The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-12-10
Calnnage
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmade, d. D.

Babel builders of old, with their evil
ambition, were the prototypes of the
modern Babel builders, who pile up
material possessions In the vain hope
of reaching limitless power and indie
pendence and regardless Of God. The
text is Genesis XII, 8, Therefore is the
name of it called Babel, because the
Lord did there confound the language
of all the earth.'
Let us travel back in imagination TO
the age after the deluge The ark
stranded upon the heights Of Mount
Ararat had been deserted. The deluge
Of water had been carried away to
the seas. The sheep, the horses and
the cattle had multiplied into great
herds and flocks and were pasturing
In the valleys. The forests again were
redoent with the beautiful perf.Enes
of the trees. The foliage was the EN-
powered retreat where the sweet
throated songsters and their mates
were rearing their young. The blue
heavens were tapestried with clouds
The earth was again yielding her in
crease, responsive to the labor of man.
But, though man was multiplying and
building towns and villages, he co','t.
not and would not forget the horror
of the flood which had taken place over
a century before So the descendants
of Noahs sons decided that they would
provide for their safety If such catas-
trophe happened to them again. Thus
one day down in the land of Shinar
they entered into great conspiracy
against God. Though God had saved
them in the past. they could not trust
him now.
So the people assembled together
and said: LET us build tower so big
and strong that the mightiest foods
cannot prevail against it. Let us build
it so high that it will reach up to the
very heavens themselves. Then in the
future If any deluge comes we can en-
ter this tower and climb higher and
higher as the waters surge up. Then
we can laugh at the elements which
are trying to destroy u.s. So the peo
pie collected from far and near. They
organized themselves into a great army
of workers. Some were hewers of
stone. Some drove the OK teams Aich
dragged the stones to the walls. Some
lifted the scaffolding. The great foun-
dations were laid. The walls began to
rise high above the plain. The sharp
commands Of the enginGgs, the ''yo-
heaves'' of the men as they tugged
hard at the ropes, the rasp Of the saws
and the blows of the hammers were
heard everywhere. But, though the din
and the racket of the builders were
great, there came day when the
shoutings, the vociferations and the
ceilings Of the workmen became great
er. Voices of bitterness and blasphemy
seemed to rise higher and higher than
the angry shrieks Of a tornado.
Became Pandemonium.
Have you ever noticed that when an
untutored man is talking to a China
man. an Indian or Mexican who can.
not understand him he generally shouts
ut him? When / meet Chinaman in
California and want to ask him
question, ]. first speak to him in an Or
binary voice. Then when he shakes
his head end answers, "Me no under
stand" l shout my question a little
louder. Then l yell 1t at the top OF my
voice and turn away disguised, as If
to say, "Did you ever meet such people
sS those Cinnamon are?' Thus a man
treats foreigners who cannot under
stand his language. Well, this is what
happened at the tower Of Babel God
saw the evil of these men Of Shinar
He saw the walls Of the tower rising
higher and higher. Then God said, 81
will stop this evil work" So he touch
ed the tongues Of the workmen. Then
the workmen began to speak in differ
ent languages. As the different work
men could not understand each others
language, in all probability they did
just what you ard I do when we talk
to foreigners-theyy yelled at their fell
low men loudly. And the other work
men yelled back their answers in the
same way until the building became a
pandemonium of confusion.
As the different workmen could not
understand each others language, of
course the work on the tower of Babel
ceased. Then the people scattered
themselves abroad upon the face Of
the earth and settled in different groups.
the members Of which spoke the same
language. You can readily understand
that each person did not necessarily
speak different language from every
other person. My text means that
those people of the land of Shinar had
to scatter into small groups Of fami-
lies Each of these groups Of people
spoke different language from every
other group. This was the first great
cause Of the many distinct languages
being spoken upon the face Of the
earth.
Comparing this account of the build
ing of Babel with our own method Of
life and art" wrote DR.. Joseph Par
a.