National Republican., 1888-04-07
TALKING no HIS FLOCK.
Dr. Talmage Speaks of Books and Half
Starved Ministers.


saw piles of neglected books for sale. Whether
II he Asiatlc cholera or the trlchina that has
got among books we know not, but most Ger.
tain II Is they are dying hundred day. The
secondhand book stores are the morgues
where thousands of them are laid out. Many
of them died after doing their work and their
end was peace. But many Of them from the
start were afflicted with a marasmus that
never allowed them to take a healthy breath.
The mortality Of novels is something fearful.
Of them never paid the OK.
pcnscs of their publication. The entire enter.
prise was a dead loss. Most men need to pub.
lish one book in order. to lind what an eN-
pensiye and unsatisfactory business II Is in
most eases. We had friend who had given
birth to O, religious poem. lie thought II
would rival Paradise Lost, and shake the
nations, lie kept the secret under lock and
key for q long while, showing II only to a few
special friends, and that under promise of Sc.
crecy.. He grew thin in calcu ating at what
time the world could best endure the cxhil-
Grafton of Us publication, At last the manu-.
script was IN type, and the proof was read,
and the. book put upon the market. lie ban
quoted his friends on publication day. in an
lated on disposing Of 20, 600, but as he reviewed
The Importance of the work. and the fascina-
ton of the style he put up the figures to fifty;
the fact that II Is impossible TO Keep q rare
thing on this side of the Atlantic, and the Ger.
tainty Of It's worldwide distribution, he con.
of one hundred thousand. The fact was that
of the first edition of five hundred copies one
hundred and fifty were sold and the rest We're
giyen away 1t rivalry did not mErt John
ence was that of the man spoken Of in the
fourth chapter of Revelations: ~ took the
little book out of the angels hand and ate 1t
aud In, VtnNs \,
and as soon as had eaten II my belly was
bitter" My friend died in chagrn. We once
had cross old relative who believed in war
because he thought the best way t. reform the
race was 70 keep killing i on. While we re.
iect that theory, we really believe that this
epidemic among books Is fortunate. II one.
half Of the books which have been printed in
the last thirty years had continued TO live our
libraries and tables and bookstan1S would
have been so crowded that the world would
have had no room to turn around If all the
snow that had ever fallen had continued lying
on the ground, we should have had banks of
u reaching well on up toward the moon; but
fortunately the crystals melt, and the only
reason that our way Is not entirely blocked
by snOwstorms of literature Is because through
the paper mills the material soaks away. Long
life to all good books, and honorable scpultu
to those that die early.
My attention has recently been called, more
especially in religious newspapers. to much
excellent advice given to the pulpits Long
series of articles in papers and magazines
written by the pen for the benefit of the pull
pit. The laity are saying many true things In
regard TO the arousa of ministers They
want moro animation. more snap, more direct
ness, and more ire, This demand on: the part
of the pews has had its good effect, and dry
bones have got up and shaken themselves,
and worn out manuscript sermons ufter hav-
ing been preached ten or twenty times. have
been thrown. into the stove or put on back
shelf as tossiliferous specimens to he exam.
ined by the following generations. Now, AS
the pcws have been so successful In waking up
thc. pulpit and as turn about is fair play It
Is time for the pulpit to. wake up the pews.
We suspect that much of the former dullnesS
of the pulpit was inherited from the pew. We
know not why religious audience should not
look as bright as any other audience; but how
often II Is that people, who at a concert or lee
duty. as soon as they come into a devotional
assembly, TO look stupid. Some hearers shut
their eyes, and so eXtinguish, so. far as the
preacher Is concerned, the chief light of their
face. What is the matter with your eyesY Is
Il emotion? oh, no, II is easily seen when
that is the reason. You are probably trying
or calculating the prospects for the
opening business season Open your
eyes and look the preacher in the face.
Your manner is a wet blanket ON the preach
mate look. You are a soporfc in the house Of
God. If a speaker begins sentence with
power and happens to see your face about the
middle comma he will, IN the last half of the
seen preacher In the midst of his sermon get
bothered and subside from cloquence to ill.,
anityy lie saw two or three intelligent men
looking as indifferent as dolts. The sun rose
clear, but a fog went MP. from your counte-
nance and beclouded it.. It Is astonishing
how much the manner of listening has TO do
Th the force } Of the PREACHING we will take
that ever addressed an audience II you will
give us twenty alert and wide.awake hearers,
placed at proper distances from the pulpit, so
hot hot
he shall by clash of eyes strike fire. How
much spirit would you have in conversation II
~ your parlor your guests should demean
themselves as in church, one Of your friends in
the armchair closing his eyes, another lying
back on the sofa as If he were asleep, another
putting his head down on the back of the
chair In front Of hims You would quit talk
ing and wish they would take their stupidity
out Of your parlor and go home. But the
stolid and unconcerned manner which You
would not endure from your friends you every
sabbath ntiict on your pastor.
Wake up, or IL you are awake, as you prob
ably are do not let your manner belle your
real condition,
There are some churches in which the un.
arousable look Is so chronic, so hereditary, SO
perpetual that we never want to preach there
If a Methodist should cry ont In that assem-
| blage an Amen" or "llallelujah," " 1t would
| create II panic in the audience and make thu
| reading.Of the riot act appropriate. That
| church Is pond frozen over, smooth and goOt
| for skating, but no warm tides Of life, no meet
| ing of preachers earnest eye with hearers in
tent stare. Every Sunday humdrum, and ex
| tract of poppy, and ecclesiastical morphine
Come, come, church pew, you must share will
the pulpit In the responsibility of lethargiC
service. We will try TO fire up at our end %
| the column, but you must fire up at your enc
of the column. We will divide the blame ant
| then share In the Improvement. We will fur
| nsh and shovel in the coal but YOU must fur
| nsh the kindiing wood ana open the dampnrs
| An eager, intent pew. will make resoundin!
| pulpit.
And in this connection might reply to tn,
| criticism which the pews of this country ar,
| ministers do not preach with more animation
| is because thousands of them are kept on {
| low, diet through the parsimony and meanneS'
of their congregations. |, who have more thar
| enough, through the generosity of my church
| can say II without embarrassment, Consider
| ing the amount of work they do, the clergy
men OF America are, more poorly paid thar
any other class OF laborers Mechanics Strik,
when they have, to work eight hours II day
Many of the clcrgymcn that | know worl
| fourteen hours n day. Railroad engineers
briSklayers, plumbers, carpenters, and mason
| The ministers of America average less than
| SiOO year salary When a friend sent an cN
| ira contribution to one of our western mis-
| thanks, saying that they had through that do
nation meat on their table the first time IL
three months and that the children had becl
compelled TO wear their summer clothes all
one reason why the apostles preached ;,
| powerfully was that they had healthy food
Fish was cheap. along Galiee, and this, witt
mbOlted bread gave them plenty of phOspo
| rus for brain food. These early ministers wer,
| never invited ont tu late suppers, with chicken
| salad and doughmuts, Nobody ever embroi
| dered slippers for the big foot Of Simon Peter
| the fisherman preacher. Tea parties, with no
waffeS, at 10 O'Clock at night make namb!
| pamby ministers, but good hours and subStan
tlal diet, that furnish nitrates for the, muscle
and phosphates for the brain and carbonate
| for the whole frame, prepare a man Tor effect
i've work, When the water is low, the mil
| the grlsts are ground, In man the artcrie
are the mill race and the brain the wheel AM
the practical work of life Is the grist ground
| The reason our soldiers failed In some of thl
| battles was because their stomachs had 70
| several days been innocent of everything bu
hard tack" See that, your ministers hay,
| full hayersaCk. Feed them on Cruel durin
the week and on Sunday they will give Vol
| Cruel, What is called the parsons nose,' i