The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1905-08-25

lltNt, kudu uul luStth VI AtpNllt ApNh'
Ia the studies OF the biologists. SOm'
years ago, TO prove whether ants knew
each other and cared for their own, I
naturalist took two bottles and covered
their mouths with muslin. In one o.
these bottles he placed two strange
ants. In the second he placed tive
friendly ants Then the naturalis
placed these two bottles In front Of th'
entrance Of an ant hive. At once the
ants swarned forth by the hundreds
With their mandibles they tried tC
break through the muslin covering OF
the strange ants and destroy them, buI
for their friends they had not a stroke
nor blow.
Not only will ants refuse 10 attack
one OF the members Of their own hive
but II they find one Of their own kind
wounded or In trouble or blinded oI
crippled. then Will the ants Of some
species. though perhaps not Of all, ten
derly care for that sick sister ant. as
though II were a blessing so 10 do
Cripple an ant In a country road. and
her sisters viii find her and tcnderly
carry her back TO the hive and protect
her there until she dies. They will care
for her az tenderly as the good physi
clan cares for the sick soul. They will
never leave her, nor let her hunger moi
freeze with the cold II they can heip
her. o man, is one Of the missions OF
your life 20 look after the halt and the
manned and the blind and the help
lessf When a stream Of gold began 10
flow through your counting room,
when you got beyond the awful strug
gle for daily bread when you had
more than two garments in your ward
robe. did yOu get down upon yOur
knees and say. 20 God. thank thee
that thou hast given me much thank
thee that can now give 10 others i'm thy
name. Now can be eyes for the blind
and clothing for the naked and food
for the hungry and shelter for the
homelessY Did you. do you make that
prayeri Like the ant, are you trying
TO protect your people from outside
dangersl Like the ant. are you trying
TO help the helpless and care for those
who are mentally. physically and spir-
itually doomed unless you come to their
rescuef
The thoughtful love Of the ant FOL
her sisters was beautifully illustrated
by an incident In the life Of the noted
sage Of Philadelphia. Benjamin Frank
lin. One day he discovered a number
Of ants feastlng I'm mOlasses pail lie
drove them out and suspended the pail
the ceiling. Much 10 his surprise after
Franklin had been reading for awhile,
he saw an overlooked ant which had
been hidden In the pail crawl out and
climb up the handle to the string and
up 10 the ceiling, across the ceiling 10
the side wall. down the side wall and
disappear. A short time afterward the
philosopher saw that same ant leading
retinue Of other ants. The process
sion followed her up the wall, over the
ceiling to the hook, down the string
along the handle and into the pail Of
mOlasses again. where she and her
friends gorged themselves with mo-
lasses until they could hold no more
In the Illustration Of the ant going to
find her sisters that they might enjoy
a meal instead of eating selhshly alone
cannot you and | iind spiritual les
sOn1
But cannot close without one sim
pie paragraph, TO state that this ser
mon OF all sermons should teach its
lesson to our wives and mothers and
sisters and daughters as no other ser
mon / have ever preached. Have you
not noticed how I have always used
the feminine gender IN speaking Of the
ant. "Sh0 does this" "She does
that" "She does the other thing"
The reason | speak thus IS because
the naturalist tells us that the little
black ant we see In the roadway be
longs to the feminine gender Yes,
the hard workers Of the ant hills are
always females. No sooner is the
nuptial journey taken than the male
ant disappears SO, when l come 10
tho house Of God. 10 the place where
Christian workers dwell, | find in
evitably that the wives and the moth
ers and the sisters and the daughters
are the leaders there in Christian
work. AS the mother rocks the cradle,
so Is tho child developed for God. II
IL Tie sisters Christian life that leads
the brother 70 Christ. II is the way
IN which q wife lives that decides the
way the husband lives. o woman,
today, with the ant hill as my pulpit,
ask you will you not go 10 work for
CHRISTI VIII you not, here and now.
your prayers and your
lives for the salvation Of your fathers
and brothers and husbands aud sons
10 God2