T h e r e a r e m a n y kinds of fish and each of you boys and girls will be delighted to learn about some of the peculiar kinds which I will mention in this story. here is one kind of fish that has a light in its throat. There are a number of animals and insects which carry lights with them. Some live in the sea, some live in the grass, and some fly in the air. No one knows exactly how they make this pretty light, but chemists have told us that there are two peculiar substances which cause it. One is called luciferin and the other is called luci- ferase. When these substances are affected by water and by the oxygen in the air, they shine like phosphorus. The Lord Jesus is the Light of the World. Uncle Walter wants you to let this Saviour be the light of your life. Let Him warn you against the coming dangers of sin. Let Him tell you of God’s grace in sending you the Saviour who is the Lord Jesus Himself. Let Him tell you about the future after death so that you will avoid the place of punishment and go to the place of blessing. The Saviour takes to heaven only those who belong to Him. There is a bird called the heron, a long-legged, long necked bird, which sometimes seems to have a light on its breast and on the feathers on the thighs, but the feathers are covered with millions of tiny insects that shine, and so the bird is not shining at all, although it appears to be. When you become a Christian you, too, will shine —not because you have made yourself bright and good, but because the Holy Spirit of God will give you those lovely graces which will enable you to be a bright testi mony for your Saviour. Sometimes the owl shines at night, and of course he does not like to do so because he does not want the little mice and rabbits to see him. His feathers, however, do not shine. Those tiny living things which we call microbes get on the owl’s feathers and make them shine brightly in the dark. But now we are going to talk about fish and not about other animals or insects. There is a kind of fish which
has lights in its scales near'its face or tail, and behind the little light there is a tiny scale which makes a re flector, and in front of the light there is another little scale which serves as a lens to magnify the light. No' one knows whether these lights are for finding food or for finding enemies or for hunting mates. Really, chil dren, we know very little about them, but we know that they are there. One day when I was eating in a restaurant, a very distinguished-looking gentleman sat at the same table. We introduced ourselves and I found that this man liked animal life just as I do. We talked about animals that have lights on them and in them. He told me that he took a trip to Alaska and there one night he saw large fish which swam quickly through the water and left a trail of light, like streaks of lightning, behind them. He told me that he threw some corn into the water and when the fish came darting for it, they left a great many rays of light in the water, which was a very beautiful sight indeed. Sometimes in the ocean there is a great gathering of millions of gleaming little creatures which shine so brightly that the sea looks as though it were liquid fire. When a boat goes through the water, it looks as though it were leaving behind it a trail of fire. This illustrates a picture of a Sunday school or a - church in which the Bible is loved and the members are saved and all the big people and the little people love the Lord Jesus and shine by their good testimonies in the neighborhood and in the city. In the Mediterranean Sea and in other warm waters is found a peculiar, slender fish called the Venus-girdle. It looks like a ribbon of light as it glows in the water. There is another little fish which isn’t really a fish. It is called the sea gooseberry and is about the size of a sparrow’s egg. At night it shines brightly, but in the daytime it is a lovely mass of beautiful colors like the colors in the rainbow. You, my little friend, will not shine for Jesus as any one else does, for you are not like anyone else. Each
THE KING'S BUSINESS
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