Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1906-09-22
Caln,age
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmase. d. ID.

Los Angeles, CAL Sept. l6.-This
timely sermon. appropriate 10 the sea.
son Of the ngathering of fruits. brings
To us breath of the vineyards The
text Is Canticles |. q. But mine own
vineyard have not kept"
Yes. | have seen n neglected vine
yard No man can fully understand
what my text means unless he has
roamed through one and has seen the
rabbits scIlrry through the weeds two
feet high and has lifted up the long
unprnned vines heavy laden with I'M
developed grapes. Immature through
lack of care. and has seen how the
suckers have shot out from under the
crowns as vpcrs sapping away the
strength Of the vines. and yet rs
rule. bearing no fruit Yes. have
been through such vineyard. | have
wandered through one. accompanied
by an old vine grower. | have seen
him pathetically lift up vine after vine.
rs II physician might look AT the gan
grened limb Of little child. which de-
composition has been caused by the
malpractice of an ignorant doctor. and
| have heard him say: shame. Shame
II is a perfect shame To let this vine
yard 20 10 waste. Why. even after this
neglect there are nj least sixty pounds
of good grapes upon that one vine
alone. Shame. shame. 10 destroy such
Il vineyard rs this growing upon such
rich soil" Thus we went through
acres upon acres OF these neglected
vines.
Perhaps you would like To know how
we came 10 see this fine vineyard going
TO waste. had turned my steps home
ward. My summer vacation In south
crn California was about ended The
duties Of a busy pustoratc were calling
me back To the city. With Il compan-
ion. | WAS taking II short cut through
one Of the very rarely Travelled can
yons. when suddenly. rs night overlook
us. we came upon deserted fnrm. or
ranch II was in one of the garden
spots of the world. For nearly twenty
years its owner had lived there. battling
against consumption. \ few months
before we arrived the end had come.
and ms pain rackcd body was placed
In the dust from whence IL came. For
some years before hc died all his
energies were evidently exhausted in
Il physical struggle for mere existence.
There were the broad fields stretching
away. practically uncultvated There
were the beautiful trees near 10 his
ranch home just as nature had grown
them. There We're the deserted rooms
of his dwelling, with one of the walls
fallen in upon his empty bed. The
books and weekly periodicals were still
lying around. There were even some
of his Cancelled checks lying upon the
floor. There was Il farm. or ranch. of
500 rcreS, 300 Of which We're tillable.
with their orchards and fields and vine
yards. hut with no hand 10 care for
them. The doves. the quailS. the rab-
bits. the bees were everywhere holding
high carnival As we lay for few
nights under those trees we could hear
the wildcats snarlIng calls and the
foX's banks and the coyotes yells as
they We're starting out 10 hunt their
prey. II was beautiful, but sad.
sad. sad place. For this place. like
Victor Hugo's Notre Dame. had
spirit. We could see moving every
where the frall, sick form OF the late
owner who. on account OF his physical
ailments. had been compelled to neglect
those fields and orchards and vineyards.
4 Neglected vineyard.
There might have been some excuse
for the sick man who owned this
neglected vineyard OF which | have
spoken to have neglected his vine
yard but there Is no excuse for us
to neglect our spiritual vineyards. as
the author OF Canticles declares the
church of God has been doing. Now.
as we all. each fall, delight 10 eat the
rich. luscious grapes which are placed
upon our dining room tables thought
this morning | would draw my SER
htoHN iiihNiiNltOuN iIbIi iut Niilt.uIh
Industries of the world. My compari-
son will not he found In the grape
vines which some of us raise In our
country homes. where we build u little
arbor In our back yards and there
allow a few vines To grow over II.
under which we lice To escape the in
tense heat OF the mi,inoon sun. But
will draw my illustrations from the
grape Industries OF southern CallfOr-
mia and the Holy Land. where grape
growing Is n business upon an en-
larged scale. and where the vines. laid
out In long rows : by s or : by 10,
stretch themselves over hundreds and
sometimes thousands upon thousands
Of acres. ~ the cornfiel1s spread them
selves over the prairies of Kansas or
the wheattields grow IN the Dakotas.
Many Of the oriental cities like Sa-
maria were nothing more or less than
great ccnters for this grape industry.
The plains OF Abel Kcrnmin We're
sometimes called the Plains Of Vine.
yards" The grapes Of the valley OF
Eshcol not only made their vines clam
Der over al the hillsidcS and the low