The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-06-23
miscellaneous.
Rev. 7. Dewitt TALMAGE.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST OF EV-
ERYTHING.

Al guO JlOuuo
Wind east. Barometer falling. Storm
signals out. Ship reefng malntopsail.
Awnings taken in. Prophecies Of foul
weather everywhere. The clouds con-
Eregate around the sun, proposing to
abolish him. But after awhile he assails
the flanhs of the clouds with flying ar.
tillery of light, and here and there is
sign Of clearing weather. Many do not
observe it. Many do not realize it, And
now men see not the bright light which
is in the Clouds" In other words, there
are a hundred men looking for storm
where there is one man loc king for sun.
shine. My object will be this morning
to get you and myself in the delightful
habit of making the best of everything.
Years ago there were English sparrows
imported to this country, but it has been
found out recently that they are driving
off the singing birds out Of our parks and
orchards, 80 proclamation has been
made giving permission to shoot these
English sparl ows. l am in sympathy
with that proclamation. We want more
birds to siDg and fewer owls to Croak,-
You may have wondered at the statistics
that in India in the year 1875 there were
over 10000 people slain by wild beasts,
and that in the year 1876 there were in
India over 10000 people destroyed by
wild animals. But there is a monster in
our own land which is year by year de-
stroying more than that. 1t is tle old
bear of melancholy, and With gospel
weapons this morning l propose to chase
it back to it's midnight Caverns. l mean
to do two sums-a sum in subtraction
and sum in additional subtraction
from your days of depression, and an ad-
-dition to your days of joy. If God will
help me will compel you to see the
bright light that there is in the clouds,
and compel you to make the best of ev.
erything.
In the first place, you ought to make
the very best of all your financial mis-
fortunes. During these past few years
you have all lost money. Some of you
lost it in most unaCCountabie ways. For
the question, "How many thousands of
dollars shall ] put aside this year?" You
have substituted the question, "How
shall l pay my butcher, and baker, and
ClOthier, and landlord ?" You have the
sensation of rowing hard with two oars,
and yet all the time going down stream.
You have not said much about it, be-
cause it is not pcitic to speak much of
financial embarrassment but your wife
knows. Less variety of wardrobe, more
economy at the table, self-denial in art |
and tapestry. Compression. Retrench.
ment. Who las not felt the necessity of
it? My friends, had you not better make
the best of this? Are you aware of how
narrow an escape you have made2 Sup.
pose you had reached the fortune toward |
which you were rapidly going? What |
then2 You would have been as proud |
as Lucifer. How few men have succeed.
ed largely in a financial sense, and yet
maintained their simplicity and religious
conservation? Not one man out of hun
dred, There are glorious exceptions, but
the general rule is that in proportion as
a man gets we'll off for this world he gets
poorly eff for the next, He loses his
sense of dependence on God. He gets a
distaste for prayer meetings, With plen-
ty of bank stocks and plenty of Govern
ment securities, what does that man
want of the prayer: "tiive me this day
my daily bread" How few men largely
in this world are bringing
souls to Christ, or showing self-denial
for others, or are eminent for piety You
can count them all up on your eight fin.
gers and two thumbs. One of the old
Covetous cardinals when he was sick and
sick unto death, used to have basin
brought IA basin filed with geld, and
his only amusement, and the only relief
be got for his inhamed hands, was run.
ming them down through the gold and
turning it up in the basin. Oh what in.
and what destroying power
money has for many man. A few days
ago l was visiting the Sleepy Hollow
Cemetery, where William Orion is bu.
ried. l said to the woman keeping the
gate, "How will I.know the grave when
[ come to it?" She replied, you will
know it by the display of flowers" With
that direction l very easily found the
grove. Flowers in Wreaths, and crowns,
and anchors-a great bank of Gala lilies
and Camellias. Who is it sleeping in
this decorated grave? William Orton,
who at thirteen years OF age began to
fight his own battle, ard went on until
be became the first man in American tel
egraphy, adding to his business achieve
ments fait IN God-within seven hours
If the fatal sickness taking the holy COM
nunion at the altar # the church.
thought as l stood there, Il will take
one of these flowers as memento of
his yisit;' but then / thought, no, no,
rather than take one flower from VIII {
lam Orton's grave, / woulu put on it a
whole spring-time of blossoms. But
where are the burial places of the men
who started life with foltune2 Soloe {
If them in the potter's field, some in the |
Iuicide's grave, But few Of these men [
'eaChed thirty.fve years of age. They
frank, they smoked, they gsmbled, In
hem the beast destroyed the split
some Of them lived long enough TO get /
heir fortunes and went through them;
he vast majority of them did notlive to
,et their inheritance. From. the gin !
hop they were brought home TO their
ather's house in delirium. and tn IN
hey were laid out in highly upholstered
,arlor the Casket covered with flowers
L IL n