Newport weekly independent., 1901-05-02
lW ISDOM.
Ee May Learn from Httlc Insect.
Le Draws m Interesting from d Realm Seldom zed for Moral CT Re- HgiOus Purposes.

hSLOuS Purposes.
 sEt, 1901, by Louis Klopsch, N. Y.l
 Washington, April 2S.
 Ashington, April 2S.-ln this dis
 Irse Dr. Talmage draws his illus
 ations from a realm seldom util- Eed for moral and religious pur- |poses; text, Proverbs, vii, 6-8, "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 gather eth her food in the harvest"
 The most of Solomon's writings have perished. They have gone out of existence as thoroughly as the 20 books of Pliny and most of the books of Aeschylus and Euripides and Varro and Quintilian. Solomon S Song and Ecclesiastes and Proverbs, preserved by inspiration, are small part of his voluminous productions. He was q great scientist. One verse in the Bible suggests that he was botanist, zoologist, an ornitholo- gist, an ichthyologist and knew all about reptilia. l. Kings iv., 33, "He spalle 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 1ishes." Besides all these scientific works, he composed 5000 proverbs and 1905 songs.
 Although Solomon lived long be- ANV 1a n6 he was also an insectologist and watched and describes the spider build it's suspension bridge of silk from tree to tree, calling it the spiders web, and he notices it's skill ful foothold in climbing the smooth wall of the throneroom in Jerusalem, saying: "The spider taketh hold with her hands and is in kings pal aces.' But he is especially interest ed in the ant and recommends it's habits as worthy of study and imi- tation, saying: "Go to the ant, thou siuggard, consider her ways and be wise, which, having no guide, over seer or ruler, 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, Hol- land began the study of the ant nm der powerful lens that the full force of Solomon's inj junction was under stood. The great Dutch scientist, in his examination of the insect in my text, discovered as great a display of the wisdom of God in it's anatomy as astronomers discover in the heav- ems, and was so abs sorbed and wrought upon by the wonders he dis covered in the ant and other insects that body and mind gave way, and he expired at 43 years of age, martyr of the great science of in sociology.
 No one but God could have fash toned the insect spoken of in the text or given it such genius of in- stinct, it's wisdom for harvesting at 1he right time, it's wonders of anten- nae, by which it gathers food, and of mandibles, which, instead of the mo- tion of the human jaw up and down in mastication, move from side to side; its nervous system, it's en- Iarg Ing doors in hot weather for mora sweep of breeze, it's mode of attG.ck and defense, closing the gate at night against bandit invaders; it's purification of the earth for human residence, it's social life, it's repub- of the governed; it's maternal fideli- tics, 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.
 But Solomon would not commend nll the habits of the ant, for some of Ihem are as bad as some of the hab- its of the human race. Some of these small creatures are desperadoes and murderers. Now and then they mar shal themselves into hosts and march in straight line and come upon an en- campment of their own race and de- stroy its occupants, except the young, whom they carry into captiv- fly, and if the army come back with or5 any such captives they are not permitted to enter, but are sent forth to make more successful conquest. Solomon gives no commendation to such sanguinary behavior among in- sects any more than he would have commended sanguinary behavior among men. These little creatures have sometimes wrought fearful damage, and they have undermined a town in New Granada, which in time may drop into the abyss they have dug for it.
 But what are the habits which Sol omon would enjoin when he says: