The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1905-07-14
THE FIELD OF BLOOD
Rev. DR., Talmage Draws Moral
Of an lniquitous Bargain.
The Money which Judas Received
For BetrRyfnG Christ Was
blood Moncy--No one
Wanted IL.


The text is Matthew xvii. 5, Where
fore that field was called the field Of
blood"
A greWsome fascination hOvers about
the bricks. and the stones. and the
boards, and the grounds where lived
and wrought some OF the worlds evil
workers. Island Of Blennerhassctl
Wonderful name, rich in historical as
sociations! l see the boats every spring
and summer and fall filled with sight
seers almost daily pushing ont upon
Che Ohio river to seek this little island
near Marietta. Why Is il a summer
Playground Is it an Isle Of Wight Is
its center a mansiOnl Are its banks
terraced? Are its trees filed with
sweetest Of sonGsters as they were once
10 the halycOn days when its owner,
Harman Blennerhasset, took his bride
there and changed this island into an
Edenlc garden. as Nebuchadnczzar,
who had courted Princess Amytis
among the hills Of Ecbatana. to humOr
the whims OF his queen, had lifted high
for the wonderment of the world the
famous hanging gardens Of BabylonY
Oh, no. BlennerhOsset island today Is
Of little intrinsic value. A few scrub
trees, a few rocks, perhaps a few hoy
els such as can be seen In scores OF Is
lands In the middle Of this Ohio river,
are all the aesthetic beauties II has to
offer TO the landscape artist. But TO the
historian Blennerhasset has the same
fascination as have the broken walls
Of Kenilworth castle. Blennerhasset is
immortal on account Of the Infamous
history Of Aaron Burr. That is where
the eX-ylce president stopped on his
way 20 establish a monarchy In the
great southwest. II has an evil fame
as the rendezvous Of tho traitorous con-
spirators Of that day. just as is that
house In a side street Of Washington
In which Mary Il. Surratt welcomed
the thugs of the later time who were
plotting the assassination Of Abraham
Lincoln.
The people In swarms used 10 20 to
an old fashioned Now England house
where was kept a bloody shirt, the
relic Of a dastardly deed Of the Revolu-
tionary war. As I remember the story,
an American officer was surrounded
by the enemy while eating dinner in
this very house When called upon to
surrender he handed over his sword,
hllt first, 10 one Of his captors In
stead Of the British soldier receiving II
aud placing his captive under guard.
be took the sword and plunged It
through the heart Of his helpless vic
tim. The rent In the shirt showed
where the sword had pierced its way
into the bleeding flesh OF course such
a cOwardly act as this was condemned
By the British army as well az by the
American. But the condemnation OF
the murderer has not anything 70 do
with my thought. The one fact ! want
to impress upon you is this: Scores and
hundreds Of people naturally seek in
fascinated awe the places where n
great crime has been committed. The
star 10 the floor of the Pennsylvania
do.,c4 ,rhoro Goraol1 x~oc ehot FOR
years had its thousands Of sightseers
The scene Of the Chicago Haymarket
riot, the place where Edward Stokes
shot james Fisk. the sausage vat
where Leutgert disIntcgrated the body
Of his murdered wife. all have had
their morbid sightseers even Ms the
room In which George Washington
breathed his last has It's daily visitors.
Crowds Of sightseers in Jerusalem
for years after the cruclhxion went to
the scene of my text out Of morbid
curiosity. as the multitude seek the
island Of BlennerhasSet. Indeed. had
they not gone out Of a morbid curlos-
lty they never would have gone at all.
"Aceldama- that is to say. the field Of
blood"-is not, as some people might
suppose, an Esdraelon plain where a
mighty battle was fought. II was an
old potter's field, filed with clay. 1t
was too poor ground TO be used for
agricultural purposes. II had been
turned into q paupers' cemetery. Yet
this paupers' burial ground had for
years hosts Of sightseers. Why3 Per
haps the best way to answer you is 70
tell you what some Of the sightseers
are now saying. "Yes, this is ground"
says some one. that was bought by
the priests With the thirty pieces Of
silver Judas received for betraylng
Christ" "Aoeldama-thOt IS, the field
Of blood"-says another; lit IS well
named" Could we have a better sub
ject to preach upon on the Sabbath
preceding Good Friday than this pot
ter's field. which became a paupers'
burying ground. bought With the money
Judas received for betraying Christi
Aceldama, in the FIRST place, teaches
1s that there Is no honor among thieves.
When man becomes a Satanic hire
ling ho is not likely TO be true to bis
partners in infamy. A murderer in
order to save bis own neck, os a rule.
will turn states evidence against his
companions In crime A pickpocket
will be just as willing TO empty the
purse Of an associate as he Is 10 snatch
the watch Of a bank president II Is
often vsunted that there is honor
among thieves, but experience proves
that II is a vain boast The thief has
no honor. The evil spirit who seekl
TO lead you into temptation is the evil
spirit who will desert you as soon as
you have been caught IN a fatal trap
or are founderlng in the Quicksands Of
shame.
A sly fox has no loyalty to her kin.
She has but one desire-to save hel
own skin. This characteristic is q.
sentially true Of the Satanic devotees.
All that you have TO DO TO prove this
premise Is 10 study how this Aceld0.