The Osceola times., 1880-06-26
\ GREAT MORAL BATHING SHOW
MIR. Talmage Puts Naaman, the syrian, ON
the Stage and Washes Him There,


Rev, Mr.. Talmace had q subject 10 hi,
liking and administered what might b,
called Spectacular didactics" to his an
diencc, a he only can. After the pre
Iimlnary instrumental concert bv the
cornct and accompanying organ and the
gathering in of the offering" which
Mr.. Talmage said he hoped would be
large, the text, III. Kings, v, !, was an
nouncrd-'lle was mighty man in
yalor, but he was leper."
Il have preached said Mr.. Talmagc
probably fifty tunes from this part of
the Scriptures, but it is too full of pract-
cal lessons for me to lay aside beciusc it
rs trite. All Christian doctrines are trite
and have been preached over and over
again, but they are ever fresh and full of
meaning for us sinners of to-day. You
are, all OF you, in need Of the same sui
phur and treacle which put your grand
fathers blood in good order, and his
grandtather's before him. Our text
speaks of Naaman, who was a captain oi
the host of the King Of Syria. Yet he
was lepcr, the vilest of the vile, and he
cnylcd the boy at his stirrup or the officer
of the stable who harnesscd his horse.
IL he could only rid himself of his lep-
rosy, if he could only clear his flesh of
that cancer what man he would con
slider himself! Everybody has some
special thorn in the flesh. Washington
rfleved because he was childlcss. and we
may all share in his griet and wish that
The race of Washingtons had multiplied
over all the earth, Wesley had tcrma-
CANT wife. Milton was blind. Lamb had
IN insane sister, and you and and all OF
us have each our particular trouble.
Naaman was casting about him how to
get rld of his lcprosy. Relief came from
most unexpected quarter-from the lit
lie maid whom the wife of Nalman had
picked out from among the captlycs of
Israel. She suggested visit to her own
country Just as you would suggest visit
10 the warm springs of Virginia or Ar
kansas. The visit was made, and YOU
know how the King of Israel referred
the Syrian leperto Elisha, that holy man
of God. Then the great patient came,
surrounded by hls troops and his squad
rons of cavalry. There was a champine
Of bits and clanking of sabrcs The
Syrms came to assist in the process of
cure, but they were all as nothing to the
man Of God who stood in his simple
grandeur"
Here Mr. ralmage, who moment be-
fore had been using the platform as a
corral, and had been acting the Syrian
cohorts, drew himsclfup to represent the
simple grandeur on the other side of the
picture. The leWons had come with
clouds Of dust, ne said, and he stamped
on the platform till this fancy was re.
allied. Then as the srmy OF Syrians lin
the person If Talmagc) drew up at the
b0pk-staud which was the hut of Elisha,
the voice of Naanan, through the mighty
mouth of Talmagc, uttered tremendous
AAN hoa (which went as the sound of the
horn OF Gabriel into the ears of every
sleeper ~ the back pcws of the Taber-
nacle. Then Mr. Talmagc resu aed
But Naaman was disguised with the
advice he got. lie was almost insultcd
and went out in high dudgeou. (Retreat
oi cohorts. lcgi0ns, squadrons in the per-
son of Talmage). He did not look for
That KIND of treatment. lie may have
looked for an allopathic dose and he got
only the hydropathic. He did not seem
to appreciate the water treatment pre-
scribcd for HIM and, as the story says,
was wroth.' He expc ted LAYING on
W ''NAA'A'' i'hl IllNl't'l EbN plllN Il
ton to 20 and wash himself i'm the Jor-
dan. lie thought at least that the pro-
phct would haze selected Abana or
Phariar, rivers of Damascus, where the
waters flowed bright and swift instead
of the dirty, muddy Jordan, which was
not even fit for the watering of his
horses. Well, finally hls counsellors got
about him and persuaded the sick war
rior To at least try the prescription of the
prophet and he went down to the Jor-
haD. lie was to dip seven times IN the
waters of that river. He went in first
ankle deep and stood and considered,
then he got in knee deep and there was
another pause. lie was in half mind
So turn back and not go through the
ceremony. Then he went in further
and further, the water crawling up his
person until his girdlc was reached and
then his chin touched the water, and
then, with a great effort, he made a
plunge and went under for an instant"
THIS "bathing scene" needed only a
tank under the platform, and a wet and
dripping Talmagc would certainly have
pcrsonated Naaman. As 1t was the
preacher went through an air bath,
Stepping forward he imagined himself
ankle deep in the water and irolicked
about there. Then knee deep and he
shiyered al)cr the manner of neophytcs
at COncy Island. Then his hands meas.
urcd the rise of the water past his
brecches pockets up TO the Glove and
coffee pocket. This was the girdlc; then
up again until the hands had reached his
chin. Then there was duck aud great
gstllp phI "a Tnlrlnpg,a lYnartys.l ,.-as A
climax Of This great moral bathing scene.
All seven dips were iaithmllyillustrated.
One Strengthened Talmage's limbs, an
other restored his voice, yet another
caused his hair TO sprout after the man
ncr of hair-renewCr advertisement.
and finally Mt the last submersion Tai
mage, alias Naaman, sprang on a perfect
man ready TO draw the lesson of the
pmtomime and point the mocal of the
performance. The moral was:
First. the power OF children. All
this result was brought about by the lit
tie Hebrew maid. Children are often
thus the ministers Of God, and a child
less household is in far more danger of
going 10 destruction than one where the
tcads of the family are united in these
Joint efforts OF affection. Next. Elisha
acted for God. Physicians who depend on
themselves are apt TO be bungles, and
kill as often as they cure, but when God
helps the doctor the results are sure and
certain. To obey his laws is TO live, and
to disobey them is to die, and il is the
pant OF the medical practitioner 10 act as
q missionary inpointing out Cod, laws
to- q suffering humanity. People often
get mad At the preacher when he an
nounces unWeloome truths, and they