Connecticut western news. [volume] (Salisbury, Litchfield Co., Conn.) 1871-1970, 1901-05-02
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WASHINGTON, April 2S.-In this dis
course DIR. Talmage draws his illustra-
tons from realm seldom utilized for
moral and religious purposes; text,
Proverbs vi 6-S: Go to the ant, thou
sluggard. Consider her ways and be
wise, which, having no guide, oyerseer
or ruler, provideth 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 ex-
istence as thoroughly as the 20 books
of Pliny and most of the books OF
Eschylus and Euripides and Varro
and Quintilian. Solomon's Song and
Ecclesiastes and Proverbs, preserved
by inspiration, are small part of his
soluminous productions. lie was
great scientist. One verse in the Bible
suggests that he was a botanist, 20
ologist, an ornithologist, an ichthyolo-
gist and knew all about reptilia. l
Kings iv, 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
1,0O5 songs.
Although Solomon lived long before
the microscope was constructed, he was
also an insectologist and watched and
describes the spider build it's suspen-
sion bridge of silk from tree to tree,
calling it the spiders web, and he no
tees it's skillful 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 especially interest
ed in the ant and recommends its hab-
it's 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, pro-
videth her meat in the summer and
gathereth her food in the harvest"
But 1t was not until about 800 years
ago, when Jan Swammerdam, the son
Of an apothecary at Amsterdam, Hol-
land, began the study of the ant under
powerful lens, that the full force Of
Solomon's injunction was understood.
The great Dutch scientist in his exam
nation Of the insect in my text discov-
cred as great display of the wisdom of
God In its anatomy as astronomers dis
cover In the heavens and was so alb
sorbed 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 43 years of age,
martyr of the great science Of insectol-
ogy.
No One but God.
No one but God could have fashion
ed the insect spoken of in the text or
given 1t such genius of instinct-its
wisdom for harvesting at the right
time, it's wonders of antenne, by which
1t gathers food, and of mandibles,
which, instead of the motion of the
human jaw up and down in mastica-
ton, move from side to side; it's nerv-
GUS 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 in
vaders; its publication of the earth for
human residence, its social life, its re-
publican government with the consent
of the governed, it's maternal fidelities,
the habit of these creatures of gather
ing now and then under the dome Of
the ant hillock seemingly in consulta-
ton 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 desperadoes and murder
ers. Now and then they marshal them
selves into hosts and march In straight
line and come upon an encampment Of
their own race and destroy it's oc-
cupants, except 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. Solomon gives no COM
mendation to such sanguinary be-
havior among insects any more than he
would have commended sanguinary be-
havior among men.
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. am sorry
to say these qualities are not charac-
teristic of all the ants. These crea-
lures of God are divided into granivor-
GUS 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
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 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 a sufficient amount to last them
until the next warm season. When
winter opens, they are ready. Blow
ye wintry blasts! Hang your icicles
from the tree branches! Imbed all the
highways under snowdrifts! Enough
for all the denizens of the hills. Hun
ger shut out and plenty sits within.
God, who feedeth every living thing,
has blessed the ant hill.
Provide For the Future.
In contrast with that insectile be-
havior what do you think of that large
number Of prosperous men and women
who live up to every dollar that they
make, raising their families in luxu-
rious habits and at death expecting
some kind friend to give their daugh-
tiers employment as music teachers or
typewriters or government employees?
Such parents have no right to children.
Every neighborhood has specimens of
such improvidence. The two words
that most strike me in the text are
summer" and winter" Some people
have no summer in their lives. From
the rocking cradle to the still grave, it
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