Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-05-14
Calrnage
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee. ID. ID.

|
Los Angeles, Cal. May S.-Kininess
and consideration for all OF tiod
creatures is the preachers theme ana
he pleads that man should value the
affection Of the dumb creation no less
than he should respect its rights, since
divine wisdom has placed II IN DIS
care. The text Is Deuteronomy xAv' T.
"Thou shalt not muZZle the OK when
he treadeth out the corn
This is the age of machinery. Thls
is the time when man Is not Limited III
his operations to the work OF bis TWO
hands. but with his little finger can
lift a lever which has the strength OF
a thousand hands; when, instead OF MS
being content with seeing only such
things as his eyes perceive, he calls 10
his aid the telescope and the microscope
that multiply his power Of vision
thousandfold. The old fashioned spin"
ming wheel has been developed INTO the
mighty Belfast linen mills. TIE ola
fashioned scythe has evoluted Into tue
swift moving machine, which goes
singing through the harvest helds.
The old fashioned prairie schooner mas
long since given place to the treless
velocity Of the lightning express, which
never stops by day or by night except,
like a thirsty monster, to take drink.
The old fashioned messenger, who ON
horseback used to carry back 10
king the news Of a battle won, has
been superseded by the telegraph wires
and the electric cables, which In almost
an instant can put continents Within
speaking distance and have put the Is
lands Of the seas In communication
with the mainland.
The patent offices In Washington are
crowded with innumerable Inventions
for the saving of labor and time. In
none OF them, however, Is the contrast
between modern and ancient methods
so marked as we see 1t when the
mammoth -four mills of Minneapolis
are compared with the custom referred
TO in the text. In that great city OF
the northwest not only Is the grain al
most instantly changed into flour by
the best Of modern machinery, but
practically not one grain is lost. upon
the old fashioned thrashing floor every
thing was different. There team OF
oxen would be harnessed to a cohec-
ton of boards nailed together. Then
these boards would be dragged over
the grain and the chaff would be bro
ken from the kernels Ct w9eaL Then
the winds would blow over the thrash
ing floor and separate the chan from
the wheat.
wisdom of Moses.
Such were the thrashlng floors OF the
ancients. Now, as Moses went In ano
out Of the country he saw great
mapy of these thrashing floors. Fur
thermore. he saw that among their
owners there were great many mean
men in those days, as there are IN ouf
own days. He saw that these mean
men nearly always first showed their
meanness to their beasts. They MOI
only oyerworked their oxen, but they
underfed them. Their Deanness was
most emphatically demonstrated wheI
thrashing. Fearing les" their marc
worked oxen might reacS down anc
nick up from the thrashing floors
stray mouthful Of grain to eat, these
mean farmers would, muzzle theil
beasts so that the nungry animals
could see the food and yet not eat any
Now. Moses says in a practical way
"These men must Re taught TO D'
merciful to their beasts. l nave
made a law requiring them to ODE!
God and be just In their dealings VIII
their neighbors. Now Will make an
other law requiring them to be hDera
in their provision 10: the animals whicl
work for them" Then the great law
giyer of the Hebrews sits down an'
writes these words Of my text: "Inol
shalt not muzzle the OK when he treau
eth out the corn
Moses was the first great statesman
that | know Of who recognized tn
rights of dumb animals. 1t Is a sig
nificant fact that in this early code o
laws he should have given legal rlgh'
IN animals as we'll as to men and WON
en-. 1t was sound and righteou
course and am glad to rememDe
that we, too, have not only laws I
prevent the III usage OF animals, pu
also in the Humane society an organ
ization to see that those laws are ell
forced. Iwant to show you this morI
ing why every Christian should be /
touch with that society and that IL
principles should be applied TO a
classe, and all ages. There Is no ret
son why the admonition should be iii
tied TO the farmer. The boy should Q
taught to be good to his pet dogs an
SQUIRRELS: the drayman should be con
PEELED to tighten the load II his hors
ia too weak to draw 1t; the hackma
should lie required to blanket his stee
shiyering in the chill blasts Of winte
the sportsman should be prohiDite
shooting the mother bird In nestin
time. l would try to show that u
Christ who was born amid the lowln
of the cattle and the bleating OF II
sheep and the neighing Of the horse
whinnying for their oats, is today Il
friend and protector OF the dun
brutes as well as Of our fellow men,
Cruelty Degrades.
The Humane Society of Amerl(
should be accounted one of the best
societies. Its work has a deeper and
wider significance than some OF !
may have heretofore supposed. II
evil Of cruelty to animals does not ei
with the inflicting Of pain and in1u
tlce on the dumb brutes. But as d
small fibrous tumor, nesting under u
fair skin, II let alone, may reach o
its fatal roots toward the heart, so Z
evils of cruelty against dumb anima
; may at last reach out for the heart
,, man itself. Injustice against the dun
III hn