The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-05-02
TALMAGE'S SERMON.

TALMAGE'S SERMON.
SEEKERS FOR WISDOM" THE
SUBJECT LAST SUNDAY.
Go to the Ant Thou slusgard. Consider
Her Ways and Be Wise, Having No
Guide, Overseer or Ruler. She Provid-
eth Her Meet %-Proy, q; 6-S.
Copyright. 1901, by Louis Klopsch N. "
Washington, April 2S.-In this dis
course DR.. Talmage draws his illustra-
lions from realm seldom utilized for
moral and religious purposes; text.
Proverbs, vi, 6-8, GO to the ant, thou
sMggard. 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 Solcmon's writings have
persisted. They have gone out Of exist
ence as thoroughly as the 20 books OF
Pliny and most of the books of Aes-
chylus and Euripides and Varro and
Quintilian. Solomons Song and Ec-
clesiastes and Proverbs, preserved by
inspiration. are small part of his
voluminous productions. He was a
great scientist. One verse in the Bible
suggests that he was botanist, ZOO
logist, an ornithologist, an ichthyo!o-
gist, and knew all about reptilia. L.
Kings w., 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 1.005 songs.
Although Solomon lived long before
the microscope was constructed. he
was also an insectologist and watched
and described the spider build it's sus-
pension bridge of silk from tree to
tree, calling it the spiders web, and
he notices its skillful foothold in
climbing the smooth wall of the throne
room in jerusalem, saying. The spi-
der 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, over
seer or ruler, provideth her meat in
the summer and gathereth her food in
the harvest"
Not Altogether Commendab!e.
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 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
own 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. Sol
ONION gives no commentator to such
| sanguinary behavior among insects,
| any more than he would have com
| mended sanguinary behavior among
men. These little creatures have some
| times wrought fearful damage, and
they have undermined 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. anticipa-
ton of coming necessities. l am sorry
to say these qualities are not charac-
teristic of all the ants. These crea-
lures of God are divided into graniv-
orous 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 provi-
sions; they haul in their long train of
i
are not more busy in July and August
in reaping their harvest than are the
ants busy in July and August 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 icicles from the tree
branches! Imbed all the highways ,un-
der snowdrifts! Enough for all the
denizens of the hills. Hunger shut out
and plenty sits within. God, who feed
eth every living thing, has blessed the
ant hill.
Wrecked by Extravaganza.
There are women who at the first
increase of their husbands resources
wreck all on an extravagant wardrobe.
There are men who at the prospect of
larger prosperity build houses they
will never be able to pay for. There
are people with $4,000 year income
who have not one dollar laid up for a
rainy day. 1t is CHASTITY dishonesty
practiced on the next generation. Such
men deserve bankruptcy and impoyer-
ishment. In almost every mans life
there comes winter of cold misfor-
tune. Prepare for it while you may.
Whose thermometer has not sometimes
stood below zero? What ship has
novar hoon coYOht In a o&or,,,o W. - /.