Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-06-18
CalnnaSe
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmafe, d. d.

ing with his children ami the way III
which he fits them for the battle of life
are graphically described under the
similitude of the eagle and its young
The text is deuteronomy Xxxii. IL. As
the eagle stirrcth up her hest
The war goddess has crowned the ca
gle monarch of the air" His throne
is the inaccessible clifi. his diadem the
noonfile sun. his footstool the morn
ing clouds. his playground the vast ex-
panse of infinite space. His kcenness
of eye. bollncss of flight. sharpness OF
claw. merciless destructiveness of beak.
cause him 10 he dreaded in mountain
Gus lands. rs the huge jaws AMI pow
erful claws of the lion cause him to he
dreaded i'm the African forests.
But. though the eagle has been called
the monarch of the air. as the lion has
been called the monarch of the fields.
yet the eagle. like the lion. never had
royal pedigree. BY that word royal
] mean noble. brave and fearless an
ccstry. The eagle is not of heroic
mold. He Is Il cringing. fawning. con-
temptible coward. Though lie is
raptorial bird and loves To banquet Off
the quivering flesh of newly slain
carcass. the blood which flows through
his own arteries is pumped from II era
ven heart. In terror this mighty wing
ed flier will flee before the little king
bird. hardly larger than Il bc,lwarfed
English sparrow. Confined in cage
with small barnyard fowl. the do
nestle bird has been known To make
the eagle beg for mercy us school
yard bully will whine before an out
ragged youth half his size
MANY regulations are undcscrved al
together" once wrote an observant
naturalist. Let us not in this con.
nection trouble now about statesmen
poets or authors. hut take from natural
history familiar illustration. that OF
the eagle. The great strength of the
eagle enables IL TO prey upon creatures
that have no power of defending them
selves from his terrible swoop. hut we
must not allow ourselves on this ac-
count. as our fathers did. TO magnify
him into n type Of magnanimiiy and
courage. In true courage he Is not
superior 10 most of the smaller hawks
and certainly inferior 10 the falcons.
which will drive away this so called
monarch of the air when he ap-
proacEes too near their nests. So that.
really. when we remember what
fame the eagle has always had for
maenanimity and for courage. II is.
obvious. in view OF the facts. that he
like many other birds and men. has
obtained a reputation which is unde
served
Eagle Protects His Young.
But. though the eagle is Il cowardly
bird In reference TO his own life. no
sooner does he become a parent than
he is transformed into daring. valiant
protector of his young. No sooner arr.
the dull white colorcd eggs deposited
I'm the nest which the twain have build
ell upon the tops of the dizzy heights.
or upon the ledge of precipicc. than
the parent birds are ready 10 protect
those nests at any cost. remember
years ago seeing powerful picture
called The One Strand" \ noun
taineer of the faroff northeast hal
rob an eagles nest of its eggs. No
sooner was he lowered by rope over
the cliff and dangling in midair. with
the surging sea hundreds of feet be-
meath him beating its waves upon the
Jagged rocks. than the father and
mother birds saw the would be de-.
stroyer of their home. They started
for tl.eir enemy. Aye. il was II royal
battle-a battle for life. The eagles
We're circling about his head. The
sturdy mountainecr was swinging his
knife round and round over his heal
But once he swung the knife too far.
The keen edge OF the blade cut tie
rope. all but one strand. With horror
stricken eyes lie saw that strand grad
ually unraveling. The whole scene
was so realistically portrayed that I
could almost hear the triumphant
screams of the parental birds as their
human enemy was about TO be dashed
upon the rocks below.
Yes. yes: parental affection trans
forms the craven bird into fierce. in
trepid champion, capable of sublime
self sacrifice in defense of its offspring.
Yet in our text we find him. in spite
OF that tender affection. disturbing
the young birds and turning them out
Of their home. What does the Bible
mean 10y comparing this strange cen
duet with Gods providential dealing:
Why does God. as a loving Father
treat his children I'm this seemingly
rough way as the eagle bird pushes her
offspring: For you must remember
that we do not have TO 20 entirely TO
this figure Of the eagle bird 10 he
taught the lessons that Gods hand
sometimes smites loving blow. as
well as gives loving caress. In the
epistle Ia the Hebrews we are taught
thai clasiisement is one of the proofs
God gives us of his affection. Whom
the Lord loveth he chasicncth. and
scourgeth every son whom he re-
ceivcth." In his famous sermon upon
the mount Christ says there Is a bless
ing In falling tears and in prosecutions
and In heartaches and in all afilictlon