Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1883-02-22
DEWITT TALMAGE'S LENGTH OF
LIFE.
Rensons why "a May he BETTER to Die
Young than TO Live TO be Old.

'"'''bci We shy, W Hht "a pi'yt -
one be in pleasant circumstances he
never wants to go. William Cullen
Bryant at eiGhty-two standing in my
house and reading 'Thadatopsis' with
out spcctaclcs, was just as anxious to
live ~ when he wrote that immortal
thrcnody. Cato at ninty WAS afraid he
wouldn't live TO learn Greek. Thur
low Weed at cighty-nine found life as
great a pleasure as when he snuffcd
out his first politician. | suppose that
Mcthusaleh at 966 was afraid TO go out
in a storm and get his feet wet lest he
should shorten his days"
DR.. Talmagc said that il he were an
agnostic he would call man blcst ac-
cording to the number of years he
could stay on terra hrma. But, since
I men believe in immortality, An ahbrc-
waited existence on earth is blessing
because 1t makes ones life more com
pact. Some men can do their days work
in ten hours, some in five. and some in
one, and. other things being equal, the
man il to be congratulated who can
%, through hi, work in one hour. II
person die, Al five wears he gets
through his work at nine in the morn
. ing. If bcdic, at rourty ne gr, through
at noon: if he dies at seventy hc gets
through at five in the afternoon. and If
he die, Al ninety hr has To toll uu to
eleven o'clock at night
AN We ought 10 be anxious about Is
. 10 get our work done. and well done"
said Dr.. Talmacc. "and the sooner the
better. The number of men who fan
into ruin between hf,y and seventy
years of age is simply APPALLING. If
they had died q, thirty il, would have
Dccn better for themselves and for
their families. The grcat tcmpta,ion
Of mans life sometime, comes far on
IN middle life. At about fourty-Gyc
wears Of age mans nervous system
changes. By the advice uf some friend
he take. stimulan, to keep him M. and
/ hc gors on taking stilnulant until it
keeps hin down. Concerning vas,
multitude. it seems as II it would bc
better for them 80 embark from this
earth carly In Nfn. why do SO many
lie before they are thirty years oldt
Because God secs the storm coming up
from the Caribbean and runs them
/ into the first harhpr. liza soldier who
has been on guard all night Is glad
when some one comes to relieve him.
ought not that man to shout for Joy
T who can put down his weapons and 20
into the King, castlc|
/ Illustrating how men escape perils
carly IN life and fall with them later,
. Or. Talmage said The first time
crossed the Atlantic ocean it was az
smooth a mill pond. and | wrote
magazine on the calm sea. II hadn't
written IT then. before ! crossed the
ocean again, never could have written
/ IT,"
Another reason why IT is blessing
to die early. Dr. Ialmage said, Is he-
cause those who die in youth escape 50
many earthly bcreavements. He emu
m"rat"d some OF the SORROWS which
King David would have escaped If he
had been taken from life IN youth, and
said that he would have also escaped
I the crimes of uncl'ann"ss and murder.
when God takes little children the
preacher continued II" usually takes
+ the brightest. Why: Because they
would hay" the greatest capacity 70
suffering If permitted to live"
Again. to die early in life" Dr. Tai
a.rI .... -..