Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1894-08-10
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE's sun
DAY SERMON.
Subject: 'sThs Tragedy Of Dress"


heart II Peter iii.. 8, 4.
That we should all be clad is proved by
the opening Of the first wardrobe In paradise,
with its apparel OF dark green. That We
should ALL as far as our means allow US, be
beautifully and gracefully appsreled is
proved hy the fact that Col never made a
wave but He Videdit with golden sunbeams,
or tree but He garlanded II with blossoms,
or a sky hut He studded IL with stars. or al
Lowell even the smoke Of a furnace to ascend
hut He cOumned ami turreted and domed
and scrolled il into outlines OF indescrtoable
gracefulness When | see the apple or
chards 81 the spring and the pageantry OF
the autumnal forests | come TO the concur
sion that, /. nature does "vr- JON IVA churcn.
while she may be n Quaker In the snence OF
her worship. she never will be Quaker IN
the style OF her dress Why the notches o.
"A fern leaf or the stamen OF water NY
Why. when the day departs. does II lei 'he
folding doors OF heaven stay open so Iohk
when 1t might 20 in so quickly?
one summer morning | saw AN army OF a
million spears, each one adorned win
diamond of the first water-I mean the
vras-. with the dew Oh II. Nheh Tue
prodigal came home. his father NOT only
nut a cont on his back. but leWeIry on MS
hanI. Christ wore "A beard. Paul, the
bachelor apostle, not affiictet with any
sentimontalitv, admired the arrangement OF
a vomans hair when he said In his epistle,
"It woman have long hair, It Is glory
unto her.
There will be a fashion in heaven as on
earth but /. will bs different kind OF
fashion 1t will decide the color ofthe dress.
and the population OF that country, by
beautiful law. will wear white. say these
things rs background TO nv sermon TO
show you that | have no prim, precise,
prudish or cast iron theories on the subject
OF human apparel. But the goddess OF
fashion has set up her throne in this world,
and at the sound Of the timbrels we are all
expected to fall down and worship. The
Old and New Testament of her Bible are
the fashion plates. Her affairs smoke with
the sacrifice Of the bodies, minds and souls
of 200 victims. In her temple four
people stand in the organ loft. and from
them there comes down cold drizzle OF
muse. freezing on the ears OF her worsnipers.
This goddess of fashion has become rival
OF the Lord OF heaven and earth, and it is
nigh time that we unlimbered our batteries
against this idolatry. When | come TO
count the victims OF fashion. | find as many
masculine rs feminine. Men make an easy
TRADE against woman. as though she were
the chief worshiper at this idolatrous
conspicuous part OF the pew have already
cast glances at the more retired part OF the
pew, their look q prophecy OF generous dis
tribution. My sermon shall be Inappropriate
Tor one end Of the pew as forthe other
Men are as much the idolutors OF fashion
as women, but they sacrifice on different
part OF the altar. With men the fashion
goes to cigars and clubrooms and Yachting
parties and wine suppers. In the United
States the men chew up and smoke 500, =
600, 900 worth OF tobacco every year That
is their fashion. In London not long ago q
man died who started in life with t750. 0OO.
but he ate it all up in Gluttonies. sending his
agents TO all parts OF the earth for some rare
delicacy for the palate. sometimes one plate
OF food costing him $500 or s400. H, ate
up his whole fortune and had only a guinea
left. With that he bought a woodcock and
had II dressed in the very best style. ate it
gave two hours for digestion, then walked
out on Westminster bridge and threw himself
into the Thames and died. doing on a large
scale what You and have often seen done
on small scale. But men do not abstain
from millinery and elaboration OF skin
through any superiority OF humility. 1t ia
only because such appendages would be a
blockade to business. What would sashes
and trains three and half yards long do in
a stock market? And yet men are the dis
ciples OF fashion just as much as women.
Some ofthem wear boots so tight they can
hardly walk In the paths OF righteousness.
And there are men who buy expensive suits
of clothes and never pay Tor them and who
go through the streets in great stripes OF
color like animated checkerboards. say
these things because l want to show you that
l am impartial in my discourse, and that
both sexes, in the language OF the surro-
gates Office, shall "share and share alike. "
AS God may help me, shall show you what
are the destroying and beautiful influences
OF inordinate fashion.
The first baneful influence | notice is in
fraud, illimltable and CHASTITY. Do you know
that Arnold OF the revolution proposed to
sell his country in order to get money to
support his wife's WARDROBE declare here
before God and this people that the effort TO
keep up expensive establishments in this
country Is sending moro business men to
temporal perdition than all other causes
combined. What was 1t that sent Gilman 10
the penitentiary and Philadelphia Morton to
the watering OF stock, and the life insurance
presidents 10 perjured statements about
their assets, and has completely upset our
American tlnancesH What was II that over.
threw the United States secretary ut Wash
ington, the crash Of whose fall shook the
continent? But why should go to these ia
nous defaultings to show what men will dc
in order to keep up great home style and ex
pensive wardrobe when you and | know
scores OF men who are put to their wits end
and are dashed from January to December
In the attempt? Our politicians may theor-
lie until the expiration OF their terms Of Of
flee as to the best way OF improving oui
monetary condition In this country. 1t viii
be OF no use and things will be no BETTE
until we can learn to put on our heads anC
backs and feet and hands no more than W,
can pay for
There are clerks In stores and banks on
limited salaries who, In the vain attempt 10
keep the wardrobe OF their family as SNOWY
as other folks wardrobes, are dying OF muffs
and diamonds and shawls and high hats. and
they have nothing left except what they give
to cigars and wine suppers, and they die be-
fore their time, and they will expect us min.
listers to preach about them as though they
were the victims OF early piety, and after a
high class funeral, with silver handles ut the
side OF the ,coffin OF extraordinary bright
ness, II will be found out that the under.
taker is cheated out OF his legitimate ex.
penses. Do not send to me to preach the
funeral sermon OF a man who dies like that
will blurt out the whole truth and tell tina,
he was strangled to death by his wife's rib
bons. Our countries are dressed TO death
You are not surprised to find that the put
ting up one public building In New Yorl
cost millions OF dollars more than 1t ough
to have cost when you find that the mar
who gave out the contracts paid more thar
10000 for his daughters wedding dress
Cashmeres OF thousand dollars each are
not rare on Broadway. It Is estimated that
there are 10, 900 women In these two cities
who have expended on their personal array
$4,000 year
what are men to do In order 10 keep NJ
such home wardrobes2 Steal2 That Is the
only respectable thing they can do! During
the last fifteen years there have been in.
Vulnerable fine businesses shipwrecked on
the wardrobe. The temptation comes IN
this way: A man thinks more OF his famil,
than OF oil the world outside, and If the,
spend the evening In describing to him tn,
superior wardrobe OF the family across tn,
street that they cannot bear the sight OF tn,
man Is thrown on his gallantry and on nj,
pride OF family, and without translating hi,