Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1914-06-26

Mother nature has employed cunning
and guile for the protection OF hei
innocent and beautiful and defence
less children against aggressive foes
when Man, the noblest of her chill
dren. so often is selfish and cruel
While looking in wonder at the mar
velous silken web, strung with dis,
titled sunbeams, which some skilful
spider stretched across the path while
you slept, the dead branch Of a shrub
brushes your cheek. Pushing it aside,
some of the brittle twigs snap off and
you hold them in your hand. But, as
You glance at them, you see they are
not all dead twigs; some of them are
moving. In your fingers you hold a
slender dry, dead twig, long as lead
pencil, with bent and crooked branch
es and rough and knotty bark; but it
lives and moves. 1t is the twig insect
or walking stick. 1t hung among the
withered branches and looked just like
them. Thus it is overlooked by its
enemies. So you will often find a
kindly nature and sensitive heart I'M
der a rough and forbidding exterior.
You will often find living piety in
unexpected places. 1t is well TO re-
member, "Man looks on the outward
appearance, but the Lord looketh upon
the heart.' And it is the heart that
counts in that day when the Lord
makes up his jewels.
How luscious and grateful are the
wild blackberries that ripen in the
dense shade of clump of briars in
the corner of an old rail fence! When
you find such a place you feel it is
good to be alive. But while you revel
in this luxury at Mother Nature s
table. your eye catches little leaping
spider, stalking its prey on a grey
splintery rail. This spider does not
build a web but prowls about, darting
in all directions; and when it is ready
to pounce upon the unsuspectine fly,
it first fastens its silken thread TO
save itself from falling and springs
upon its victim. A noticeable fact
about this ferocious little hunter is
its power to change its color. It's
hunting jacket quickly changes color
to suit its hunting ground. 1t is
then not easily detected by its prey.
So the world certainly has its danger
and fear, its pain and death, together
with its safeguards and protection
oroi,Ct tbaCo tbinoc -, tha b,tp, h lnr
kingdom of Nature. The willy leap
ing spider reminds us of the enemies
of truth and virtue, which lie con-
cealed around us under the guise of
earnest friends, who seem anxious to
do us only good, but at heart are
ready to prey upon our weakness or
misfortune. The business world, the
social world, the political world, and
even the Church, all have their mimics
and impostors. Keep your eyes and
ears open, keep your consciences ten
der and your heart pure and you will
not easily be misled by the DEVILS
mimicry.
But you have reached the end of the
shady lane and now sit down to rest
upon a messy stone. Meadow larks
are singing joyous medley in the
stubble, as you turn an admlring eye
toward the shocks of golden grain.
Bound up with the bundles of wheat
is some of the sprawling ovai-leafed
vetch or wild pea vine. The wild pea
iS a prpat nIIiSanoa in thn wbaa+ fia1l
and is hard to get rid of. 1t goes
with the wheat to the thresher and
follows it to the granary. 1t keeps
the wheat merry company in the fan
ming mill and goes with it to the rol-
Ter mill. Then it follows the wheat
through the air blast and over the
sieves and through the wire brushes.
And at last the wheat and the wild
pea are ready to be ground into -four,
to take an exalted place in the civil
lied world and grace your table with
snowy bread. But no! Here comes
a final test of character. As the
wheat reaches the rollers, it passes
through, but the persistent wild pea
cannot pass the rollers-but pops out
and goes the way of all such impost-
ors. Likewise, in the final testing of
human character, the false, though
long persistent in mimicking the true,
will be detected and discarded at last.
Then we remember it is said, "The
hypocrite's hope shall perish"