Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-05-13
Calnase
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee, ID. ID.

creatures is the preachers theme. and
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 it in his
care. The text is Deuteronomy XIV, 4,
'"rhou shalt not muzzle the OK when
be treadeth out the corn
This is the age OF machinery. This
IS the time when man is not limited in
his operations TO the work OF his two
hands, but with his little finger can
lift a lever which has the strength OF
n thousand hands; when. instead of his
being content with seeing only such
things as his eyes perceive, he calls to
his aid the telescope and the microscope
that multiply his power of vision a
thousandfold. The old fashioned spin
ming wheel has been developed into the
mighty Belfast linen mills. The old
fashioned scythe has evoluted into the
swift moving machine. which goes
singing through the harvest fields.
The old fashioned prairie schooner has
long since given place to the tireless
velocity of the lightning express, which
never stops by day or by night except.
like n thirsty monster, TO take drink.
The old fashioned messenger, who on
horseback used to carry back to
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been superseded by the telegraph wires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 communicat ton
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 it 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 a team of
oxen would be harnessed to a collec-
ton OF boards nailed together. Then
these boards would be dragged over
the grain and the chaff would be bro
ken from the kernels of wheat. Then
the winds would blow over the thrash
ing floor and separate the chat from
the wheat.
Wisdom of Moses.
Such were the thrashing floors OF the
ancients. Now, as Moses went In aud
out OF the country he saw great
many OF these thrashing floors. Fur
thermore. he saw that among their
owners there were a great many mean
men in those days, as there are in our
own days. He saw that these mean
men nearly always first showed their
meanness TO their beasts. They not
only overworked their oxen, but they
underfed them. Their meanness was
most emphatically demonstrated when
thrashing. Fearing lest their hard
worked oxen might reach down and
pick up from the thrashing floors n
stray mopthful OF grain 10 eat, these
mean farmers would muZzle their
beasts so that the hungry animals
could see the food and yet not eat any.
Now, Moses says in Il practical way:
''These men must be taught to be
merciful TO their beasts. have
made n law requiring them to obey
God and be just in their dealings with
their neighbors. Now | will make an
other law requiring them TO be liberal
in their provision for the animals which
work for them" Then the great law
giver OF the Hebrews sits down and
writes these words of my text: Thou
shalt not muzzle the OK when he tread
eth out the corn"
Moses was the first great statesman
that I know OF who recognized the
rights OF dumb animals. 1t is n sig
nificant fact that in this early code OF
laws he should have given legal rights
TO animals as well as to men and wom-
en-. 1t was u sound and righteous
course, and 1 am glad to remember
that we, too. have not only laws TO
prevent the i'll usage Of animals, but
also in the Humane society an organ
iZation to see that those laws are en-
forced. / want TO show you this morn
ing why every Christian should be in
touch with that society and that its
principles should be applied to all
classes and all ages. There is no rea-
son why the admonition should be linn
tied to the farmer. The boy should be
taught to be good to his pet dogs and
squirrels; the drayman should be COM
PEELED to tighten the load IL his horse
is too weak to draw It: the haclzman
should be required to blanket his steed
shivering in the chill blasts OF winter;
the sportsman should be. prohibited
shooting the mother bird in nesting
time. would try to show that the
Christ who was born amid the lowing
OF the cattle and the bleating of the
sheep and the neighlng OF the horses.
whinnying for their oats. is today the
friend and protector OF the dumb
brutes as we'll as OF our fellow men.
Cruelty Degrades.
The Humane Society of America
should be accounted one of the best of
societies. Its work has n deeper and a
wider significance than some of us
may have heretofore supposed. The
evil OF cruelty to animals does not end
with the inficting of pain and injus-
tice on the dumb brutes. But as the
small fibrous tumor, nesting under the
fair skin. II let alone, may reach out
It's fatal roots toward the heart, SO the
evils OF cruelty against dumb animals
may at last reach out for the heart OF |
man itself. Injustice against the dumb |
brute inevitably paves the way for in
justice against the dumb brute's mas
ter. IL boy delights to torture dog
or cat or mouse, there will surely
come time when that boy, grown into
man, Will delight in torturing his fell
low beings.
A mans nature is degraded by in
duIgfng in cruelty to animals He loses
his manliness and acquires the nature
or brutes. He undergoes in his life
time the metamOrphosis that the orr
entails believe he suffers after death.
an the far east there is q popular be-
iief held by mulhtudes; it is belief
In the transmigration of souls. This
means, in popular Interpretation, that
after man dies his soul passes into
the body OF dog or cat or horse
Or q lion and so lives on through the