Connecticut western news., 1893-11-02
THE TEST OF FITNESS.
AN ANTE-ELECTlON SERMON FROM
 THE BROOKLYN PASTOR.

Rev. Dr. Talmage Discusses Personal Char
 acter as Applied to Politics-Good Ad- ] vice For All Parties-A Timely Topic Treated.
 BROOKLYN, Oct. Discussing the approaching election, and using the text, Exodus xxx, IS, "And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightEings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the noun tain smoking" Rev. Dr. Talmage says:
 On the eve of elections in the co coun- ties of this state and in all the counties of most of the United States, while there are many hundreds of nominees to office, it is appropriate and important that l preach this before election sermon.
 My text informs you that the light nings and earthquakes united their forces to wreck mountain of Arabil Petraa in olden time, and travellers today find heaps of porphyry and greensboro rocks, powder against bowlder-the remains of the first law library, written not on parchment or papyrus, but on shattered slabs of granite The cornerstones of all morality, of all wise law, of all right eeus jurisprudence, of all good govern ment are the two tablets of stone on which were written the Ten Command ments.
 All Roman law, all French law, all English law, all American law that is worth anything, all common law, civil law, criminal law, martial law, law of nations were rocked in the cradle of the twentieth chapter of Exodus. And it would be well in these times of great political agitation if the newspapers would print the Decalogue some day in place of the able editorial. The fact is that some people suppose that the law has passed out of existence, and some are not aware of some of the passages of that law, and others say this or that is of the more importance, when no one has any right to make such an assertion. These laws are the pillars of society, and if you remove one pillar you damage the whole structure.
 have noticed that men are particu- larly vehement against sins to which they are not particularly tempted and find no especial wrath against sins in which they themselves indulge. They take out one gun from this battery of 10 guns, and load that, and unlimber that, and fire that. They say, ''This is an Armstrong gun, and this is Krupp gun, and this is Nordenfeldt five bar reled gun, and this is a Calling 10 bar reled gun, and this is a Martini 37 barreled gun" But have to tell them that they are all of the same caliber and that they shoot from eternity to eternity.
 Many questions are before the people in the coming elections all over this land, but shall try to show you that the most important thing to be settled about all these candidates is their per sonal, moral character. The Decalogue forbids idolatry, image making, profan- ity. maltreatment of parents, Sabbath dissertation, murder, theft, incontinence, lying and covetousness. That is the Dec be tried, and by the same Decalogue you and must try candidates for office.
 Of course we shall not find anything like perfection. If we do not vote until we find an immaculate nominee ,swe will never vote at all. We have So many faults of our own we ought not to be censorious or maledictory or hypercritic- al in regard to the faults of others. The Christly rule is as appropriate for No vember as any other month in the year, Judge not that ye be not judged, for with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again."
 AN UNPARTISAN VIEW.
 Most certainly are we not to take the statement of redhot partisanship as the real character of any man. From nearly all the great cities of this land receive daily or weekly newspapers, sent to me regularly and in compliment, so | see both sides-I see all sides-and it is most en- tertaining and my regular amusement to read the opposite statements. The one statement says the man is an angel, and the other says he is a devil, and split the difference, and I find him half way between.
 There never has been an honest or re- spectable man running for the United States presidency, or for judgeship, or for the mayoralty, or for the shrievalty since the foundation of the American government, if we may believe the old files of newspapers in the museums. What mercy it is that they were not all hung before they were inaugurated! If man believe one-half of what he sees in the newspapers in these times, his ca- reer will be very short outside of Bloom ingdale insane asylum.
 I was absent two or three years ago during one week of political canvass, and was dependent entirely upon what I read in regard to what had occurred in these cities, and read there was a procession in New York of 5000 patriots, and minute after I read in another sheet that there were 17,0O0, and then I read in regard to another procession that there were 10000, and then 1 read in an other paper that there were 60,000.
 A campaign orator in the Rink or the Academy of Music received very cold receptions very chilling reception said one statement. The other statement said the audience rose at him; so great was the enthusiasm that for a long while the orator could not be heard. and it was only after lifting his hand that the vo- ciferation began to subside! One state ment will twist an interview one way,
 
 terview another way. You must admit it is very difficult thing in times like these to get very accurate estimate of a mans character, and I charge you, as your religious teacher-I charge you to caution and to mercifulness and to prayer.
 warn you also against the mistake which many are making and always do make of applying a different standard of character for those in prominent po- sition from the standard they apply for ordinary persons. However much a man may have, or however high posi- tion he gets, he has no especial liberty given him in the interpretation of the Ten Commandments. A great sinner is no more to be excused than a small sin ner. Do not charge illustrious defection to eccentricity or chop off the Ten Com mandments to cnit especial cases. The right is everlastingly right, and the