The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1905-06-06
CalnnaQe
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talma9e, b. D.


mon the preacher, drawing an object
lesson from the insect world, shows
the Importance in human affairs Of
honest, intelligent, unremitting indus
try and the folly Of those who belittle
or undervalue it, The text Is Proverbs
vi, 6, 60 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 ill.," called
the evangelist. In walked the founder
Of the Chautauqua movement in this
country He said, "Chapman, l want
you to go and hear lecture this after
noon" what on?' 1T is given by a
college professor. The lecture Is ell
>itled My Friends the ella Monster,
the Horned Owl, the Opossum and the
Rat" mo, bishop" said DR.. Chap
man; Il cannot go. l am utterly worn
out by speaking. Resides that, l have
a big meeting for tonight for which l
must rest and prepare. You must let
me off this once" mo, Chapman, l
will not let you Off You must come.
There Is great treat in store for
YOU So, under the pleading demands
Of Bishop Vincent, he went.
AT first" said DR.. Chapman after
ward, Il sat away back in the audi
cnce, that might be able to slip away
unseen. But as the speaker began to
talk about his novel friends I became
more and more absorbed. Uncon-
sciously I went halfway down the
aisle and took a seat nearer to the
speaker Then, as he talked on and
on. l crept farther and farther until |
was in the front seat. There 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. l 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 rcpulsive rats
liz HUE VI SdR LII Ac'>"A SAAS
power Of Gods love and care, as we'll
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
hutreds, 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 transfig'
ured life Of a butterfly, offer unlimited
fields for gospel Illustration. go to
the ant, thou sluggard, consider her
ways and be wise"
"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 foraging par
ty or Is going forth upon war of con
quest to capture the eggs Of another
hive, which eggs she intends to devel
op into future slaves; whether she Is
migrating from one part of the country
to another or is building the walls and
the Railways, squaring the chambers
laying the foundations or arch1ng the
dome Of a new house, the ant Is al
ways busy She works during the day
she works during the night, she works
while she eats; it almost seems thai
she works while she sleeps. Her ambi
ton Is not to find out how little she
can do, but how much she can do. She
works, and works, and works. She
keeps on working. To do something Is
the very breath Of her existence.
This proverb is automatic. You &c
Out lOE u StlOi anu oIS VA y VA
little children calls: ''Oh, mother, come
and look See these little black things
What are they?' "Ants, my dear,
you say. Then you stoop over that hive
and watch them. They are moving, al
ways moving. Some are busy house
cleaning If you could enter the cham
Der Of an ant mound, you would f1n(
that each room and connecting hall
way are absolutely clean. Every par
ticle Of dust which once choked thos'
galleries has been carried out, piece b,
piece, and deposited afar off, where i
will not obstruct the openings of tn
ant hill Some Of these ants are hous'
cleaning Some are going after food
Some are caring for the grubs. Blu
they are all working-the ants are al
ways working Their working hour
are simply unlimited. Sir John Lub
book, the famous naturalist, reportet
that he once watched single ant VIII
worked without intermission or relaxa
ton from 6 o'clock In the morning unit
nearly 10 o'clock at night. For sixtee1
hours that ant continued diligently a
her task. You cannot dream Of a 10
Of ants getting together, as do som