Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-07-30
Caln1aSe
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee. d. D.

an oriental fable as text the preacher
makes some timely reflections on GER
tain evils that afflict our politics and
threaten the well being of government
and people. The text is Judges TX, Ii,
"Then said all the trees unto the bram-
BILE, Come, thou, and reign over u.s.
This is the year of great national
conventions. The Republican party
sent its representatives last June to
Chicago to nominate their candidate
for the presidency of the United States.
The Democratic party this month met
in st. Louis TO nominate their candl-
date for the same office. The PrOhibi-
ton party, the POpulist party, the La
Dor party, all have had their conven-
tions and nominated their leaders.
Thus the first great political battle for
national office in America is not fought
over the ballot box at the November
polls, but in convention hall. There
the different political parties agree
among themselves on which of their
members shall he chosen as the stand
ard bearer of their party's principles.
We. as intelligent men and women, are
conversant with the struggles which
the different political parties made in
late convention halls. 1t is not map
proprate, therefore, for us TO take as
our sermOnic theme today the vision
which lothian had when all the trees
of the forest came together in COnven-
ton in the valley of Shechem, with the
blue dome of the heavens for roof,
and selected the useless, destroying
bramble as their king.
This famous parable or fable of
lothian was truly realistic in more
ways than one. For a convention OF
trees 1t had a perfect topographic set
ting. On the southern side of this IA
nous valley is mighty Mount Gerizim.
On the northern side hOary headed
Mount Ebal lifts its scared and wrln-
killed. face. These two mountains as
sounding boards tossed the echoing
voices of the cheering delegates back
ward and forward. Here the gurgling
waters of many fountains sounded a
musical accompaniment to the MUIR
murings of many voices trying to win
votes for their favOrite sons. Isaiah,
In prophecy, saw "all the trees or the
fields clap their hands" lothian, in
vision, saw the trees, as convention
delegates, with moving hands. moving
feet. moving lips and sparkling eyes.
Their rustic was to him articulate
speech. Their branches were out
stretched arms. Their names We're
symbols to him of honor and truth or
Of dishonor and disgrace.
Hardly had this great convention of
trees assembled in the valley of She
chem to select a king than it became
self evident that the great majority Of
the delegates were ready to be STAN
peded for one tree. Come" the ma
jority cried, "come, let us make the
olive tree our king To lothian the
olive was the symbol of strength and
wealth and power as well as of heal
ing. But the olive tree would not be-
come king. 1t declined the scepter OF
kingship over the trees. Then this
great convention wanted to elect the
fig tree king. The delegates next Of
fered the nomination for rulership to
the vine, whose rich blood had made
the vineyards Of Shechem famous But
the fig tree and the vine both refused
the scepter of the forest, even as Will
friends
wanted to nominate him for the presi-
dency, replied: II will not accept your
offer. If am spoken of in yOnder con-
vention hall, tell my friends | am not
a candidate. If l am nominated. will
not accept the nomination and will not
run. If l am elected, will not serve.
am a soldier, not a statesman; war
rior, not a politician"
The Bad Elements Got Control.
But in this lothian parable, after the
olive and the fig and vine had all re-
fused the scepter, the worst elements
got control of the convention hall.
Then these bad elements said to each
other: Let us nominate king after
our own spirit Let us make the curse
Of the field our king. Hail. bramble.
King Bramble. Hail, bramble, our fu-
ture rulerw AS the undesirable ele-
ment of the old Federalists nearly stam-
peded congress in 1896 to elect Aaron
Burr president of the United States, so
the evil elements of Jotham's parable
stampeded the convention of trees in
the valley of Shechem and elected the
worthless bramble king.
Jotham's purpose in this parable was
10 show a danger which menaced his
own country and has menaced our
country all through its history. There
have been in the past, as there are to-
day, men who cOnspire to get control
OF the political parties in order that
they may nominate men utterly unit
for the high office of the presidency of
the United States. Thank God, they
have not succeeded yet for the men
who have been nominated by the vari-
Jus parties are men of high character
and sterling worth. But we need to be
on our guard against the cOnspiratOrs
who will never cease their efforts to
win that great prize. Let us Identify
them, that we may sedulously guard
against their inSidiOus attacks.
First among the Satanic cOnspiratOrs
are the infidels. They say: 1--WE can
not fight God in the open. We cannot
as yet blot off the American silver dol
lar the sentence. In God we trust But
we can plead for 50 called religious lib
erty. We can say that the Bible should
be driven out of the public schools.
We can demand that no session Of the
national legislature shall be opened
with prayer. We can place upon the
statute books the statement: The United
States government is entirely human
government. No divine hand is today
guiding the helm of state. Therefore