Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1905-06-10

submissively as the soldiers OF tn
British army obeyed Lord Roberts IL
the Boer war or the American soldiers
Obeyed Lee or Grant during our lat,
civil strife. When the commanding
general Of the ants gives the orde
Forward march" the great hosts o
ants fall into line. They tramp alon!
in companies, IN regiments, in bri
gades. I'm great divisions. They have
their officers, their advance guards anC
their soldiers to protect the rear. Wher
they bivouac for the night they seen
to throw out their picket lines, as die
William Z. Sherman on his march from
Atlanta to the sea. The ants of Mica
ragua always march in phalanXes oi
from four to six yards square. Wher
these great armies of invasion or mi
grafton cease their marching and go tC
building houses they disband as quiet
ly and work at the yocations of peace
as zealously as did the soldiers of the
late civil war when they disbanded
after the famous Washington review
When these ants are living at the home
hive each Individual member of the ant
community seems to have her appoint
ed place. Some ants are detailed to
work upon the roof; some go foraging
while others take care of the bitches
some hunt food while others stay at
home and clean the eggs. Each ant is
a small atom, but each ant Is part Of q
great army or community, which moves
and works in concert. And because
these ants do work and march In con.
cert they can devastate whole forests.
They can make the lions and the ele.
phantine monsters turn and flee for
their lives; they can build towns and
cities; they can be the uncrowned
kings OF the fields. Every living crea-
ture stands in fear and dread of them.
Value of Cooperation.
Every industrious human life that is
successful always co-operates with
other lives. Every ideal human or
ganization on large scale must be 4
perfect human ant hive. Everywhere
human talent should be specialized
What especial niche are you going
to fill In the great human beehive?
When | go and closely examine the
wonderful mosaic floors and walls
and ceilings Of the Alhambra of the
old Spanish MoOrs | do not find these
individual stones very valuable in
themselves. Many Of them are only
common pebbles that we might spurn
with our feet In the street gutter. But
when these common pebbles, as In
dlviduals, are cut and polished and
placed side by side In contrast with
other stones they form the beautiful
mosaics of the Alhambra, which are
one OF the marvels Of this century.
You as an individual may not amount
to much. but II cut and polished and
fitted into the right niche for which
you were intended by God you can be-
come part of the perfect walls Of the
Temple Beautiful. Like the ant, will
you be a worker, living under au-
thority2 Will you be q cooperative
worker? Will yea serve the commu-
nifty in which you live by doing the
work for witch you are especially fit
ted by brain and body, as faithfully
and willingly and wisely as the single
ant performs her allotted task in a
great busy home hive?
The ant teaches man more than les
sons of activity and wisdom and CO.
operation. Some men may be active
and worldly wise and yet have a heart
as dead to all kindness and love as Is a
stone. The ant is essentially a spirit
ual as well as temporal teacher. She
teaches man the laws Of love and mer-
cy and gentleness. She teaches these
spiritual lessons more powerfully, | be-
lieye, than any insect or reptile found
in the studies of the biologists. Some
years ago, TO prove whether ants knew
each other and cared for their own, a
took two bottles and covered
their mouths with muslin. In one of
these bottles he placed two strange
ants. In the second he placed two
friendly ants. Then the naturalist
placed these two bottles in front Of the
entrance of an ant hive. At once the |
ants swarmed forth by the hundreds
with their mandibles they tried to
break through the muslin covering of
he strange ants and destroy them. but
'or their friends they had not stroke
lor a blow.