The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-12-25
TALMAGE'S SERMON.


The Heroes Who Cheese . Sphere Far
Higher, Ear Nebler Thaa Those which
nely On the Shedding Of Human
Blood for Eaas and Glory.
In the course Of his recent Western trip
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmags visited Detroit,
Mich, and delivered sermon ON the above
subject 1t the Jefferson Avenue Presbyts.
rian Church, taking for his text:
Thou therefore endure hardness IN limo.
thy, ILL.,
DR.. Talmags said: Histsrians are not
slow to acknowledge the merits Of great
military chieftains. We have the full
length portraits Of the Cromwells, the
Washingtons, the Napoleons and the Wei.
lingtons Of the world. History 10 not writ.
ten in black ink, but with red ink Of human
blood. The gods Of human ambition do
not drink from bowls made out of silver or
gold or precious stones, but out Of the
bleached skulls Of the fallen. But I am
now 10 unroll before you scroll Of heroes
that the world has never acknowledged;
those who faced no guns, blew no bugle.
blast, conquered no cities, chained no cap
tives to their chariot-wheels, and vet in
the great day Of eternity win stand higher
than those whose names startled the ma
tions; and seraph and rapt spirits and
archangel will tell their deeds to listen.
ing universe. mean the heroes of com.
mon everyday life.
In this roll, in the Hrst place, I find all
the heroes Of the sick-room. When Satan
had failed to overcome Job he said to God:
"Put forth thine hand now, and touch his
bone and his flesh, and he win curse thee
to thy face" Satan had found out what
we have all found out, that sickness IL
the greatest test Of ones character. A
man who can stand that can stand
anything-to be shut in . room a. fast
as though it were q bastile; to be 20
nervous you can not endure the tap of .
child's foot; to have luxuriant fruit
which tempts the appetite of the robust
and healthy, excite our loashins and dis
gust when il appears on the platter; to
have the rspier Of pain strike through the
side or across the temples like razor; or
to put the foot into wise or throw the
whole body into . blaze OF fever. Yet
there have been men and women, moro
women than men, who have cheer
fully endured this hardness. Through
years of exhausting Rheumatism and
sxcruciating neuralgias they have gone,
and through bodily distresses that rasped
the nerves and tore tho muscles, and paled
the cheeks and stopped the shoulders. By
the dim light Of the sick.room taper they
saw on their wall the picture Of that land
whore the inhabitants are mover sick.
Through the dead silence Of the night they
heard the chorus Of the angels.
The cancer ate away her life from week
to week, and from day to day, and she
became weaker and weaker, and every
"good night" was fesbler than the "good
night" before; yet never sad. The child
looked up into her face and saw suffering
transformed into heavenly smile. Those
who suffered ON the battle field amid shot
and shell, were not 30 much heroes or hero.
ines as those who in tho field hospital and
in the asylum had fsvers which NO ice
could cool and NO surgery could cure. No
shout Of comrade to cheer them, bat numb.
ness and aching and homesickness, yet
willing to suffer, confident in God and
hopeful of Heaven. Heroes Of rheums.
tism, heroes Of neuralgia, heroes Of spinal
complaint, heroes of sick.headache, heroes
Of long invaaidism, heroes and heroines,
they shall reign forever and ever. Hark!
I catch just one note Of the eternal an.
them: "There shall be NO more pain"
Bless God for that!
In this roll also find the heroes Of toll,
who do their work uncomplainingly. It IL
comparatively easy to lead . regiment into
battle, when you know that the whole ma.
ton will applaud the victory; IL is compar-
lively easy to doctor the sick, when you
know that your skill will be appreciated by
the large company Of friends and relatives;
it is comparatively easy to address an
audience, when in tho cleaning eyes
and flushed cheeks you know that your
sentiments arc adopted; but to do
sewing where you expect that the en-
ployer will coma and thrust his thumb
through the work to show how imperfect il
is, or to have the whole garment thrown
back on you to be done over again; to
build wall and know there will be no one
to say you did It well, but only to have .
swearing employer bowling across the
to work until your eyes are dim,
and your back aches, and your heart faints,
and to know that II You stop before night
your children will starve! All, the sword
has not slain so many a. the needle! The
great battle fields Of our last war were not
Gettysburg and Shiloh and South Noun
tain. The great battle fields Of the last
war were in the arsenals and In the shops,
and in the attics, where women made army
jackets for . sixpence. They toiled on until
they died. They had no funeral eulogium;
but, in the name Of my God, this morning,
enroll their names among those Of whom
the world was not worthy. Heroes Of the
needle, heroes Of the sewing .machine, he
roes OF the attic, heroes Of the cellar, heroes
and heroines, bless God for theml
In this roll also find the heroes who
have uncomplainingly endured domestic
injustice. There are men who for their toll
and anxiety have NO sympathy in their
own homes. Exhausting application to
business gets them livelihood, but an un-
frugal wife scatters it. He Is fretted at
from the moment he enters the door until
he goes out Of it, the exasperations Of bus
mess life augmented by the exaspera.
tions Of domestic life. Such men are
laughed at, but they have heart-breaking
trouble, and they would have long ago
gone into appalling designations but for
the grace Of God. Society to-day is
strewn with wrecks Of men who under the
the northeast storm Of domestic infelicity
have been driven ON the rocks. There are
tens of thousands Of drunkards in this
country to-day made such by their wives.