The daily gazette., 1877-11-21
TALMAaE oM tn E WILL.


Mr.. Talmage devoted the greater part
of his lecture last night at The Taber-
nacle to the consideration of the Van
derbilt will case. The whole world
is watching, said Mr.. Talmag,, TO see
whether that will can be broken. AZ
ter battling for half century with dis
ease enough to kill ten men Wander
btlt died an octOgenarian,l leaving $100,
600 OOO-$95, 900 900 to his e.der son,
$50O,O0O, to his wife and the remain
der 10 his other children and relatives
with here and there a slight recogni-
ton OF some humane and religious
institHtiou. That will cannot be
broken, $95, ,000, 600 in this country are
too mighty for $5,00o,000. It is aston
ishing how much some people can sh e
through gold spectacles: l should as
soon think that the handful of gold in
a brokers' office on Wall street would
succeed In voting California out of the
Union us that the slighted heirs of
the Vanderbilt estate could make any
impression on the 100000. I take
the gigantic Injustice of that will as
the text Of my lecture. some of you
are all ready to construct your wills,
but don't any of you be guilty of con-
structiDg your own will. Every man
his own lawyer is chiefly valuable 10
making fools of testators and beggars
of your families. Above all pray to
TO God for help In the disposal CT your
property.
A WORD FOR THE WOMEN.
First let your wife have at least two
thirds and your children share and
share alike. If you have 500 to be.
queath don't give $95 of it to one boy
and $5 to your wife and the other
children. If you have $4,000 don't
give $500 to one child and $500 to
the rest of the family. That family
family is awfully askew when
the son receives more than the wife.
When man takes a wife she ought to
be made queen-6rst in every ambi-
ton, first in every provision-and
whea man does not act in that way
l conclude that he is cursed with q
very poor wife or that she is cursed
with very mean husband. (Laugh-
ter.) The two-thirds spoken of in the
law are none too much for one VINO
has to be your counsel and has helped
to build up that estate, besides hunt
ing up your slippers and sewing on a
button in hot haste aad sitting up till
midnight waiting for you to come
home from the club. In nine cases
out of ten the wife has as much to do
with prosperity as the husband. 1t is a
gigantic injustice TO give her $500,000
and 95, 600, 900 to "Bill," (Laughter.)
The worst family feuds are created by
inequalities of inheritance. l.
CoDDLING TO THE OLD MAN.
1t is often the case that one of the
family coddles to the old man in his last
days and prepares mustard plasterh for
him and tucks him up in bed with refer
ence to the Inheritance, so that eventual
ly he gets paid for his services at the rate
of 500 per mustard plaster and $50 per
tuck. Naughter.) PartialIty on your
part is a sin against God as well as against
your children, except in those cases
where there are physical or mental de-
fects, and then the child should get more,
for he will be less able to help himself II
your children start life with two hands
aud two feet and healthy brain they
have grand fortune to start with Look
out for those who enter the battle of life
already MANNED. The Surrogate's record
of wills is often story of appalling in
justice. By the square of Gods eternal
Justice let your will be measured and let
your children share and share alike.
Again, having made provision for your
families look out for the cause of God and
humanity. Out of the $l00 1000 900 of
Mr.. Vanderbilt's estate how much was
given to religious objects? The amount
is SO small comparatively that I cannot
recollect. New York and the world
groaning, bleeding, starving, agonizing
for help, and yet, what miserable pit
tanc4! declare, in the name of the
Almighty God, no man has the right to
be worth $l00,000.000l (Applause.J All
the money man has God gives to him
as steward. Would Joseph have a right
to keep the corn cribs of Egypt shut
while the nation was dying for bread?
Oh, you say, Mr.. Vanderbilt sung in his
last hours, "Come, ye sinners, poor and
change his will. If he had done so, and
then sung that hymn it would have made
better music, and the want, hunger,
ignorance and woe of New York would
have Joined in the chorus. Compared
with the infinite stinginess of that death
bed look at George Peabody giving 3d.
100000 foi the education of the people of
the South in this country. Look at the
others who have been their own execu-
tors, not waiting till their death to give
away that which they could not keep any
longer. but in the days of their health
building their monument in nations
honor and the Church's triumph. l charge
you in the name of Christ when YOU
make your will give something if possi-
BILE to the blind and lame and ignorant
and for the reformation of the lost. 1t
will make your dying pillow the softer,
and it will give an easier swing to the
gate of Heaven opening to your ransom
ed soul