Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-07-14
SPORTS WIDE DOMAIN
ACBICAGO PREACHER AND HIS SERMON ON
THE GREAT FIGHT.
Plain Charges That Charley Mitchell Neglected Xii
rain-GOssip Of the DiamOnd-Talk
About the Thsatres-Plsas-
ant Personalities.
CHICAGO Tribune.

"If Mr.. Brobst has never been profess
sional trainer his sermon is great compli.
ment to his Imagination" said gentle
man from Clark street who was attracted
to the Westminster Presbyterian Church
last evening by the announcement that the
minister would preach on "Pizs Fights.n
Mr.. Brobst turned the thoughts of his
audience into puRilistic channels at the
outset by reading about Gods strong
right arm in the ninth verse of the ninety
eighth Psalm. He quickly followed this
by lesson from Paul's passage: ST have
fought a good fight" Then heprayed that
the audience might enter The arena of
Cnristisn. Finally he selected for the
choir the most combative hymn in the song
book, Brightly Cleans our B,nner"
Having thus prepared his audience, Mr..
Brobst rolled up his sleeves little from
his cuffs and attacked the subject of the
discourse. His text was the sentence in
Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth:
$50 fight 1, not as one beating the arm"
"Tne gaze of this nation and foreign
countries" he said, sis now conferred on
two men. The telegraph is throbbing
with their movements. The daily press
g given up TO accounts of their condition.
The pictorial press is filled with cuts of
their every muscle. The world has fol-
lowed them south to New Orleans. Three
Governors have issued proclsmations to
prevent their meeting. Bat they will
meet, and they will meet tomorrow.
"Who ara these men? They are two
trained pu9ilists-two men of brawD. One
is John L. Sullivan, who has smassed q
fortune CT over 100000 through his Prov
ess in the prize ring. TIE other is Jake
Kilrain, who thinks he can knock the
Boston champion out.
''See them as they face each other foc
fight"
Mr.. Brobst squared himsslf behind the
pulpit He threw his tists before his breast
IN defensive, yet ready attitude. He
slugged from the shoulder, he spared, he
couutered, be even closed with the pulpit,
and could easily have thrown it over the
ropes-from the rostrum. People almost
rose in thsir seats in the intensity of their
interest.
A SIGN OF PROGRESS.
HAS the world advanced since the
days Of the Coliseum" asked Mr.. Brobst,
after a pause in which he rubbed himself
down with his handkerchief. HAS the
world advanced? See the money poured
out like water to witness this modern en-.
counter. 1t used to be poured out in
Rome in the same way. But Cesar then
poured it out. The nobility poured it out.
Maidens poured it out. But the President
of the United States is not on his way to
New Orleans. And the three Governors
who have issued their proclamstions will
not act rs referees No ladies will be pres
emit. In view of this difference in the
class of attendants then and now, say
the world has advanced.
look at the preparation these two men
have gone through" he said. "a short
time ago they were drinkers, sensual,
beastly. But for weeks and months they
have been temperste-they have denied
themselves. They have passed through
the severest training. Talk about taking
up your cross, Christmas You ought to
be ashamed of yourselves. Take lesson
in hurdship and denial from these pugil-
istsl Think how they have worked TO be
ready for fight which may last only a
half hour.
"Whst lesson this is to usl" went on
Mr. Brobst. "Afany of US are letting the
time for preparation slip by when We have
heavens battle to fight.
''See the force they exact in the ring"
said Mr., Byobst, ''the will power, the de-
termination. They hurl themselves against
each other. They struggle for hour after
hour, round after round, until one falls.
'They bend their every muscle and
every thought to the fight" continued
Mr.. BrObst. They are willing to kill
themselves to achieve victory. Take an
other lesson, Christians!
"Then look at their skill. They have
spent years learning the art of psrrying
and striking and graphing. Their train
ing mas aroused the faculties Of their brains
so that they are rational in their work.
They know what they are doing in the
thickest of the fray. Ministers hear it said
that if they want 20 preach good sermons
they should 90 into the pulpit aud leave it
to God to tell them what to say. But it
takes skill to preach a good sermon. Min
isters, take lesson from the prizs fighters!
CHRISTIANS, take another lesson
a LESSON FOR CHRISTIANS.
"Look, next, at the courage of these two
mer We hear of Sullivan's Boosting and
Kilrain's self-confidence. If we could &c.
near enough to them tonight, just On the
eve Of battle tomorrow morning, l expect
we could hear their hearts beat with anx-
iety. Reports get started that this one and
then that one is going to back down. You
hear il said that their trainers have TO spur
them up to make them come to the scratch.
Well, it takes courage to walk into prize
ring and stand up before human catspult,
and take the chance Of haviig your jaw
bone knocked out of recognition. But did
you ever hesr of prize fighters failing to
come TO time? These men will come to
time in the morning, just as the Brooklyn
champion few weeks ago showed up fresh
after losing one side of his face.
"The eyes of the world are on these
men," said Mr.. Brobst, land they will
face each other. Take another Lesson from
their courage, Christians!
Look at the toughness of these two
men. They are no delicate fellows. They
are not to be scared by firecracker. They
are not to be parslyzsd by scratch. They
stand up as that man in Brooklyn did and
take OK telling blows. What contempt
these men in their tOughness have foF SUI
feripg! Take another lesson. Christians!
We are called on to suffer. Learn how to
DO it from these pugilists!'
Mr.. Brobst made rush at the pulpit,
prappled with it in an eloquent peroratlon,
and pronounced the beuediction over an