Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1905-06-10

great cooperative social organizations
In factory the cogs fit into each 9TH
er. Because of this perfect fitting the
great leather bands move round and
the spindles fly. the elevators lift and
the walking beams rise and fall, tho
hammers strike and the wheat Is
ground and the wood Is cut, and the
shoe and the TX and the saw and the
chair and the stove are offered for sale
by the city merchantmen. Because of
this same kind of perfect fitting of ono
mans cogs into the cogs Of other men
u great multitude of human beings be-
comes united creature of life called
an army. Read We the words of the
centurion: For also am man under
authority, having under me soldiers,
and say unto one. Go" and he goeth,
and to another, Come. and he cometh,
and to my servant, DO this and he
doeth It," Thus, while we find that
men as well as wheels may be set I'M
der authority. we find that ants are al
SD set under authority
These ants obey their leaders Just as
British army obeyed Lord Roberts In
the Bocr war or the American soldiers
Obcyed Lee or Grant during our late
civil strife. When the commanding
general of the ants gives the order
Forward. march" the great hosts Of
ants fall into line. They tramp along
In companies. In regiments. in bri-
gades. in great divisions. They have
their officers. their advance guards and
their soldiers to protect the rear When
they bivouac for the night they seem
to throw out their picket lines. as did
William L. Sherman on his march from
Atlanta To the sea. The ants of Mica
rag,ia always march in phalanXes Of
from four To six yards square. When
these great armies of invasion or mi
grafton cease their marching and go to
building houses they disband as quiet
~ and work at the vocations 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 ut 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 ut
home and clean the eggs. Each ant is
a small atom. but each ant Is part of
great army or community, which moves
nvNI Ia. n
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-Operatcs with
other lives. Every ideal human or
ganiZation OH large scale must be
perfect human ant hive. Everywhere
human talent should be specialized
What especial niche are you going
to fill In the great human beehive?
When l go and closely examine the
wonderful mosaic floors and walls
and ceilings of the Alhambra of the
old Spanish Moors l do not find these
individual stones very valuable in
themselves. Many of them are only
common pebbles that we might spurn
with our feet I'm the street gutter. But
when these common pebbles, as in
dividuals, 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 if cut and polished and
fitted into the right niche for which
you We're intended by God you can be-
come part of the perfect walls of the
Temple Beautiful. Like the ant. will
you be n worker, living under au-
thority? Will you be cooperative
worker? Will you serve the commu-
nifty in which you live by doing the
work for which you are especially fit
ted by brain and body, as faithfully
W iliIs-ie anu NAoNts 0S tlS Sihs3tS
ant performs her allotted task in
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 spirit
ual rs well as Il temporal teacher. She
teaches man the laws of love and mer-
cy and gentiencss. She teaches these
spiritual lessons more powerfully, be-
lieve, 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
naturalist 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