Milford chronicle., 1901-05-03

moral and religious purposes; text,
Proverbs, vi, 6-8, GO to the ant, thou
suggard, consider her ways and be wise,
which, having no guide, Overseer or ruler,
DrOvideth her meat in the summer and
gathereth her food in the harvest"
The most of Solomon'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 AGschylus
and Euipides and VarrO and Quintilian.
SolOmOn's Song and Ecclesiastes and Prov
CRIBS, preserved by inspiration, are a small
part CT his vouminOus productions. He
was a great scientist. One verse in the
Bible suggests that he was a bOtanist, a
zoologist, an ornithOlOgist, an ichthyolo-
gist and knew all about reptiliG. ! Kings
iv, SO, ''He spake of trees, from the cedar
tree that is in Lebanon even unto the
hyssop that spriRgeth 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
1900 proverbs and ,005 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 i
| the spiders web, and he notices its skill
full fOothOld in climbing the smooth wal
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 ant
| imitation, saying, "Go to the ant, thol
sluggard, consider her ways and be wise
which, having no guide, overseer or ruler
| prOvideth her meat in the summer AM
| gathereth her food in the harvest"
But it was not until about 300 year
ago, when Jan Swammerdam, the Sol
of an apOthecary at Amsterdam, Holland
began the study Of the ant under power
full lens that the full force Of Solomon
injunction was understood. The grea
Dutch scientist, in his examination of tn
insect in my text, discovered as great
display of the wisdom of God in its anat
omy as astronomers discover in the heay
ems and was so absorbed and wrough
upon by the wonders he discovered in til
ant and other insects that body and min
gave way, and he expired at 43 years {
age, a martyr of the great science Of il
sociology.
No one but God could have fashione
the insect spoken of in the text or give
it such genius of instinct its wisdoi
for harvesting at the right time, its VOL
ders of antOnnn, hy which it gathe
food, and Of mandibles, which, instead
the motion of the human jaw up al
down in mastication, move from side
side; its nervous system, its enlargiI
doors in hot weather for more sweep
breeze its mode of attack and defens
. closing the gate at night against band
invaders; its publication Of the earth f
: / human residence, its social life, its
publican government, with tho consent
the governed; its maternal facilities. {
habit of these creatures of gatheri
now and then under the dome of the a
= hillock, seemingly in consultation, al
7 then departing to execute their differe
o missions.
Not Altogether COmmendable.
But Solomon would not commend
r, the habits of the ant, for some of the
= are as bad as some of the habits of t
human race Some of these small ere
lures are despcradocs and murdere
Now and then they marshal themselV
into hosts and march in straight /
and come upon an encampment of tn
own race and destroy its occupants.
/. cept the young, whom they carry il
NJ captivity, and if the army come bG
without any such captives they are
permitted to enter, but are sent forth
= make more successful conquest. 81
mon gives no commentator to such S
culinary behavior among insects {
el more than he would have common,
e,ur-,,f,owrr f,ohox .i1 FHh
y, little creatures have sometimes wrOu
&C. fearful damage. and they have undern
lts ed town in New Granada, which
l cs time may drop into the abyss they b
ses dug for it.
in But what are the habits which S
~ mon would enjoin when he says, &C
slider her ways and be wise" First
ms all. providence, fOrethOught, anticipa
Il49r of coming necessities. ! am sorry to
these qualities arc not characteristic
nj all the ants. These creatures of God
IN divided into granivorOus and carnivOr
:, The latter are not frugal, but the for
~ are frugal. While the air is warm
. moving about is not hindered by ict
snowbank they import their cargoe'
food. They bring in their caravan
rich. provisions; they haul in their long
cry. of wheat or corn or oats. The farI
ion are not more busy in July and Augu:
rCaping their harvest than are the
busy in July and August reaping
re. harvest. They stack them away;
pile them up. They question when
have enough. They aggregate suif
amount to last them unit! the next "
season. When winter opens, they
ready. Blow. We wintry blasts! I
your icicles from the tree branches!
cry bed all the highways under snowdl
All Enough for all the denizens Of the
own Hunger shut out, and plenty sits wi
God, who fePdeth every living thing
. blessed the ant hill.
80 In contrast with that insectile
Id havior, what do you think Of that
number Of prosperous men and W
who live up to every dollar that
make, raising their families in luxU
habits and at death expecting some
friend to give their daughters en-
ment as music teachers or typew
lgseI5S or government employees? Such pi
10. have no right to children. Every
borhood has specimens of such i'm
W. dence. The two words that most
me in the text are Summer" and
VS. ter" Some people have no sunni
c. their lives. From the rocking era
SNNS the still grave it is relentless jan
- Invalid infancy followed by some
no pling accident or dimness of ey
~ or dullness Of hearing or privati
imam disaster or unfortunate enviro
make life a perpetual winter. I
Y most lives there is a period Of su
although it may be a short summe
that is the time to provide for t
. Del' ture.
One of the best ways of insuri
ES. future is to put aside all you C
charitable provision. You put a
bling stone in the foundation of yo
tune if you do not in your plans.
the sufferings that you may al
You will have the pledge of tn
heavens for your temporal welfar
darate you help the helpless, for the prof.
blessed is he that considereth til
The Lord will deliver him in
1GFV trouble" Then there is another
70 est, providing for the future. If yo
1tiTe or 81 600 a year income, save 500;
T other 600 a year, save $500; or $4,000, S
twenty 600. Do you say such economy
q iIfoTd, ness? l say it is a vaster mean
you to make no provision for tn
and compel your friends or the :
take care of you or yours in cas-
reavement or calamity.
w r. ET-%-avagan