Milford chronicle., 1905-06-09
CalnaSe
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmase. D. D.


honest, intelligent, unremitting indus
try and the folly of those who belittl'
or undervalue it. The text is Proverb,
vi, 6, go to the ant, thou sluggard
consider her ways and be wise"
1t was a hot, sultry afternoon in
summer on the famous Chautauqua
grounds Of New York when Bishop
John H. Vincent knocked at Wilbur
Chapman's door. Come in" called
the evangelist In walked the founder
Of the Chautauqua movement in this
country. He said, chapman, 1 want
you to go and hear lecture this after
noon" 'What on?' 'It is given by a
college professor. The lecture is en-
titled My Friends the ella Monster.
the Horned Owl, the OpOssum and the
Rat" mo, bishop" said DR.. Chap
man; II cannot go. I am utterly worn
out by speaking Besides that, have
a big meeting for tonight for which l
must rest and prepare You must let
me off this once" "NO, Chapman, l
will not let you off. You must come.
There is a great treat in store for
atus A1Nf uAAuNA AAAE HANdhAAI AGuAAAAu1
of Bishop Vincent, he went.
"At first" said DR.. Chapman after
ward, 4 sat away back in the audi
ence, that l might be able to slip away
unseen. But as the speaker began to
talk about his novel friends l became
more and more absorbed. UncOn-
sciOusly / went halfway down the
nj nd 90 Hn
speaker. Then, as he talked on and
on, I crept farther and farther until 1
was in the front seat. There l sat for
nearly two long hours laughing and
crying and learning the great lessons
Of life from the lives of the most hum
BILE Of Gods creatures never before !
realized that there was so much love |
and affection and unselfshness and |
brain power in creeping things and |
loathsome reptiles and poisonous liz
ards and repulsive rats"
The little things of earth reveal the
power Of Gods love and care, as well
as the greater things. King Solomon
would introduce to us one of his little
friends. He would have us use an ant
hill for a pulpit He would have for
the preacher Of the morning one of the
ordinary, commonplace, large mandi-
bled, many jointed, long antennaed,
six legged Insects that we can see in
almost every country bypath. He
would tell us that the ants intelligent
forethought, her persevering energy,
her many social affinities, her mortal
hatreds, her sensitiveness to smell and
color, her architectural genius with
which she constructs the palace in
which are to be deposited the precious
eggs, her slaves and nurses who serve
her in peace, her military captains who
marshal her great armies in war, her
care for the cOcOOns In which the grubs
are developed into the perfect insects, ;
as the caterpillar unfolds the transfg-
ured life of a butterfly, offer unlimited
fields for gospel illustration 60 to ]
the ant, thou sluggard, consider her /
ways and be wise" {
2 "Busy as an Ant"
Busy, busy, busy. Busy as an ant
Is an old proverb. Whether she is car
ing for her eggs or finding the grubs;
whether she belongs to a foraging par
y or is going forth upon war of con- [
quest to capture the eggs Of another I
hive, which eggs she intends to devel- t
ID into future slaves; whether she is I
from one part Of the country t
% another or is building the walls and I
he Railways, squaring the chambers, d
aging the foundations or arching the I
lone Of a new house, the ant is al S
ways busy. She works during the day, | a
he works during the night, she works '
while she eats; it almost seems that (
he works while she sleeps. Her ambi- h
ion is not to find out how little she r
an do, but how much she can do. She v
works, and works, and works. She D
,eeps on working. To do something is h
he very breath Of her existence. [,
This proverb Is automatic. You go Il
ut for a summer stroll and one of your b
title children calls: "Oh, mother, come a
nd look See these little black things. q
What are theyP ANTS, my dear" I
ou say. Then you stoop over that hive o
nd watch them. They are moving, al 81
gays moving. Some are busy house
If you could enter the cham e,
'er OF an ant mound, you would find b
hat each room and connecting hall 81
7ay are absolutely clean. Every par cl
icle Of dust which once chOked those 81
alleries has been carried out, piece by m
iece, and deposited afar Off, where it Il
rill not obstruct the openings Of the a,
Mt hill. Some Of these ants are house d,
leaning. Some are going after fOod.t Il
ONE are caring for the grubs. But W
hey are all working-the ants are al te
rays working. Their working hours OF
re simply unlimited. Sir John Lub- IL
ock, the famous naturalist, reported In
lat he once watched single ant who FL
Orked without intermissiOn or relaxa- m
on from 8 o'clock In the morning until II
Early 10 O'Clock at night. For sixteen ~
ours that ant continued diligently at til
n task. You cannot dream Of a lot 81
ants getting together, as do some ic
en- today. whose chief aim seems to al
to find out how little work they Of
n do in life and what is the maxi 81
um OF pay they can force out Of ut
90