The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-12
REV. T. DEWITT TALMAGE
On the Question, us the World Growing
Better or W0rse?"

| DclltT Ut WOGSe!
Every seat in Plymouth Church was filled las
night with an eager and largely bald headed
throng, anxious to hear the Brooklyn pulpiteers
| conclusions as to whether the world is growing
better worse.
Mr.. Talmage is tail, large featured, whole
some, English Jewish looking kind of man
| with smooth face, except reddish burnsdes and
large, sharp nose and keen eyes. He sur
veyed the audience keenly, took swallow OF
water. and put the conundrum: Ladies and
Gentlemen-Ts the World Growing Better
or Worsep which he proceeded to answer
for one hour aud half, in the affirm
ative, and apparently to the entire satisfaction
OF that large class who believe verify, we are
the people," and who love to be patted on the
head, even if they have to DO it themselves.
1t is not necessary to portray Mr.. Talmages
vigorous style, for that is familiar to all readers
OF bis sermons as they appear weekly in the
| Monday Journal; and as to his manner it is
peculiarly his own. He is easily understood, and
has no hesitancy in the use of all the tricks of
modern pulpit and lecture stand oratory, being
| especially glib III putting sparkling and even
ridiculous anttheses, and in telling stories which
bring down the house 1t is O good lecture for q
backward spring, or dreary day, or the off
year in presidential elections, after several of
the election districts of your State have been
irrevocably sealed to the Democrats as it does
not stop with the silver Innings of the dark
clouds Of daily experience but takes you for an
hour right behind the cloud and into the fulness
of sunshine upon the other side.
Mr.. Talmage leads off as follows: IF we leave
the evolutionists to guess where we come from,
fhpOlOOI3nS n xvh apn
going to, we have at least the interesting fact
remaining that we are here. And I am glad of
it, for this is the best world the best age, year,
month day and minute of the worlds existence"
That the United States is the best country,
tho speaker saw $50, 600 new proofs in the emf
grants from Europe When we offer hand and
heart in marriage to beautiful and hospitable
Canada, she will blush, look down and say, Ask
mother
Mr.. Talmage claims to be 'by nature and
grace an optimist," and certainly is in this lect
ure, though in some of his sermons strong
adherent of lurid and infammatory theology.
He could tell man by his spectacles; if blue, a
blue man; it green: then green and If yellow,
! then jaundiced, but if transparent, then seeing
the true world OF God If the heart is right
and the liver right the man will be all right,
and then followed a vivid and humorous por
| trayal of the aspect of the world to the man
with a carlylean dyspepsia from an overfeed of
| lemon pie. To him the beautiful snow means
| slush the world is war, Group govt, bunions and
| dyspepsia
| Mr.. Tamage claimed he should and did
preach the religion of sunshne-only such
should be tolerated. The solemnest man he
! ever knew was minister who borrowed of him
$25 and possessed so high a sense of delicacy
as never to speak of it thereafter. On the ques-
| ton of communism he quoted the story of Astor
| and the tramp who demanded division of
| property at the muzzle of pistol, and with
, whom he reasoned and settled by giving him his
share as a citizen of the Union-l0, O00,00O peo-
| pie and as many dollars-gave one to the tramp
! Our good and evil is as we make it, and if the
| Persian poet has no shoes, lie meets man with
no feet There are always those:whose condition
| is worse; and on this fact were rung many
changes and gooa stories by the lecturer. Peo-
| PIE don't know what they want: they get liveli-
| hood and then want a competence, then u
superfuity, an affluence and always-more.
| The lecturer takes-in this lecture at least-a
| lenient view of total deprayity He had not
met man totally bad in ten years, and people
are mainly what they are by the force of cir
thing if the grace of God did not prevent. Mr..
| Talmage is especially strong in statistics-blank
verse he calls them--and he piles them up in
mastery series to carry his point that this is
the golden age and the United States Gods own
Israel, and a country, if any there be,
of Christ His summary of the con-
quests of modern science in the world
Of matter was of wide range, instructive, ac-
curate, apprecative and we'll -received, as also
was his portrayal of the return of the Union
| soldiers after the war: with which brilliant de
| scription although scarcely connected logically
with his lecture he closed
The audience seemed we'll pleased, and APP
| plauded often and heartily. and, at the close,
| seemed in better mood with themselves and the
world than is usually observed after listening 10
/ the average preachcrecturer.