St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-08-10
SALTWATER NEWS.
Special Sermon by the Rev. DIR. Dunn
at the Methodist Church.
The Coming Fair--The Lake Getting
Lower--The Gun Club.
PuIpit OrarOry.

The Rev. DR.. Dunn of the Methodist
church preached a special sermon last even
ing on Solomon's Search for Happiness, and
it was listened to with pleasure and profit
by the large audience present 1t was one
OF the best diScourses so far delivered by
this eloquent divine. and synopsis of the
sermon is given that others may, in a small
measure, follow the reverend gentleman's
reasoning. He took as his text EccleSi-
astes xii, IS, Let Us Hear the Conclusion.
While this book may be perpleXing to some.
and be misunderstood by others. and may
annoy commentators. it is nevertheless a
royal book, instructive and thoroughly prac-
teal. jerome said once that this book
would have deserved to perish from among
men had it not been for the concluding
verses, which make my text for tonight.
And yet men neglect or are ignorant of the
genius and sweep of this book.
Many, on the one hand. have
found food for their infdelity
in isolated passages; and many Others,
who are sour and dyspeptic, have seen in
garbled passages from this work by the
preacher materialism and license. Voltaire
and others of his school suffered in this way.
They had an Endorsement of their tenets.
This is perversion of the book. But
when we candidly examine the character
of the book we find it simply mans biog-
raphy-the history of a man who has lost
all the glory and grandeur of the morning
in tireleSS and unsuccessful effort to
reach the highest good. This man Solomon
has penned his feelings, conflicting emo
tons and failures after each vain effort 10
obtain peace. Solomon is here telling OF
his cherries round. There is his effort to
reach happiness in the qualification of his
tastes. He recalled the difficulties of
mental and intellectual researches, and re-
Numbering that the doctrine of epicurean-
ism is most natural, he drives himself
along TO satisfy his soul, by the abundant
qualifications of the senses. There is
nothing better for a man than that he
should eat and drink" This is his doc
trine, and so he plungeS into the world for
satisfaction. This is the sentiment of the
world to-day; and, as with Solomon, so
with US all, we must finally conclude
''eyen this also is vanity" Read
of Solomon'S immense wealth-Of
but he finds them all a failure. He adds:
Whatsoever my eyes desired 1 left not
from them; withheld not my heart from
any JOY" Read upon the countenanee of
this great king, disgust, emptiness, vanity.
Listen to his concluding testimony: Il
hated life; yea, hated all my labor" Gall
instead of pleasure, But Solomon did not
stop there; lie even ''turned himself to be-
hold wisdom" Surely he must find help
somewhere Speculative philosophy and
theories of science are examined, But all
with the same result. ''In much wisdom is
much grief, " and sorrow, he said, comes
With knowledge. Mental food cannot sat
isfy even the capacity of Solomon The
study of Shakespeare cannot take away this
hunger of heart which somehow must be
satisfied. No calcium light can philosophy
throw on mans great problem of whence
and whittier, strong enough to tighten up
these unsettled and hazy questions. Mans
heart Graves more than perpleXing specula-
tons. But, alas! SOloman advances an
other step-a step so many have taken
since his time. Solomon plunges into blank
inhdelity, and in his doctrine of fataliSm
cries out: Time and chance happeneth to
them all" But amid it all he remembers
his fathers counsel and turns in the words
of my text to the foundation rock of human
life and success.