Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-09-26
SUNDAYS SERMON.
ONE OF REV. DIR. TALMAGE.s
STERLING DIsCoURsEs.
Subject: "Thc City Streets

TEXT: Wisdom c4-ieth without. she ,t.
terett her voicc IN the streets PROV %
We are all ready to listen to the voices
OF natUre-the voices of the mountain +ba
voices of the sea, the voices of the storm the
voices OF the star As in some of the
cathedrals in Europe there is an oroan az 4
either end OF the building. and the one
instrument responds unsteady to the
other so in the great cathedral of nature
day responds to day, and night TO night
and flower TO flower, and star to star
In the great harmonies OF the universe
The spring time IS an evangelist in
blossoms preaching OF Gods love; and the
winter is prophet-white bearded
deneuncing woe against our sins. We are
all ready 20 listen to the voices of nature:
but how few OF us learn ANYTHING from
the voices of the noisy and dusty street
You go to your merchandise, and your mech
anisIn, and to your work, and you come back
again-and often with an Indifferent heart
you pass through the streets Are there no
things for US TO learn from these pavenents
over which we passs Are there no tufts of
truth growing up between these cobblestones.
beaten with the feet of toll and psin. and
pleasure the slow tread of old age and the
quick step of childhood, Aye, there are great
harvests to be reaped; and now trust in the
sickle because the harvest is ripe Wisdom
crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the
streets"
In the first place the street impresscs me
with the fact that this life is a scene OF toll
and struggle By 10 o'clock every dav the
city is jarring with wheels. and shutting
with feet, and humming with voices, and
covered with the breath OF smokestacks, and
a rush with tra:ickers. Once in while you
find man going along with folded arms and
with. leisurely step, as though he had moth
ing to do; but for the most part, as you find
men going down these streets, on the way
TO business there is anxiety in their faces
as though they had some errand
which must be executed at the first
possible moment. You are jostled by those
who have bargains to make and notes to sell
Up this ladder with hod of bricks, out of
this bank with a roll Of bills ON this dray
with load OF goods, digging cellar, or
shingling a roof, or shoeing horse, or
building wall, or mending a watch, or
binding book Industry, with her thousand
arms, and thousand eyes. and thousand feet,
goes on singing her song of work. work!
work. while the mills drum it and the steam
whistles fife it. All this is not because men
love toll. Some one remarked: Every man
is as lazy as lie can afford TO be-"
But il is because necessity, with stern
brow and with uplifted whip stands over
them ready whenever they relax their toll TO
make their shoulders sting with the lash.
Can it be that, passing up and down these
streets on your way TO work and business,
you do not learn anything of the worlds toll,
and anxiety, and struggled OH how many
dropping hearts, how many eyes on the
watch, how many miles Travelled, how many
burdens carried how many losses suffered.
how many battles fought how many VIC
tories gained, how many defeats suffered,
how many exasperatons endured
what losses, what hunger, what
I .4.t... Hoo hat M
disease, what agony, what despair
Sometimes | have stopped at the corner OF
the street as the multitude went hither and
Won, and it has seemed to be great panto-
mime, and as / looked upon 1T my heart
broke This great lido OF human ME tnat
goes down the street is q rapid, tossed ana
| turned aside, and dashing ahead and driven
back--beautiful in its confusion and confused
IN its beauty. III the carpeted alsles OF
the forest, in the woods from which
the eternal shadow is never lifted, on the
shore of the sea over whose iron coast losses
the tangled foam. sprinkling the cracked Gins
with baptism Of vhirlwlnd and tempest Is
/ the best place to study God; but in the rush
1 ing swarming rnving street is the best place
! to study man. Going down TO your place OF
business and coming home again, l charge
Won look about-ste these signs OF poverty,
| OF wretchedness, of hunger, OF SIN, OF De-
I reavement-and rs you 60 through the stfeets'
4 and come back through the streets gamer
! up In the arms OF your prayer all the sorrow
all the losses, all the suffering all tne pereslNe
ments of those whom you pass, ana present
/ them in prayer before an all sympatieOie
4 God Then in the great day OF eternity There
/ will he thousands Of persons with Whonl you
/ in This world never exchanged one word VINO
| will rise tlp and call you blessed; and thefe
| will be a thousand fingers pointed at you ~ y
/ heaven, saying: THAT Is une man, 'h az, :,
I " |
/ p1v and sick. and wandering, and iost, hh lu
1 heart broken. That is the man, that Is 1hs
/ woman and the blessing Will come Gown
1inon Won as Christ shall say; Il was huns
4 and We fed Me, was naked and ye clou .i1
| Me. / was sick and in prison ana We Vlslv ss
Me: inasmuch as ye did 70 these pooi "eii'
4 of the streets, ye did II To NE. .;.I. 81,
fact that ali classes and conditions OF society
must commingle. We sometimes cui ii'll "a - :
,,-;c-ad exclnsfveuess Intellect desples "
norance Refinement will have nothlns .
do with beorisnness Gloves hate tne sun
burned hand. and the high forehsau ues,a .';i
the fat head; and tine ttiih n9 ,sI.o.,,-,y,5
/ have nothing to do with the wild copsewoou,
na a t,.a,s 6ates Nazareth This ought mol
10 he 81. The astronomer must come uoesi
f.on, his starry revery and help US III oul
! navigation. The surgeon must conAS o' -,
! from his study of the human ORGANISM al.
soft our broken bones. The cheinis' iAt9e 49, -
away from his laboratory, where ne ~ yes.
studying analysis and synthesis, ana he,P u
fonnderstand the nature OF the SOILS. pres
God that all classes OF people are colipe.,e i
tomeet on tho street. The giitterlns SoS s'.t
s,,,,aeI clashes against the scaVenger Sal .
Fins robes run against the peqaler
mack Robust health meets wan sleAn l ;
Honesty confronts fraud. Every cas- casa 4
neonle meets every other class. l iii .',.
snce and modesty, pride and Immunity, Iul
;tv and beastliness frankness and hypo 1elst
meeting on the same block in the same =, ~
IN the same city. OH that is what SOONER 30 mo,
meant ami when he said: The rich and the s Poo
meet together; the Lord is the Maker o. si IN
ais like this democratic prlnclple; " ~ ~
esosnel of Jesus Christ which recosulzss a s
s0ct FIAT we stand before God on one ar'
t leV same anne platform Do not take on any Aiso
, vi .a position you have gal1ea "a ~ ~
;etv YOU are nothing but man Dolli shirt ~
same parent. regenerated by the s1l .,, I, ~
Sa1 by the same blood. to he down u -,
sae dust to get up in the same reSnl Id uo
t. Is bi1h time that we ell scSnoMleqie1, , ,sy
a ~ Il the Fatherhood of God, but the Oro'"s'
! ho,d Of man ..a 4l