Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1912-08-14
THE UNGARNERED GRAIN.

Truly, the harvest is great, but the
laborers are few.
The call of the harvest field is
once more ringing in the public ear.
The ripened wheat shimmers in the
August sun like an unbounded gold
en- sea. The professional prophets
of crop disaster, baffled and discred-
tied, have been driven into at least
temporary oblivion. The farmers of
the mighty west, and of the grain
gathering world for that matter, are
about to reap the fruitage of that
which they have sown, tended with
scrupulous care and watched over
with solicitude. Today they are fac
ing just one embarrassment. The
grain is wanted. There is an invit-
ing market. The price offered is lib
eral, but there is a dearth of help
with which to complete the garner
ing.
The feast is such as earth, the gen.
eral mother,
Pours from her fairest bosom when
she smiles
In the embrace of autumn.
Perhaps some grain will be wasted
but many are the barns and granaf1
les which will be filed to the BURST
ing. There will be augmented bank
accounts. Mortgages will be paid off
and the papers burned. Homes will
receive luxuries not hitherto known.
The way will be made clear for John
to take course in college and Mary
can go to the young ladies' semi
nary. The old-fashioned organ will
be sold to the second hand dealer or
given to the village mission and
new piano will take its place New
books and magazines will be order
ed. In many cases an automobile
will be purchased and if from the
battlements of heaven the farmer of
fifty years ago is permitted to view
the scene he will marvel at the trans
formation which time hath wrought.
No one at all familiar with cur
rent conditions can claim that the
foregoing picture is an exaggeration.
1t is one with which the entire world
is fast becoming familiar.
The harvest field of today may not
look much like the harvest fields
with which the Maker was familiar
when he walked upon the earth twen-
ty centuries ago, but the language
which he used makes it easy to COM
prehend the lesson which he sought
to teach. To his vision the world
was one vast area of ripened grain.
He left the realm of light ineffable
to organize for the great reaping.
His call was for men-and women.
He pointed to the fields ALREADY
white unto harvest" 1t Is not at
all difficult to imagine the pathos in
his voice when he observed that
Truly, the harvest is great, but the
! laborers are few"
One of the worlds great religious
workers, when asked once to define
his mission, replied, THE world is
my field, and to do good is my re-
| ligion." Here is the spirit OF the
ideal harvest hand in the field OF
moral endeavor. The work is right
Ikere.
Take the Gideon, for example. He
does not wait until the week end or
his run as a commercial traveller and
until he can get inside of church
to declare himself He makes it his
business to see that the hotel room
where he is stopping is supplied with
a Bible.
| Again, cOllSluci Tic vase VI '
small philanthrophist. BY the small
philanthropist we refer to those quiet
unostentatious people who are al
ways ready with their mite to help
every worthy cause, but who are us
ually forgotten by the public in the
glare of the splurge which is made
over the munificence of the million
aire who estables library or founds
a college The small philanthropist
is touching hearts and sweetening
lives which are precious in the sight
of Him. who said, II am gloritied In
them" :.
"The harvest is great y There
are boys and girls to warn asaihst
the evils OF dissipation. There are
charred and wasted lives which may
still be plucked as brands from the
burning. There are lonely souls
people with darkened llves-who
might be brought from the shadows
into the sunlight by an encouraging
word.
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l.ottar 10 ha callal Stlu2y