, 1889-08-15
DOCTOR TALMAGE.
The Distinguished Clergyman
Enthusiastically Greeted In
Spokane Falls.
His Famous Lecture on Big
Blunders Delivered to a
Large Audience.

his lecture on "Big Blunders," by Rev.
L. Dewitt Talmage. A large proper
ton Of the audience was composed of
ladies'; every church in the city was
well represented and there were r,any
In the audience who are not regular at
tendants ut any place of worship.
Like the distinguished clergyman's
sermons, the lecture dealt with the
brighter and moro hopeful side Of life,
but unlike sermon It gave him an op-
portunity to indulge In numerous illus
trations and witty comments. In this
respect it might be called the perfection
of numerous dissertations which awak-
ened ripple after ripple of hearty laugh
ter, which at times would be stilled TO
perfect silence by some magic burst of
pathos, piety or eloquence. Probably no
speaker of his time is capable Of obtain
ing more completely the sympathies of
his audience, or of swaying their SYM
pathies at will.
He caught them from the beginning,
when ne opened by saying that "if we
leave 10 the evolutlonist the determina-
ton Of the problem us to where we came
from and to the theologians the problem
as TO where We are going, we have still
left TO us the consolation that we are
still here" And then that of all the
centuries, and all the decades, and oil
the years, and months and days in the
history of mankind that the present is
the best. When he had heard of the
tar rrtl II h. l..I Eafr A,...
kane Falls he at first thought II would
be no place for lecture; but when he
read of the extraordinary
PLUCK AND ENERGY
displayed by the people in the work of
place TO come to, that he might say the
most encouraging things he could, and
If possible help them in that way.
Coming 70 the subject of his lecturs, he
said that the man who never made a
blunder has not yet been born; or il he
had, he would haye died almost imme-
diately thereafter. The history of the
world Is filled with all sorts of blunders !;
blunders literary, mechanical, agricul.
tSSrnl' tSr vorioSs theological ,,. and in ,,ei all
In the lecture field he had made his
own by starting out with the idea that a
lecture must Of necessity be profound
treatise on the subject chosen. The
difficulty he had experienced Hereunder
was the audience rarely understood one
half of the lecture, and the lecturer
didn't understand the other half
Laughter. The lecturers own religion
was one of sunshine, but trouble at
tending II Is that that sunshine is some
tianes clouded, and the sun cannot al
ways be seen. He did not believe at all
In religion of solemnity. The most
pious man is the most cheerful and
happy man. The solemnest man he
ever knew was minister who boasted
that he hadn't laughed in ten years
That minister afterward borrowed S25
from him and his solemnity continued
so great that it never permitted MIN to
refer to SO trivial matter again.
daughter.
BLUSDEB FIRST
he defined as choosing multiplicity of
This blunder was Illus
trated in numerous instances in the
application of the old saying
of none" The nightiest men in the
world for the most part were those who
had followed out but one occupation.
The ancient Greeks sought inspiration
by sleeping on Mount Parnassus. 1t is
not the man on the mountain who re-
ceives inspiration, but the mountain on
the man inspires in him the tremendous
strength that enables him to throw the
mountain on Young, man, concen-
trate your ability in one direction. Bet
ter be called man of one idea than
have the useless fragments of 500 ideas
within you. Every man is especially
fitted to just one occupation, just as one
tune Is made to fit its meter. Every
man gets q call straight from the throne
of God TO fit himself for one particular
thing. Remember that there is not
another being in the hundreds of mill
ions of people in the universe, that can
do the work that you are especially
fitted for. | don't care what your inte l.
who concentrates all his energies in one
direction is IL tremendous force that no
power in the world can suppress.
BLUSDER SECOND
he characterized as that of good temper,
and in its illustration he enlarged on
the many lessons he learned from its in
diligence in everyday life. Diverging
somewhat from this text he showed
why Americans should be especially
contented and cheerful. 'The man
with weak nerves can come up to the
North in his own country and strengthen
them, and the man who feels himself
crowded can come up here to the glori,
Gus Northwest, where he will
find elbow, room in abundance.
But nobody need be dissa tisiied
long with these limits, for the do
main will increase. The day is coming
will offer its hand and heart IN marriage
to Canada; and Canada will look down
and, blushlng,, will answer: ASK
Mamma" Good humor sells the most
goods. The firm of Old Spitfire Bros.
goes TO the wall. while the young men,
Merriman & Warmgrasp gather in ali
the trade.
RxcEssIvK AMUSEMENT
was characterized as the next blunder-
excessive as distinct from the happy
games and amIsements Of youth, which
the lecturer depicted with inimieble
realism and dramatic power. God in
tended men to laugh and sing and find
amusement in moderation, The world
is full Of music, and the man who could
sing and wouldn't sing, ought to be sent
TO Sing Sing. [Laughter.l But the fol-
lowing up of amusements doesn't lead
to success in business or in domestic
life, They are good enough in their way,
but they should not interest a man In
matters ousside Of his home. When any
man loves any place on earth better than
his home, that man is ruined. Woe TO
the man that despoils his home. Better
that he had never been born. The
lecturer offered
THR PROPER HOME
as the preventative of all disaster and
harm, and closed the subject with a
peroration to home of classic eloouence
and beauty that cannot be reproduced
hore.
The next blunders were designated as
az the formation of the wrong kind Of
domestic relations, and (2) attempting
life xrithouf a snlrif of erthmsiaara q