The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1883-03-24
TALMAGE IN NEW ORLEANS.
+ n, o. Picayuue, 10Th. |

icf. L. Dew lit IaimaSe delivered
his second lecture yesterday noon, in
tho Grand Opera House, to a small
audience, composed chiefly of ladies.
The theme treated was the "Bright
Side of Things"-the object of the
speaker being to enforce cheerful
view Of life. The lecturer began with
a glowing description of the beauties
Of the world, and its fitness to make
the globe happy and contented. 1t is
4 good world to live in, and a good
time to live in, and 4 good time to
live.
Ten years Of life in this age was pre-.
ferable TO 500 years in the age 0!
Methuselah. 1t is strange that, in such
an agreeable world, there should be
, found so many disagreeable people.
The difference between earth and
heaven is that the sunshine of earth
becomes clouded, and the sunshine OF
heaven is everlasting. Every man
should carry his own light, like the
miners in the shafts, and not be de-
pendent upon others. The lecturer
drew animated sketches of the dis.
agreeable persons he had met, as the
chronic fault-fnder, and the man OF
bad manners, and fine clothes could
not make gentleman, nor perfumery
and millinery lady. There is no
more winning faculty than that OF
saying pleasant things in a pleasant
way. Sometimes it happened that a
man who considered himself insight
ficant in community, kept his whole
neighborilood i'll good cheer by con.
stantly looking on the bright side OF
things. Others are so miserable they
desire to place everybody else in a like
condition. They are not happy unless
they are miserable. God has established
differences in the nature of individuals.
Society tends to make all alike, and
makes us useless in proportion. or
two young men starting out in life, one
with good manners and no capital, an.
other with bad manners and $2O, 900
capital, the former will he most success
ful. The habltual lounger-the man
who bored busy people with his visits
was also 4 disagreeable person.
People Of this class having nothing to
do themselves, suppose others have
not. Some mon imagine they have
been born with melancholy temper,
but there is no more reason why they
should yield to the influences of su CHI
a gloomy disposition, as to the i'm
pulses OF a cruel or vicious tempera-
ment. In the lottery oflife more prizes
are drawn than blanks. What would
bectfnc of us if we could not laugh, and
sing sometimes? We all cry enough.
Often there is as much religion in a
laugh as in a Cry.
The speaker discourscd of the bene-
ffS 0r b0oltCnl 0p,,,co,,,nrtc ,r.1
erc!Sc to remove melancholy impres
sions. For mental depression he re-
commended exercise out Of doors if
possible, within doors if not. 1t was
the habit of religious people to con-
stantly tell their children what they
should not do. The wiser plan was to
tell them what they could do, and 10
admit there are some proper amuse-
ments. The religion of "Don't' will
never save this world. There is only
one way for the vicious amusements Of
this country to be improved, and that
is by the substitution Of better amuse-
ments. There is no stock that pays
better dividends than cheerful spirit.
Dependency very often degenerates
into peevishness,
In the evening DIR. Talmage lectured
to a fine audience on the subject, els
the world Better or Worse? ?" The
speaker educed a host of arguments to
demonstrate that the state of the world
to-day was better than it ever had been,
and was making progress in all di-
rections. From the advancement of
the sciences, of art, Of civil and re-
ligious liberty, of Christianity and the
DEVELOPMENT of material resources he
drew the conclusions that this was the
greatest age of human history. The
speaker dispensed his usual supply of
humor, and made many laughable
comparisons between present manners
and customs and those of other days.
This brief resume conveys but an in
different idea of the merits of DR..
Talmage's lectures. He must be heard
to be appreciated. He says plain,
simple things in plain way. His
propositions are truisms, but dressed in
Il charming garb and introduced in an
original manner, so that it gives real
pleasure to recognize them. The tones
of his lectures are genial and healthful,
seasoned with good humor and anec-
dotes of every day life. The eloquent
passages are frequently marred by a
style of speaking which is peculiar, not
to say grotesque.
Iowa may have lost its prohibitory
amendment, but its walled lake rem
aims, The lake is in the midst of prai. {.