Democratic messenger., 1888-08-18
Queer Christians
TALMAGE BREACHES TO THE PIED
MONT CHAUTAUQUA.


ATLANTA, Ga. Aug. 12.-The Rev. 7.
Dewitt Talmage, d. d., Of Brooklyn, n.
Y, Is In this region. lie has spoken sew.
eral times at the great Piedmont Chau-
tauqua, and his public appearances are al.
tended by vast mul,itudes everywhere
Preaching from the text Luke C. xv., %.
"And he was angry and would not go
in." lie said:
as the elder son Of the parable so I'M
sympathetic and SO cold that he Is not
worthy of recognition ?" The fact that
We ministers pursue the younger son.
You can hear the tapping Of his rags In
many q sermonic breeze and the crushing
Of the pods for which he was an unsuc.
eessfil contestant. confess that for
long time was unable to train the cam
cru obscura upon the eldest 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 think have him. Not side.
face, or q three.q quarters, or the mere bust'
but full.length portrait as he appears To
me. The father, In the parable Of the
prodigal, had nothing TO brag Of In his two
sons. The one was rake and the other
churl. find nothing admirable In the
dissoluteness OF the one and find moth.
ing attractive In the acrid sobriety Of the
other. The one goes down over the lar.
board side and the other goes down over
the s,arboard side. but they both so down.
From the window Of the old homestead
bursts the minsircsly. The floor quakes
with the feet Of the rustics. whose dance
Is always vigorous and resounding. The
ncighbors have heard of the return Of the
younger son from the wandering, and they
have gathered together. The house Is full
Of congra,ulators. suppose the tables
are loaded with luxurics. Not only the
one kind Of meet mentioned, but its con.
comitants. CLAP go the cymbals,
"Thrum !" so the harps, "Click" go the
chalices, and up and down go the feet in.
side. while outside Is most sorry specta.
Gle.
THE SENIOR son.
The senior son stands at the corner of
the house, frigid phlegmatic. lie has
just come In from the fields In very sub.
stantial apparel. Seeing some wild exhil.
arations around the old mansion he asks
OF servant passing by with goal.skin
Of wine on his shoulder what NIL the fuss
Is about. One would have thought that
on hearing that his younger brother had
got back he would have gone into the
house and rejoiced, and, II he were not
conscieniiously opposed to dancing. that
he would have joined In the Oriental
schottische. No. There he stands. Ills
brow lowers. Ills lips curls with con.
tempt. lie stamps the ground with indig.
nation. lie sees nothing at all to attracts
The odors Of the feast coming out on the
air do not sharpen his appetite. The live.
ly music does not put any spring into his
step. lie is terrible pout. lie cri,icises
the expense, the injustice and the morals
Of the entertainment. The father rushcs
out bare headed and coaxes him to come
In. lie will not go In He scolds the IA
ther. lie goes into pasquinade against
the younger brother. and he makes the
most uncomely scene. lie says: Father.
you put premium oa vagabondism. l
stayed at home and worked on the
farm. You never made party for me;
you didn't so much as kill kid; that
wouldn't have cost half so much as calf; {;
but the scrapegrace went of In fine
clothes. and he comes back not fit to be
seen, and what time you make over him
lie breaks your heart and you pay him Tor
Il. That calftO which we have been Civ.
ing extra feed during all these weeks
wOuldn', he so fat and sleek II had
known To what use you were going to put
Il! That vagabond deserves TO be COW.
hiled instead Of hanquc,ed. Veal Is too
good for him" That evening while the
younger son sa, telling his father about
his adventures and askin 9 about what had
occurred on the place since his departure
the senior brother goes to bed disgusied
and slams the door after him. That senior
brother still lives. You can see him any
Sunday, any day OF the week. Al meet
ing of ministers In Germany some one
asked the question: "Who Is that elder
son. :" and Krummacher answered II
know him; saw him yesterday" And
when they insisted upon knowing whom
he meant, he said: Myself when I saw
the accoun. OF the conversion Of a most
obnoxious man was irritatcd."
a sELF-sATIsrIED INDIVIDUAL.
First, this senior brother Of the text
stands for the self.congratulatory, self.
satisfied. self-worshipiul man. With the
same breath In which he yituperatcs
agains, his younger brother he utters u
panegyrie for himself. The selErighte0us
man ofmy text. like every other self.
righteous man. was full of faults. lie was
an migrate, for he did not appreciate the
home blessings which he had all those
years. lie was disobedicnt. for when the
father told him TO come In he stayed out.
lie was u liar. for he said That the recreant
son had devoured his fathers living, when
the father. 40 far from being reduced TO
penury, had homestead left, had ins,ru.
menis of music, had jewels. had n man.
sion, and, instead of being pauper, was
n prince. This senior brother. with 80
many faults of his own, was mcrcilcss In
his criticism Of his younger brother The
only perfect people that l have ever
known were utterly obnoxious. was
never so badly cheated In all my life as by
perfec, man. lie got so far up In his de-
votions that he was clear mp above all the
rules Of common honesty. These men
that 20 about prowllng among prayer.
meetings and places Of business. telling