The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1901-05-03
THE ANTS WISDOM.
Useful Lessons We May Learn from
the Little Insect.
Or. Talmage Draws an Interesting
Sermon from Realm Seldom
Utilized for Moral Re-
liEious Purposes.

Copyright. 1901, by Louis Klopsch. n. VI
shington,
Washington, April 2S.-In this dis
course DR.. Talmage draws his illus
! trations from a realm seldom util-
lied for moral and religious pur-
| poses; text, Proverbs, vi, 6-S, 60
to the ant, thou sluggard, consider
her ways and be wise, which, having
no g.ide, o-erseer or ruler, provideth
her meat in the summer and gather
eth her food in the harvest"
The most of Solomon's writings
have persisted. 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 a great scientist. One verse
in the Bible suggests that he was a
botanist, zoologist, an ornitholo-
gist, an ichthyologist and knew all
about reptilia l. Kings w., 80, "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 be-
fore the microscope was constructed,
he was also an insectologist and
watched and describes the spider
build it's suspension bridge of silk
from tree to tree, calling 1t the
spiders web, and he notices its skill
full 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
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"
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 I'M
der powerful lens that the full force
of Solomon's injunction 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 its anatomy
as astronomers discover in the heav-
ems, and was so absorbed 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, n
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, its wisdom for harvesting at
the right time, its wonders of anten-
nae, 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, its en-
larging 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 repub-
lican government, with its consent
of the governed; its maternal fideli-
ties. 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
all the habits of the ant, for some of
them 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
shall 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-
ity, and if the army come back with
out 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 metimes 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 Sol
ONION would enjoin when he says:
"Consider her ways and be wise?"
First of all, providence, forethought,
anticipation of coming necessities. 1
am sorry to say these qualities are
not characteristic of all ants. These
creatures of God are divided into
;-anivorous and carnivorous. The
latter are not frugal, but the former
are frugal. While the air is war11.
and moving about is not hindered by
ice or snowbank, they import their
cargoes of food. They brin-- 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 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 aggre-
gate q sufficient amount to last them
until the next warm season. When
winter opens, they are ready. Blow,
ye wintry blasts! Hang your icicles