Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-09-25
A COLOSSAL SCHEME.
Or. TALMAeE PROPOSES AN INTER-
NATIONAL CHRISTIAN JUBILEE.

teen Hundredth Anniversary Of christ's
Birth Suggested In DR.. Taimago'ssunday
sermon at the brooklyn Tabernacle.
BROOKLYN, Sept 24.-At the Brooklyn
Tabernacle this forenoon Rev. DR.. Talmage
preached u sermon Of unusual interest to
vast audience, the subject being 1.-The Nine
teen Hundredth Anniversary-A PROPOSE
ton Concerning It." The text was taken
from Isaiah *, 6, ITO us a child is born"
That is a tremendous hour in the history
OF any family when an immortal spirit is In
carnated. Out OF a very dark cloud there
descends a very bright morning One life
spared and another given All the bells Of
gladness ring over the cradle. ] know not
why any one should doubt that Of old astar
| pointed down 10 the Saviour's birthplace,
for "A star Of Joy points down to every hon
orable nativity.
now eternity drfes from that hour,
that minute. Beautiful and appropriate IL
the custom OF celebrating the anniversary
Of such an event, and clear on into the
eighties and nineties the recurrence of that
day Of the year In an old mans life causes
recognition and more or less congratula-
ton. so, also, nations are accustomed TO
celebrate the anniversary Of their birth
and the anniversary Of the birth OF their
great heroes or delivercrs or benefactors.
The ed Of February and the 4th Of July
are never allowed 10 pass In our land with
ont banquet and Grafton and bell ringing
and cannonade. But all other birthday an
niyeparies are tame compared with the
Christmas festivity, which celebrates the
birthday described IN my text.
A CONTINENTAL CHORUS.
Protestant aud Catholic and Greek
churches, with all the power Of music and
garland and procession and doxology, put
the words of my text into national and
continental and hemisphere chorus, ITO
us a child is born" On the 25th OF Decem.
Der each year that Is thotheme in st. Pauls
and st. PETERS and 81. Marks and St.
IElacs and all the dedicated cathedrals,
chhpels, meeting houses and churches clear
round the world. We shall soon reach the
nineteen hundredth anniversary Of that
hAppicst event OF all time, This century is
dying. Only seven more pulsations and
its heart will cease to best. The fingers Of
many Of you will write at the head Of YOU
letters and the foot Of your important
documents. "lpOO"
II will be physical and moral sensation
unlike anything else you have before ex-
perienced. Not one hand that wrote ''lSOlp
at tho induction OF this century will have
cunning left to write 1901" at the Undue
ton OF another The death OF one century
aud the birth Of another century will be
sublime and suggestive aud stupendous be.
yond all estimate To stand by the grave
Of one century and by tho cradle OF another
will be an opportunity such Us whole gen-
eTations OF the worlds inhabitants never
experienced.
pray God that there may be no sickness
or casualty 70 hinder your arrival at that
goal, or to hinder your taking part in the
valedictory Of the departing century and
the salutation OF the new. But as that sea-
son will be the nineteenth hundredth an
niversary Of Saviour's birth Inow nomi.
nate that a great international jubilee or
exposition be opened in this cluster Of cities
by the seacoast on Christmas day, the 25th
| OF December, 1900, to be continued for at
least one month into the year 1901.
This century, closing Dec. 81, 1900, and
the new century beginning Jan. l., 1901,
will 1t not be time for all nations to turn
aside for q fow weeks or months from
everything else and emphasize tho birth Of
the greatest being who ever touched our
| planet, and could there DO more appro-
| pirate time for such commemoration than
this elimination Of the centuries which are
dated from his nativity You know that
all history dates either from before Christ
or after Christ, from Il. c. or A. d. 1t will
DO the year OF our Lord 1900 passing into
the year 1901. We have had the Centen-
NAL NJ Philadelphia, celobratiye Of the one
hundredth anniversary OF our nations
birth. We have had the magnificent expo.
sitions at New Orleans and Atlanta and
Augusta and st. Louis.
We have the present Worlds exposition
at Chicago, celebrative OF the four hun
drcdth anniversary OF this continents emer.
gence and therc are at least two other great
celebrations promised for this country, and
other countries will have their historic
events TO commemorate, but the one event
that has most to do with the welfare OF all
nations is the arrival of Jesus Christ on
this plnnet, md all the enthusiasm ever
witnessed at London or Vienna or Paris or
any Of our American cities would be eelipsed
by the enthusiasm that would celebrate the
ransom OF all nations, the lirst step toward
the accomplishing OF II being taken by an
infantile foot one winters night about five
miles from Jerusalem when the clouds
dropped the angelic cantata, GLORY 20 God
In the highest, and on earth peace, good will
TO men"
ITS PRACTICAL ASPECTS.
The three or four questions that would be
asked mo concerning this nomination OF
time and place proceed to answer. What
practical use would come OF such interna.
tional celebratloni Answer-The biggest
stride the world ever took toward the evan
gelizetion OF all nations That is a grand
and wonderful convoostion, the RELIGIOUS
congress at Chicago. 1t will put intelli
gently before the world the nature OF false
religions which have been brutalizing tho
nations, trampliug womanhood into the
dust, 'enaoting the horrors Of infantieIde.
kindling funeral pyres for shrielsiug vic
Tins and rolling tuggemauts across the
mnnglcd bodies OF their worshipeiS.
But no one supposes that any one will be
converted 70 Christ by hearing Confocian,
ism or Buddhism or any form OF hcathen-
ism culogiEed. That ia TO he done after
ward. And how can IL so well be done as
by celebration OF many weeks of the birth
and character and achievements Of tho
wondrous and unprecedented CHRISTI 10
such an exposition the kings and queens of
the earth would not send their representa-.
tives-they would come themselves. Tie
story OF Saviour's advent could not be
told without telling the story OF his mis-.