The Penn's Grove record., 1901-05-03
DR., TALMAGES SERMON
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject; Lessons Drawn From the Natu-
raj World - The Ant as a Teacher
God Regulates the Ant Hill as Wen
as the Human H%abitation.

ShhN rs u Itht1Hf -
God Regulates the Ant Hill as Well
as the Human Habitation,
Copyright 1901
WASHINGTON, ID. Gin this discourse
Or. Ialmage draws his illustrations from a
realm seldom utilized for moral and reiig,
louis purposes; text, Proverbs vi. 6-S: 60
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
The most of Solomon's writings have
per'shed., They have gone out Of exist
9mce as thoroughly as the twenty books of
Iilny and most OF the Looks of Aeschvlus
and Euripides and Varro and Quintiiian,
SoIomon's Song and Ecclesiastes and
Proverbs, preserved by inspiration, are a
small part OF his voluminous productions
lie was a great scientist. One verse in the
Bible suggests that he was a botanist. a
BIOLOGIST, an ornithlologist, an ichthvolo-
glst and knew all about reptilia. | Kings
Nv, 33, He spake of trees. from the cedar
tree that is in Lebanon even INTO 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 1905 songs.
Although Solomon lived long before the
microscope was constructed he was also
an insectologist, and watched and de-
ScrIbes the, spider build its suspension
bridge of silk from tree to tree, calling it
the SPIDERS web, and he notices its skilful
foothold in climbing the smooth wall of
the throneroom in Jerusalem, saying,
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, Go to the ant, thou
sluggard, consider her ways and be wise,
which, having no guide, overseer or ruler,
prOyideth her meat in the summer and
sathereth her food in the harvest"
But it was not until about 800 years ago,
when Jan Swammerdam, the son of an
apothecary at Amsterdam, Holland, began
the study OF the ant under powerful lens,
that the full force Of Solomon's Injunction
was understood. The great Dutch scien-
fist in his examination of the insect in my
text discovered as great display OF the
wisdom Of God in its anatomy as astrono-
mers discover in the heavens, and was so
absorbed 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 forty-three years of age, a
martyr OF the great science of insectology.
No one but God could have fashioned
the insect spoken of in the text or given
IL sum genius u lllslAltNA"ILS Nl1AlDtll lOl
harvesting at the right time, its wonders
of antennae, by which it gathers food, and
Of mandibles, which, instead of the mo-
ton OF the human jaw up and down in
mastication, move from side to side; its
nervous system, it's 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 resi-
lApPn lie goatol Efa ito ran1thlIpap nov.
eminent with the consent of the gov
erned, its natural facilities, the habit Of
these creatures OF gathering now and then
under the dome Of the ant hillock SEEM
ingly in consultation 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
dcsperadoes 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 de-
stToy its occupants, except the young,
whom they carry into captivity, and il the
army come back without any such cap
! tives they are not permitted to enter, but
are sent forth to make more successful CON
quest. Solomon gives no commentator
to such %sanguinaTy behavior among insects
any more than he would have commended
%sdnguinary behavior among men.
But what are the habits which Solomon
would enioin when he says, consider her
ways and be wise?" First of all, provi.
dence, forethought, anticipation OF coming
necessities. / I'M sorry to say these quail
ties are not characteristic OF AL the ants.
These creatures of God are divided into
granivorous and carnivorous. The hitter
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 provision; they haul In
their long train OF wheat or corn or oats,
The farmers are not more busy in July
and August in reaping their harvest. They
stack them away, they pile them up. They
question when they have enough. They
aggregate a sufficient amount to last them
until the next warm season. When winter
opens they are ready.
Blow We wintry blasts! Hang your iciclei
from the tree branehesi Imbed oil the
highways under snowdrifts! Enough fol
all the denizens Of the hills. Hunger shut
out, and plenty sits within. God, whc
feedeth every living thing, has blessed the
ant hill.
In contrast with that i~nsectile behavior
what do you think of that large number o
prosperous men and women who live W
to every dollar that they make, raising
their families in luxurious habits and al
death expecting some kind friend to give
their daughters employment as musil
teachers or typewriters or Government
employees? Such parents have no right t
children. Every ~neighborhood has speci
mems of such improvidence. The two
words that most strike me in the text arr
summer and winter" Some people
have no hummer in their lives. From Thu
rocking cradle to the still grave it is relent
less January. Invalid infancy followed BY
some Gripping accident or dimness of eye
sight or dullness of hearing or privatlon o.
disaster or unfortunate environment make
lie a perpetual winter. But in most 1--we
there IS a period OF summer, although 4
may be a short summer and that is thu
time to provide for the future.
One of the best ways OF insurlng the fu
ture is to put aside all you can for CHART
able provision. You put a erumbling ston'
in the foundation OF your fortune if yol
do not in your plans regard the suffering
that you may alleviate. You will have thu
pledge of the high heavens for your TEN
poral welfare when you help the helpless
for the promise is Blessed is he that con
sidereth the poor; the Lord will dellve
him in time of trouble
Then there is another way of providing
for the future. If you have $1,000 a yea
income, save 500; or $1,000 a year, saw
$500 or 5000, save SlOo: 10 you .sa,
such economy is meanness? l say 1t is
yaster meanness for you to make no pro
vision for the future and compel You
friends or the world to take care of yol
or yours in case of bereavement or calam
ity.
There are women who at the first in
crease of their husbands resources wreel
all on an eNtravagant wardrobe liner
are men who at the prospect OF large
prosperity build houses they will never b
able to pay for. There are people wit
$1,000 a wear income who have not one do
lar laid up for a rainy day, 1t is a ghastl,
dishonesty practiced on the next genera
ton. Such men deserve bankruptcy an
impoverishment. In almost every man
life there comes a winter of cold misfo1
tune. Prepare for it while you may
Whose thermometer has not sometime
stood below zero? What ship has neve
been caught il a storm? What regimen
at the front never got into a battleE HAY
at least as much foresight as the inseotl
world. .
Examine the p~antries of the ant hills ,
] Al .---4i-- - .-.., mill find TINT las