Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-15
LESSONS OF TREES.
In His Regular Sabbath Discourse
Rev. DR.. Talmage Tells of the
MIGHTY CEDARS OF PALESTINE.
Impressions Received in q Journey Across
Mount Lebanon.
The STORY OF An AMERICAN JUDGE
ESPECIAL 1EJEeRAM TO TUE DISPATCH:

mage preached another sermon of his series
on Palestine and the adjoining countries.
After delivering it in the morning in the
Academy of Music in this city, he preached
it again in the evening In New York. Be-
lore commencing his sermon DR.. Talmage
stated that in spite OF ali the efforts that
were being put forth to hasten the compile
tiOn of his new Tabernacle, the work was
on so magnificent a scale and the necessity
for care in its construction so imperative
that judging by present indications ii would
not he ready for dedication before Easter.
DR. Talmage then announced as his text
Psalm 104: 16: 1.-The Cedars of Lebanon
which He hath planted"
IN cur journey we change stlrrup for wheel
1t is o'clock in the morning at Damascus,
Syria, and We arc among the lanterns of the
hoStClry waning Tor the stage TO start. A Mo-
hammedan in high life is putting his three
wives on board within an apartment by them
selves, and our party occupies the main apart
ment of ONE of the most uncomfortable veh-
cles IN which mortalS were ever jammed and
half straagulated. But we must not let the
discoIntoris anLul or iisparage the opportuni-
lies. We are rolling on ana OUT and up the
mountains of Lebanon. their forehead under 4
crown of show, which coronet the fingers OF
the hottest summec cannot cast down. We
are ascending heights around which is gar
landed much OF the finest poesy of The Script
uIes. and rising toward the mlghtlest DO
mIilon that botany ever recognized. reiCned
over by The most imperial Tree that ever swayed
4 leaGy SrerjCr-ths Lebanon cedar: a tree eu-
iug. .zets in INV text as having grown from 4 nut
mn INTO the ground nv God himself and no
human hand had anything to do with its plant
lng: The trees of Lebanon which lie hath
planted"
4 PLEA FOR THE TREES.
earth. To stop the slaughter God opened the
coal mines of England, and Scotland, and
America. and the world, practically saying by
;aaI: Here is fuel; as far as possible let my
trees alone And by opening for The human
Iaoe iha great Quarres of granite, and show
in, the human family how to make brick. God
j. practically saying: Here is building
material; let my trees alone" We had better
Sop the AK among the AulrondackS. We had
hetrer stop the axes in all our forests. as it
would have been better for Syria if the axes
I'D long ago been stopped among the mount
aims of Lebanon. To punish us for our reck
less assault on the forests, we have The dis
ordered seasons; now the droughts because the
uplIfted arms of the trees do not pray for rain,
heir presence according to all scientists dis
posing the descent OF the showers; and then we
have the cyclones and the hurricanes multi
piled in number and yelOcIty because there is
notbI7gto prevent their awful sweep.
Plant The trees in your parks that the weary
may rest under them. Plant them along your
streets that up though the branches passers-by
may see the God who first made the trees and
then made man to look at them. Plant them
along the brooks, thai under them children may
play. Plant them i'll Your gardens. that in
Eden the Lord may walk there in the cool of
The day. Plant them in cemeteries, their shade
Ike a mourners veil, and their leaves sounding
Ike tie rustic of the wings of the departed
Let Arbor Day or the day of the plantin. of
trees, es,recognlZed by the Legislatures of many of
The States, be observed by all our people, and
the next lO0 years d. as much in nlanting
these leafy glories OF God, as the last 100 years
have accomplished IN their destruction.
Nct loUg before his death. / saw on the banks of
The Audscn in his glazed cap. riding on horse
back, George 2. Morris, the great song writer
OF Ameuca. found him grandly emotional,
and could understand how he wrote: Wood
man. Spare That Tree!' the verse of which
many of us have felt like quoting in belligerent
spI.iC when under the stroke of some onewilh-
nut sense or reason a beautiful tree
pTosfr2t ID.
LIKE CHRISTIAN CHARACTER.
One of the Lebanon cedars was examined by
a scientist, and from its concentric circles 1t
was found to $500 years old and still standing
and there is such thing as everlasting
strength, ard such a stauchness of Christian
character that ali time and all eternity instead
of being its demolition shall be its opportunity.
Not such are those vacillatiuG Christians who
are SO pious Sunday that they have no re-
ligion left for the week day. As the anaconda
CorCes itself with food and ther seems for a
long while to lie thoroughly insensible. so there
are men who VIII on Sunday get such religious
sUrfeit that the rest of the week they seem
thoroughly dead to all religious emotion. They
weep in church under a charity sermon, but if
on Monday subject of want presents itself at
the door The beSgar's safety will depend en-.
trely on quick limbs and an unobstructed
stairway.
1t takes all the grace they can get to keep
them iIom committing assault and battery on
those intrudPrS, who come with pale faces and
stories Of distress and subscription papers.
The reason that God planted these cedars in
the Bible was 10 Suggest TO us that we ought
III our religious character, to be deep like the
cedar high like the cedar, broad branched as
the cedar. = tTayele: measured the spread of
the bOughs of one of these trees and found IL
Ill feet from branch tip to branch tip and l
have seen ceGars of Christian character that
through their prayers and charities put out one
branch to the uttermOst parts OF America, and
another branch to the uttermost parts of Asia
and these wlde-braEched Christians will keep
on multiplying until all the earth is over
sbFdowed with mercy.
But mark YOU these cedars of Lebanon could
not grow if planted in mild climates and in soft
air, and in carefully watered gardens They
must have the gymnasium of the midnight hur-
Ticane to develop theic arms. They must play
the Athlete with thousand winters before
their feet rightly plante J. and their fore
heads rightly lifted, and their arms rightly
muscieG. And if there be any other way for
developing strong Christian character except
by storms of trouble neve. heard of l.. Call
the roll of marty call the roii of the prophets,
Them had easy time of it. Which of these
cedarS grew liz the warm valley? Not one ot
them. HoneysUcke thrive best on the south
side Of the house, but cedars In Syrian whirl-
wind.
A GOOD SCHOOL FOR HEROES.
Men and women who hear this or read this.
instead of your grumbling because you have it
hard, thank God that you are in Just the best
school for making heroes and heroines 1t is
true both for this world and the next Rock
that taby IL cradle cushioned and canopied;
graduate him from that into a costly high chair
ana give MIN gold spoon; send him 10 school
wrapped in furs enough for an Arctic explorer:
send him through college where he will NOT
have 10 study in order to get diploma be-
cause his father is rich; start him in a pro-
iesslCn where he begins with an Office the Oor
covered with Administer and alibrary of books
IN Russian morocco, and an armchair up-
hOlstered like throne, and an embroidered
ottoman upon which to put his So CATERS. and
lhen lay upon his table the best ivory cigar
holder you can import from Brussels, and have
standing outside his door q prancinc span that
wuu the prize at The horse fair. and leave him
estate enough to make him independent of all
struggle, and what Will become of himf If he
does not die early of inaniTion or dissipation he
will live a useless life, and die unlamented
death and go into fools eternity
But what has been the history of most of the |
great ceGars in merchandise. in art in law, in |
medicine, in craftsmanship in Christian use
1ulnesS? John, get up and milk the cows: it's |
late; its halt-past five in the morning Split |
an armful OF wood on your way out, so that we |
can build the fires for breakfast Put Your bare |
feet on the cold oilcfoth. and break theice in
your pitcher before you can wash. Yes; it has |
been showing and drifting again last night, and |
we Will have to break the roads, The BOYS |
educational advantages, long oak plank with |
out any back to il. in country schoolhouse and
stove throwing out more smoke than heat
Pressing on from one hardship to another
A Fr.ar n a ms cal