Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1903-07-25

SERMON
By Rev. -
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE. DID,
Pastor Of Jefferson Park Presby-
terian Church. Chicago

10
Chicago, July 19.-The glorles of the
sea and its moving panorama of white
sails furnish Il theme for the preacher
1t this season. when the multitudes are
leaving the heated cities for seashore
and lake. The text is Psalm ciy,s26,
There go the ships"
always feel sorry for one who has
not been lullabied to sleep by the low
song of the sea. Kenmore
Cooper loved to write about the noun
tains and woods and streams and wa
terfalls and rivers, to whose deer licks
the fawns and the does came down to
drink. But there is beauty, too, In
the sand dunes and the seabcach ana
the broad expanse of the mighty deep
which we can love also.
Fascinating is the seashore on ac-
count of its endless variety. The
oceans beauty is never twice the same
Sometimes its colors are a white foam
or a light green or dark emerald or
blue or black. Sometimes its surface
Is covered with broad highways OF
gold. when the light Of the rising sun
rilds II. or with that other highway OF
silver. when. In the midnight hour, the
finish of the moon is reflected upon IT..
Sometimes the sea W Ill do nothing but
smile. Like a golden haired baby, It's
cheeks are dimpled and wrinkled, as
though it is trying hard to keep back
q hearty laugh. 1t will look as harm
less AS some innocent lake cuddled up
in the huge lap Of a crooked backed
mountain. Then the sea gulls, as
white doves of peace, will hover over
1t. Then the fisherman's beat VIII De-
come the cradle in which the tired
merchant will have the many cares OF
the store gently rocked out of his over
burdened mind, as he anXiousiy
watches the line which catches the
golden prize of health as well as the
fnny treasures.
Sometimes the sea becomes as wrath
full as the wild beasts in the Spanish
arena, stung with sharp darts DeIore
which the attendants wave the red gar
ments. 1t rears. 1t plunges. 1t lashes
itself into fury until at last it Is GRIM
soned with its own blood. The blazing
nhosphorescences make it look like the
river Nile struck with the Mosaic rod
in the famous Egyptian plague. Inc
seashore a monotonous place to pass
the summer? 1t is uninterestlng only
10 those whose love Of nature Is so un-
deyeloped that they cannot under
stand the language Of the sea.
The Human Ship.
But. after all, one Of the most absorb
ing diversions of the summer tourists
living bv the seashore is to watch the
passing of the ships. For over quar-
ter of century my privilege was 10
spend every summer by the Atlantic
coast. My fathers country home was
near the end of Long Island at small
town called East Hampton. There
upon the sand dunes. used to lie hour
after hour, watching the great steam
ers and the sailing craft heading TO-
ward New York Narrows or starting
upon their long trips to the distant har'
bors of the world. | used to watcn
them Just as the psalmist did When 1t
cried out in the words of my text
.gThere 90 the ships" How Ike those
VOYAGES are. with their unknown lncl
dents. their calns and their storms
thoir successes and. alas, their wrecks
IN human lives. Who can tell as he
looks at an infant calmly sleeping III
rs cradle whether the voyage Of its llIC
will be like the ship skillfully steered
safe into harbor or like the ship care
lessIy navigatcd that strikes the sunken
rock or by collision with another snll
Is shattered and sunk into the depths
of the sea? Let Us see this morning
what those points Of resemblance are
what kind of a ship each human beng
ought TO be. what kind of cargo ne
IS CARRYING and toward what kind Oh
mort he should be heading. The ships
The ships. There 90 the ships. Thert
60 the ships! -,
Every human vessel should be dis
tInguished by some flag. Going dowr
TO New York harbor and examining the
shipping, you will find the name OF
each vessel clearly marked upon the
stern. You will also find the name OF
the city in which that vessel is regis
tered. Such names as these can Dc
read: John Milton of Glasgow the
Aurania Of Liverpool, the Paris or New
York. And if upon the high seas twC
ships approach each other, one captall
will put the trumpet to his lips anc
call: "Ship ahoy! Ship ahoy! VIVA
shin is that? Then the other captau
will call back: "The -Kensington ol
Antwerp, bound for New York! VIVA
ship is that?" The meaning OF al
this? Simply that when ship is reg
istered in a certain country that gov
ernment pledges itself to protect tina
ship 4 British ship is under British
protection; French ship is undel
French protection; German snip Il
under German protection; an American
ship is under American protection
Therefore, if nation dares to moles
any foreign ship upon the high seas
that nation must answer for the insui
to the flag which is flying above III
stern of the outraged vessel.
The Flag of Protection.
Many a war has been started becaus
the sacredness Of ships deck ha
been violated. The war Of 1872 witt
England really had its origin in tn
English claim that she could stop an.
American vessel and take off her deck
all the English born sailors foun'
among the crews The war with tn
dey of AlgierS was started in To
same way The Mediterranean pirate
demanded money from our govern