Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-11-14
THE RAGE FOR GOLD
DR.. TALMAGE FINDS MANY LESSONS
IN APRONS GOLDEN CALF.

IN AARONS GOLDEN CALF.
The Israeiites Suffered but for Short
Time, hut Millions Have Suffered Since
and Millions Are Suffering Now by
Their Mad Worship Of Gold.
BROOKLYN, Nov 13.-The subject of dis
course chosen by Rev. DIR. Walmage for his
first sermon after the national election was
one peculiarly appropriate to the money
making spirit Of the times 1t was "1'he
Golden Calf" the text selected being Exc
dus xxi, 80, "And he took the calf which
they had made and burnt it in the fire, and
ground 1t to powder and strewed it upon
the water and made the children of Israel
drink of it,"
People will have a god of some kind, and
they prefer one Of their own making. Here
come the Israelites, breaking Off their
golden earrings, the men as well as the wo-
men, for in those times there were mascu-
line "a well as feminine decorations. Where
did they get these beautiful gold earrings
coming up MS they did from the desert'
Oh, they borrowed" them from the Egyp-
tians when they left Egypt. These ear
rings are piled up into pyramid Of gilt
tering beauty. "Any more earrings to
bring" says Aaron. None. Fire is kin
died, the earrings are melted and poured
into a mold, not OF an eagle or a war
charger, but of II calf: the gold cools off,
the mold is taken away, and the idol is set
upon its four legs
An altar is built In front Of the shining
calf Then the people throw up their arms
and gyrate and shrek and dance nightly
In hau ct al
on Mount Sinai, and he comes back and
hears the bowling and secs the dancing Of
these golden calf fanatics and he loses his
patience, and he takes the two plates of
stone on which were written the Ten Com
mandments and filings them so hard against
rock that they split all to pieces. When
man gets mad he IL very apt to break all
the Ten Commandments.
Moses rushcs in, and he takes this calf
god and throws it into hot fire until it is
melted all out of shape, and then pulverizes
it-not by the modern appliance of nitro
muriatic acid, but by the ancient appliance
of inter, or by the Old fashioned file He
makes for the people most nauseating
draft. He takes this pulverized golden
calf and throws it in the only brook which
is accessible, and the people are compelled
to drink " that brook ar not drink at all
But they did not drink AL the Elittering
stuff thrown on the surface Some of it
flows on down the surface of the brook
to the river, and thea COWS on down the
river to the sea, and the sea takes it
up and bears il to the mouth of all
the rivers, and when the tides set back
the remains Of this golden calf are Cur
ried up into the Hudson, and the East
river, and the Thames, and the Clyde, and
the Tiber, and men go out and they skim
the glittering surface, and they bring it
ashore, and they make another golden calf,
and California and Australia break off
their golden earrings to augment the pile,
and In the fires of financial excitement and
struggle all these things are melted to-
gether and while we stand look ing and
wondering what will come of it, lol we
find that the golden calf Of Israelitsh wor-
ship has become the golden calf of Eu-
ropean and American worship.
THE MODERN IDoLATRY.
shall describe to you the god spoken Of
in the text, his temple, his altar of sacri-
fee, the mUsic that is made in his temple.
and then the final breaking up of the
whole congregation Of ilolaters,
Put aside this curtain, and YOU see the
golden calf of modern idolatry, 1t is not
like other idols, made out OF stocks or
stones, but it has an ear SO sensitive that
il can hear the whispers on Wall street
and Third street and State street, and
the footballs In the bank cf England, and
the fluttcr Of FgcnehmHu's heart on
the Bourse II has IN eye 50 ,ceu that it
can see the rust ON tho farm Of Michg gan
wheat, and the insect in the Maryland
peach orchard, and the trampled grain
al, p l
charger.
1t is so mighty that it swings any way it
will the worlds shipping IL has It's foot
on all the mercdantmcn and the steamers
II started the American civil war, and un-
der God stopped il, and it decided the
Turko- Russian contest One broker in
September, 1861, in New York, shouted,
Zone hundred and sixty for a uil!iouA'
and the whole continent shivered. This
golden calf of the text has its right front
foot In New York, its left front foot in Chi
cago, it's night Lack foot in Charleston, its
left back foot IN New Orleans, ana when
IL shakes itself it shakes the world. Oh,
this is mighty god-thc golden calf of the
worlds worship
But every god must have its temple,
and this golden calf Of the text is no OK
ception Its temple is vastcr than St
Paul's of the Ingli~h, and 81 Peters Of
the Italians, and tho Ajhambra Of the
Spaniards. and the Parthcnou Of the
Greeks, and tie TAI Maha of the Hin
docs, aud all the other cathcdrals put to
gether. It's pillars are grooved and tluted
with gold, aud its ribbed arches are hover
ing gold, and It's chandeliers are descend
ing gold, and iis floors are tessellatcd gold,
and its vaults are crowded heaps Of gold,
and its spires and domes are soaring gold,
and its organ pipes are resouudlng gold,
and its pedals are tramplng gold, and It's
stops pulled ont are flashing gold, while
standing at the head of the'temple, as the
presiding deity, are the hools and shout
ders and eyes aud ears and nostrils of the
calf Of gold.