Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1905-04-01
Calnnase
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talnaae, d. d.

sermon the preacher points out the
many dangers in business and morals
of reckless Endorsement and the evils
of indiScrimnate recommendation
The text is Proverbs vi, =. Thou art
shared with the words of thy mouth"
There are many ways of killing game
The one is TO 20 after it with gun. ar
row or spear; to STAY il, as ''Scotty"
McDOugall slew Krag. the Kootenay
ram of Mountain Sheep range: or to
lie in wait for it, as did Roualeyn
George Gordon Cumming. the mighty
Zion hunter I'm African jungle: or to
relentlessly follow ii through American
forests. as did Pathfinder in the old
Leather Stocking Tales" or to course
for it. as the old English sportsman
with hounds used to chase the foxes
over the Lancashire fats: or to pursue
1t with hawks. as the knights of old In
falconry would hunt the birds of the
air. As the eyes of the jungle mon
archs or the kings of the air look into
the fearless and unflinching eyes of
man. the hunter knows that an IN
steady hand or bullet miscarrying
its mark one inch may mean his own
death. Then the elves of the hunted"
might become the Lives of the hunt
ers."
Mighty must be the exhilaration of a
brave man when killing big game. AL
most intoxicated with excitement must
be that modern Esau. Chanler. who. i'm
the solitude of an African forest hun
dreds of miles inland. hears the wild
roar of man eating monster coming
nearer and nearer to the deer licks.
Lying there. he knows that il he can
only slay yonder mountain of muscle
he will save scores and perhaps hun
dreds of human lives. for man eating
lion or tiger has been known to live
for years upon human flesh. So fear
full do the natives become of such hui
man destroyers that they have depopu-
lated whole villages and towns, fleeing
from their ravagcs
Next to the actual experience of per-
sonally hunting the wild beasts of the
forest is the fascination of reading
about the marvellous deeds of the
stortsmen who destroy them. Hunting
such animals single handed and alone
always has had and always will have
an attraction for brave men. The
hunters life Is n dramatic and an ex-
citing one. But there is a more eff
fectual means of depopulating the for
ests of their game than the gum, the
arrow or the spear. The trapper's work
n af.I 10
than the aimed rifle of Kit Carson.
Where modern American Nimrod has
been able to shoot one mountain lion
in night the trapper of the Hudson
Bay Fur company was able to come
into camp staggering under the pelts
Of ten, twenty. fifty wild beasts killed
In the same night. Yes, the trapper's
work is the most widespread and dam
gerous and deadly to the wild beasts
OF forest. AS the Rocky mountain
bear might put his great shaggy paw
into a merciless trap. whose iron jaws
snap shut and whose teeth probe their
way through his flesh to the bone, this
Bible scene of my text describes the
predicament of the indorser who fool
ishly becomes the guarantor of Il friends
or an acquaintance's honor. AS old
bruin tugs and pulls to get his leg loose
and keeps on Juggling and pulling until
at last he pulls OH his leg or in des-
peration eats it off to get free and then
goes hobbling away to his den, so
King Solomon describes the somewhat
similar predicament of the unfortunate
man who has become surety for his
friend. MY son." said he. IF thou
be security for thy friend,
thou art shared with the words of thy
mouth. thou art taken with the words
of thy mouth 1t is manning or de-
struction by an unseen trap. The in
dorser's dangers are great. l preach
this sermon to warn my hearers and
readers against these measurements
which are set for many of us. And
when l warn you against the indorser's
perils also warn you against the sins
of an unjust recommendation of in
competent friends or mere acquaint-
ances for positions which you do not
positively know they are able to fill.
These two evils come i'm the same cate
CORY.
The Indorser's Predicament.
Why is the indorser's predicament
like that of a wild beast caught in a
trapi First, because he is enticed into
its dangers unawares. He does not
seek them out OF silly curiosity or
from mere idle desire, like the ante
lopes that come nearer and nearer to
the white flag waved by the hunters
lying hidden in the grass. He does not
charge them. as IA wounded stag might
turn upon the hounds or an angry
boar, caring not what happens. might
rush against the fatal spear held out
for his destruction But the indorser
goes into his trap as unsuspectingly
and innocently as the wild turkeys are
caught The trappers build a cage
with small opening. Then they scat
ter corn along the path leading to the
cage. and the wild turkeys. with their
heads down picking up the corn. walk
into the trap. and when they lift their
heads they cannot see the exit and are
easily slain. He goes into IL and is
ennfurad a. tho mighty nauyal firat. T.,