The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-06-09
 DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON
pY TIE REV EnANz DnwIrr rALmAen. D. D.


 it Is the type of female industry like the spinning wheel and the ancient distan and spindle. l would that the wives and the mothers and the daughters of our present generation might not feel that tleir intellectual advancement raises them above the duty of looking after the temporal welfare of their homes. Our picture galleries and popular books con- tain portraits of women in gorgeous at tire, but I think that if we had an artist to paint the portrait that is dearest to our memory we would not ask hlm 10 find the most haring colors he had, but to paint the quiet, dull dress that was worn in our nurseries in which mother used to put us to bed. We can see her now as she sat by a table on which was placed a lamp In her hand would be needle and a alarming gourd and stock ing with a big hole in it. By our moth CTS side would be a big pile of clothes which she was mending, and as we would look at that familiar picture We would say: Yes, she was always sewing for us. She was always working for us She was always living for us" May God continue to make our wives and our daughters like mothers and grand- mothers of old, queens of the home, with the royal scpeter of a needle.
 Example of Industry.
 
 weavers. They not only set the example of industry to man and woman and child, but they are to be recorded among the greatest benefactors of the human race. They are the greatest of all destroyers of insect life They are the mortal foe of the fly the locust and the grass hop per. If it were not for the destroying work of the spider in all probability most of the labors of the farmer and the husbandman would go for naught. Then the plaques of Egypt would be here. The locusts and the grasshoppers would lit erally desroy all the crops. The work of checking or keeping down the dangerous increase of insect life by the spider is simply infinite in it's importance.
 During the darkest days of Robert Bruce's life, after the King of Scotland had been defeated in five different bat ties and deserted by all his followers and while he himself was a fugitive chased by the English soldiers he lay down one night to sleep in a little cave. You all remember the legendary story as printed in your childhood primer During the night by the campfres light the noblest of all Scotchmen watched a little spider spin his web over the mouth of that cave When morning came a pursuing squad of English soldiers passed that way. They were hunting for the fugitive king When one of the soldiers came up to the entrance of that cave and was about to enter another soldier called NO need of going in there. Don't you see spider has spun his web over the entrance to that cave? No man would go in there without breaking it down." Thus Robert Bruce's life was saved by spiders web. But I want to tell you that the spider is just as much the savior and protector of man today as he was supposed to be in times of old in Scottish history. Over every tree branch, in ev- cry flower garden, about every field of grass and crop of wheat. the spiders ev- cry night and day are spinning their protecting webs. There they say to the insect hordes which are trying to de- stroy them: Stay out or l will slay you. Stay out God has sent me to protect the grass and protect the crops and pro- tect the flowers. Stay out I am Gods sentinel and mans guardian. Stay outi Stay out! Stay outl'
 A Net for Insects.
 A spiders web is nothing more or less than a net set to catch the flies and the locusts and the grasshoppers, as the fish erman by the use of another kind of net is able to bring his food to land. These spiders, nests are constructed in the air. An insect starts to fly or jump. The wing or leg of this insect touches one of the threads of the web, which has an ad- hesive quality. Immediately that wing or leg, by being jerked or pulled, brings other threads of the web into touch with other parts of the body. Similarly a human being sinks deeper and deeper into the quicksands with every frantic struggle to escape. The more the insect tries to get away the more helpless he becomes. Then the spider which has hitherto been concealed, hurries forth and deftly reaches out with one of her slken threads. She winds the insect round and round until he cannot move if he would. Then when the insect is ut terly helpless she gives her victim fatal poisonous bite and stays 1t as quickly as the fang of rattlesnake can kill the trembling rabbit. Thus God places the protecting spider web over the crops and the trees. Thus God expects man 10 place his protecting webs over the home and the church and the schoolhouse and society at large. There are a great null titude of satanic destroyers ready to bounce upon them. God says: Man, you must guard these treasure houses of virtue and purity and truth. You must guard them. You must not only bow the knee and worship me- but you must also fight my satanic foes as we'll By the myriads of protecting spider webs I would teach you this lesson"
 But 1 was very much surprised as l began to study this object to learn that the spider was susceptible to the influence of love. For years and years l had known that the spider was a cannibal Just the same as the savage tribes of the African Kongo would go forth and battle against the neighboring tribes and then come home with rejoicing and kill and eat their prisoners captured in war, so spiders will not only eat spiders of other families, but they will also eat their own