St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-07-30
SHE HEARD TALMAGE.

When | heard Talmage was going to
speak Sunday l made up my mind that
| would hear him if had to climb up
on the buttons of every cop III town,
fall over the shoulders OF all the fat SIS
tiers and lean brothers and launch my
self headlong into the Peoples church
as soon as the doors were opened. Act
ing upon this impulse, was there at 3
O'Clock, but not before some other en-
terprising persons had taken possession
of the doorway, and were holding down
the. steps. Those who had seat
against : the wall were fortunate and
more patient than the rest or
U.S. who had to balance ourselves the
best we could and stand staring at eacn
other, wondering how long it would be
before we could get in. One thin-noSed
woman. the very embodiment of Y.
M. C. A.-W. &. T. U.-ChineSe mission
love the heather society, had brought
her knitting, metaphoricalfy speaking,
andhad appropriated a seat in the mid
die Of the steps, entirely obllvlouS that
the "vulgar herd" were pressing closely
against her best bonnet, and were
tramping over her Sunday gown. Here
she remained, calmly reading the Adj
vance, and when | had the temerlty TO
look down over her shoulder | was not
surprised to see the article which so in
tereSted her headed Temperance, Pa
tience."
After exhibiting great degree of the
last-named virtue, we were finally re-
warded by having the key turned in the
lock. felt one little pang of pity for
the ianitor, and then remorselessly bore
Ia ho nf tha
band and swept him away. | remember
seeing little wisp of hair standing on
end, and feel assured that moment
later there was not grease spot of him
left. My efforts were rewarded by hay
ing seat on the mourner'S bench, in
other words, in the parquet. and which
commanded a very satisfactory view
of all the people Oh the platform:
Next me sat an old lady in gold-rimmed
glasses, who informed me (unneceSsa-
rily) that she had come up with her
husband from the country especially to
hear Talmage, and inquired which one
he was. That was also unknown to me,
bnt L picked out one of the gravest,
moSt-intelligent looking Of the board OF
directors, and we decided it must be he;
when, to our surprise, this very homely
man stood up and, with smile broad
ening his plain visage, began to speak.
'Well, Pm beatw the old lady said in
an audible voice. eff he amt the
ugliest man l ever seen never.''
But before ne finished about
praying back. all the wander
ing boys in the country with
miraculous success, my neighbOr had
ruined her best linen handkerchief
with the red embroidered letter on IL,
and was weeping copiOuSly, fOrgetful
ofthe fact that she had bought it for
ornament, not use.
Her interest was intense when he
spoke of the conversion of his grand
parents, who went to big meeting near
their home in the country one day, and
after wrestling in prayer for while
became believers. That evening after
reaching home his grandmother called
into. her room gay party of young
girls, including her own, who were
going to a party. NOW, girls" she
said, 81 hope you will enjoy yourselves
at the party, but | want you
to remember that 1 am going
to stay Oh my knees all the time you
are gone, and will pray for you till
you come back" With this, the old
lady proceeded to pray, and of course
all the young girls were soon after con-
verted, and did not enjoy themselves at
the. party at all. don't think would
have either, under those circumstances,
for I'd have been thinking all the time
of how heI knees must be aching. This,
with many other instances of the eff
cacy of prayer, told in such way that
he kept US crying and laughing alter
nately, held his large audience COM
pletely enthralled for an hour.
and when he had finished it
was impossible to say what
it was about the man which
had held us spellbound during that
time. In short. he is Talmage, and we
have no other. My country neighbor
made me read and reread the pro-
gramme, explaining that she could not
see with the glasses she wore. They
were her Sunday ones, but she could
not see through them like those she left
at home, and she asked hundred ques-
tions, none of which l could answer sat
isfactorily, and 1 left her under the i'm
preston, doubtless. that st. Paul people
were very atfable but very ignorant.
JOHANNA DUNCAN,