Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-12-05
TALMAGE AND THE VANDERBILT
CASE. n
The Moral of the Great Dispute-..
Comic Features Of IT," Coddling to
the Old Man."

Comic Features OF lt-.-"t0udling to
! the Old Man."
/ Mr.. Talmage devoted the greater part
of his lecture last Friday night at the
Brooklyn Tabernacle to the considera-
/ ton of the Vanderbilt will case. The
whole world is watching, said Mr.. Tai
mage, to see whether that will can
/ be broken. After battling for half
century with diseases enough to kill
ten men Vanderbilt dies an octosena-
rian, leaving 100000, 000-S95 ,00O, 900
to his elder son, 100000 to his wife,
and the remainder to his other children
and relatives. with here and there a
slight recognition of some humane and
religious institution. That will cannot
be broken 500, 100000 in this country
are too mighty for S5,0o0000 1t is as
tonishing how much some people can
see through gold spectacles | should
as soon think that the handful of gold
in brokers' Office on Wall street would
succeed in voting California out of the
Union as that the sighted heirs of the
| Vanderbilt estate could make any i'm
preston on the S95,000000. ! 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 constructing
your own will. Every man his own
lawyer is chiefly valuable in making
fools of testators and beggars of your
families. Above all pray God for help
in the disposal of your property.
First, let your wife have at least two
thirds and your children share and
share alike. If YOU have 500 to be-
uueath don't give 500 of it to one boy
and s. to your wife and the other chill
dren If YOU have $4,000 don't give
80, 500 to one child and $500 to the rest
of the family. That family is awfully
askew when the son receives more than
the wife. When Il man takes Il wife
she ought to- be made a queen, first in
every ambition, first IN every provlS
J iun,-and when man does not act III
that way conclude that he is cursed
with very poor wife or that she is
cursed with very mean husband.
| Laughter. The tw6-thirds spoken of
in the law are none too much for one
who has to be your counsel and has
helped to build up that estate, besides
hunting up your slippers and sewing on
a button in hot haste and sitting up till
midnight waiting for you to come home
from the club. In nine cases out of ten
the wife has "a much to do with pros
perity as the husband. 1t is a gigantic
Injustice to give her $500, 600 and 500, :
600 900 to "Bill.' Laughter The
worst family feuds are created by in
CAPABILITIES of inhcrltence.
1t is often the case that one of the
family coddles to the old man in his
last days and prepares mustard plasters
for him and tucks him W. III bed with
reference to the inheritance, SO that
eventually he gets paid for his services
at the rate of 800 per mustard plaster
and $50 per tuck. Laughter. Par
tiality on your part is Il sin against God
! as we'll as against your children, except
in those cases where there are physical
or mental defects, and then the child
should get more, for he will be less able
to help himself If your children start
life with two hands and two feet and n
healthy brain they have grand for
tune to start with Look out for those
t
manned. The surrogate's record OF
wills is often II story of appalling in
Justice BY the square of Gods cter-
nal Justice let your will be measured
and let your children share and share
alike.
Again, having made provisions for
your families, look out for the cause of
God and humanity. Out Of 100000
600 of Mr.. Nanderbilt's estate how
much was given to religious objects
The amount is so small comparatively
that cannot rccOllcct. New York and
the world grooming, bleeding, starving,
agonizing for help, ana yet, what n mis-
cradle pittance In this nineteenth
century of woebegone suffering | de
clare. in the name of the Almighty
God. no man has the right to be worth
100000, 900, Applause. All the
money a man has God gives to him as
a 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 i'll
his last hours. - Come We sinners, poor
and needy - laughter but he die
not 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
the death-bed look at George Peabody
giving $500, 1000 for the education Of
the people Of the South in this country.
Look ut others who have Geen their
own executors, not waiting till their
death to rive away that which they
could not keep any longer, but IN the