it's republican government,
with tho oonsent Of tho governed; its
maternal fidelitios, tho habit Of these
creatures Of gathering now and then
under tho dome Of the ant hillook,
seemingly in consultation, and then
departing to execute thoir different
missions.
But Solomon would not commend all
the habits Of the ant, for somo of them
arc aa bad as somo Of tho habits of tho
human raoo. Some Of these small croa
lures arc dosperadoos and murdorors.
Now and then they marshal themselves
into hosts and march in straight line
and como upon an onoainpmont Of their
own race and destroy its occupants. ex
oept tho young, whom they carry into
captivity, and if tho army como back
without any such captives thoy arc not
permitted to enter, but are sent forth
to mako moro successful conquest.
Solomon gives no oommondation to
such sanguinary behavior among insects
sny moro than he would have com
mendod aanguinary bohavior among
mon. Those little creatures have
sometimes wrought fearful damage,
and they have undermined town in
New Granada, which in time may drop
into tho abyss thoy havo dug for it.
But what arc tho habits wEioh Solo
mon would oDjoin whom ho says, "Con.
slider her ways and bo wiso." First Of
ell, providence, forothought, anticipa.
j tion OF coming necossities. lam aor.
Z ry to say these qualities are not oharao
teristic Of ell the ants. These crea.
turoB Of Goo are divided into granivor.
GUS and carnivorous. Tho latter are
not frugal, but the former are frugal.
While tho air is warm and moving
about is not hindorod by loo or snow
bank they import their cargoes Of food.
d vhey bring in their caravan Of proyi.
& sions; they haul in their long train Of
wheat or corn or oats, Tho farmers
are not moro busy in July and August
in reaping thoir harvest than arc tho
ants busy in July and August reaping
their harvest. Thoy stack them away;
they pile them up. They question
whom they have enough. They aggro
cato saeuffioient amount to last them
uatil tho next warm season. When
winter opens, thoy arc roady. BLOW,
70 winter blasts Hang your ioioloa
from tho tree brsnohosl Imbed all the
highways uDder snowdrifts Enough
for. all the donizonB Of the hills. Hun.
ger shut out, and plenty sits within.
God, who feedoth evary living thing,
has bloased the ant hill, ''
In contrast with that inseotilo bo.
havior,' what do you think Of that large
number OF prosperous mon and women
Z who liye up to every dollar that they
D make, raising their families in luxurious
& habits aHd 9Edaath expecting some kind
i friond to give their ,daughters employ.
mont as music tdaohers or twpowritora