Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-06-08

would not send the SHOWS Of winter,
the drafts Of summer, the winds, the
frosts and the hunger unless he meant
man to work; God would not have
made helplessness during infancy and
childhood unless he meant q parent to
work; God would not send sickness
and helpless old age unless he desired
oil people to work during the strength
and vigor of manhood and womanhood.
If any would not work, neither should
he eat" Ia the Pauline invective against
sloth. go to the ant, thou sluggard,
consider her ways and be WISE" All
happiness and health. oil mental, 20.
cial, spiritual and financial progress
depend upon persevering toll. The SOON
er our growing boys and girls realize
that they must work for a livelihood
the better It viii be for them and the
better It will be for us who are caring
for them during the years Of their de-
velopment.
Unremitting toll. an essential for hu-
man life. is the first lesson the ant hill
teaches us today but the ability to
make the right use Of toll, TO conserve
energy so that the maximum Of results
are produced from the minimum Of la
Dor, to perform work so thoroughly and
intelligently that 1t is not useless and
has to be done over, is the second
teaching of my text. Go to the ant,
thou sluggard. consider her ways and
be WISE" does not allude any more to
the ceaseless activity Of the ant than IL
does to her marvellous foresight, with
which she plans out her work and ac-
complishes her results.
Tie ant uses her brain as we'll as her
mandibles or legs. She uses her eyes
to see where she IL going as well as
her feet to walk. Study the ant as an
architect or builder. Some Of US
have stood In awe before the architec-
tural wonders of the cathedrals and
the palaces Of the east We have seen
walls and columns and doMes and
minarets and spires that are frozen
music in stone" We have climbed the
heights Of Milan cathedral, whose tow
ers and walls are peopled with almost
as great numbers Of apostles and
saints and martyrs and priests carved
in solid stone as there are worshipers
who ever gather at one time before its
sacred shrines. We have seen st. Pc
ter's Of Rome connected with the Won
derful Vatican and st. Marks. more
poetic than the Venetian canals. We
have seen the marvellous conceptions Of
christopher Wren and the wonderful
structure Mt Cologne. only few years
ago dedicated after having consumed
centuries in building These transcend
ent buildings have lifted themselves up
even as did the temple of King Solo
mon. Why? Every beam. every stone,
had it's appointed place. Each part as
small mite. fitted into n great united
whole. But as stand today before n
Westminster abbey or st. Paul Of
London emphatically assert that
these structures compared to the
strength and Intelligence Of the build
ers are not as wonderful as an ordina-
~. everyday. commonplace ant hive we
may see in the country road.
Building a Cathedral.
To build the Cathedral Of ST John
the Divine in New York city blasting
powder had to be used. The founda-
tons had to he excavatcd out of solid
rock. True. But the ants often build
their hives by excavating the solid
rock. The walls Of Canterbury cathe-
dral must be absolutely straight. True.
But no mason's plumb line ever erected
straighter walls than the walls Of an
ant hills chambers. The rooms Of the
Vatican must be arranged In orderly
fashion. All the chambers Of an ant
hill open into long corridors. Each
room has its connecting Railways. A
we'll regulated cathedral must have its
proper system Of drainage. The ant
hive is so built that 1t will shed all wa
ter. No rainstorm can deluge it's cell
lars. No water overhowing the river
bank can destroy its foundations. The
ancient Romans always built their
cities upon the hilltops for protection.
The ants build their hives on high
places. where storm and water cannot
suhmerge them.
The ants wisdom should be emulat-
cd as much as her activity. The Ara
bians held the nnt's wisdom in such re-
spect that after the birth Of q male
child they would place one Of these In
sects in the baby's hand while they
made the earnest prayer. 20 God, may
the boy turn out as clever and as wise
MS the ant" The human being who
Goes not work with intelligent fore
thought Ia a useless and n dangerous
worker. Fire and steam are alike po-
tent. but the harm caused by imprls-
oned fire may be greater than the good
that is done by harnessed steam. Will
ingness to labor will not weave togeth.
or carpet unless intelligence has
manufactured loom and shuttle.
The intelligence Of the ant Is startling
ly significant. 1t Is RS worthy Of imita-
ton as Is her persevcring energy.
Gnowshoes are useless in Florida. Cal
leo dresses are an absurdity IN the
arctic. A ships keel laid in the center
Of the western praires had better be
split up into kindlings. A telescope Is
utterly valueless except for the power
Of the brain which adapts the lens to
the astronomers eye. Be wise. be wise!
Consider the ants ways and be very
wise.
Intelligent and wise architects are
they. Yes. But study the ants as SOL