New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1888-08-22
FOR THE ELDER SON.
Or. TaImage Pleads the Cause Of the Elder Son
in the Parable.


ar. TaImage Pleads the Cause Of the Elder Sor
in the Parable.
Atlanta, Ca, Aug. 12.-The Rev T. d.
q Witt Talmage, D. D., of Brooklyn is in this
region He has spoken several times at the
great Piedmont, Chatauqua, and his public
appearances are attended by vast multitudes
everywhere. Preaching from the text (Luke
chapter is, verse 28,) "And he was angry,
and would not go in," he said:
Is the elder son of the parable SO unsym-
pathetic and SO cold that he is not worthy
of Feeognition? The fact is that we ministers
pursue the younger son. You can hear the
Mapping of his rags in many a sermonic
breeze and the branching of the pods for
which he was an unsuccessful contestant I
confess that for long time was unable to
train the camera obscura upon the elder son
of the parable. / never could get negative
for q photograph. There was not enough
light in the gallery or the chemicals were
poor, or the sitter moved in the picture.
But now I think / have him Not
a side-face, or three-quarters, or the mere
bust, but a fullength portrait as he appears
to me The father in the parable of the pro-
digai had nothing to brag ofin his two sons.
The one was a rake and the other churl /
find nothing admirable in the dissoluteness OF
the one, and find nothing attractive in the
acrid sobriety of the other. The one goes
down over the larboard side, and the other
goes down over the starboard side but they
both go down
From the window of the old homestead
bursts the ministrelsy. The floor quakes
ia With the feet of the rustics, whose dance is
always vigorous and resounding. Theneigh-
bors have heard of the return of the younger
son from his wanderings and they have gath
cred together The house is full of congratu-
iators Isuppose the tables are loaded with
auxures. Not only the one kind of meat
mentioned, but it's concomtants ssClapl''
go the cymbals, ''thrum!' go the harps.
'clickP' go the chalices, up and down go the
feet insides, while outside is most sorry
epectacle
Inc senior son stands at the corner of the
house, frigid phlegmatic Hehas just come
In from the fields in very substantial apparel
Seeing some wild exhilarations around the
"oid mansion, he asks of a servant passing
oy with goatskin of wine on his shoulder
what all the fuss is about. One would have
Thought that on hearing that his younger
brother had got back, he would have gone
unto the house and rejoiced and if he were
5aoteoa5seGlentiousy opposed to dancing, that
me would have joined in the Oriental schot-
Slsche. No, there he stands. His brow
lowers, his lip curls with contempt He
STAMPS the ground with Indignation He sees
nothing at all to attract. The odors of the
least coming out on the air notsharpen his
fiyyolx Il
spring into his step. He is in a terrible pout
= ne crltlclses the expense, the injustice and
the morals of the entertainment The
Gather PUSHES out bareheaded and coaxes
MIN to come in. He will not go in
de scolds the father. he goes into
a basqulnade against the younger brother
and ne makes the most uncomely scene, He
says, Father you put premium on yag-
abondlsm. stayed at home and worked on
0he farm. You never made a party for me;
you didn't SO much as kill a kid; that wouldn't
nave cost half SO much as a calf; but the
scapegrace went off in fine clothes and he
comes back not fit to be seen, and what
Tune you make over himl He breaks nv
neart, and you pay him for it, That calf to
winch we have been giving extra feed during
these weeks wouldn't be so fat and sleek if
mad known to what use you were going to
put It'll That vagabond deserves to be cow
hided instead of banqueted Veal is too
good for hlm!' That evening, while the
younger son sat telling his father about his
adventures, and asking about what had oc-
Cured on the place since his departure, the
senior brother goes to bed disguised and
slams the door after him. That senior broth
er still lives. You can see him any
Sunday, any day of the week. At a meeting
OF ministers in Germany some one asked the
question. FsWho is that elder SOM" and
Krummacher answered, 81 know him: saw
him yesterday" And when they insisted
upon knowing whom he meant, he said 'sMy-
self; when lsaw the account of the conversa-
ton OF Q most obnoxious man, was irrita-
ted"
First, this senior brother of the text stands
FOR the self-congratulatory selfsatisfed,
sefi-worshiDfvl man. With the same breath
IN which he vltuperates against his younger
brother ne utters panegyrle for himself.
This selfrighteous man, was full of faults.
lie was an Migrate, for he did not appreciate
the home blessings which he had all those
years. He was disobedient, for when the
father told him to come in he stayed
out. He was a liar for he said
that the recreant son had devoured his
fathers living, when the father SO far
= from being reduced to penury, had home
stead left had instruments of music, had jew
els, had mansion, and instead of being a
5pauper, was prince. This senior brother
with SO many faults of his own, was merciless
in the criticism of the younger brother. The
only perfect people that have ever known
ly cheated in all my life as by perfect man.
He got SO far up in his devotions that he was
clear up above all the rules of common hon
esty. These men that go about proving
among prayer meetings, and places of bust
ness, telling how good they are-look out for
them; keep your hand on your poeketbook!
have noticed thatjust in proportion as q
man gets good he gets humble. The deep
mississippi does not make as much noise as
the brawling mountain riyulet There has
abeen many a store that had more goods in
the show window than inside on the shelves.
This selfrighteous man of the text stood at
rGhe corner of the house hugging himself in
admiration. We hear great deal in our day
about the higher life. Now, there are two
Slinds of higher life men. The one are admir-
able, and the other are most repusive The
one kind ofhigher life man is very lenient in
mis- criticism of others does not bore prayer
meetings to death with long harangues, does
not talk a great deal about himself but much
about Christ and heaven, gets kindlier and
more gentle and more useful until one day
his soul spreads q wing and he flies away
10 eternal rest and evarybodv mourns his do