Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-08-11

ton, the crash Of whose fall shock the
continent But why should goto tLese
famous defaultings to show what men
will do III order to keep up great homo
style and expensive wardrobe when you
and know scores of men who are Pit
to their wits end and are lashed from
January to December in the attempt?
Our politicians may theorize until the
expiration of their terms of Office as to
the best way of improving our monetary
condition III this country. 1t will be of
no use, and things win be no better I'M
til We can learn to put on our heads
and backs and feet and hands no more
than we can pay for.
There are clerks IN stores and banks
On limited salaries who, in the vain
attempt to keep the wardrobe of their
family as Snowy as other folks ward
robes, are dying of muffs and diamonds
and shawls and high hats, and they
have nothing left except what they give
to cigars and wine snppers, and they
die before their time, and they will ex-
pect us ministers to preach about them
as though they were the victims Of car
ly piety, and after a high class funeral,
with silver handles at the side of the
coffin of extraordinary brightness, it
will be found out that the undertaken
is cheated out of his legitimate expenses
Do not send to me to preach the funeral
sermon of q man who dies like that |
win blurt out the whole truth and tell
that he was stranglcd to death by his
wife's ribbons. Our countries are dress
ed to death. You arc not surprised to
find that the putting up of one public
building III New York cost millions of
dollars more than it ought to haze cost
when You find that the man who gave
out the contracts paid more than 49,
600 for his daughters wedding dress.
Cashmeres of thousand dollars each
are not rare on Broadway 1t is cstimat-
cd that there are 10, 600 women in these
two cities who have expended on their
personal array 81, 900 year
What are men to do in order 70 keep
up such homo wardrobes? Steal? That
is the only respectable thing they can
dol During the last 10 years there have
been innumerablc fine businesses ship
wrecked on tho wardrobe. The tenlpta-
tion comes in this way: A man thinks
more of his family than of all the world
outside, and if they spend the evening
in describing to him tho superior ward
robe Of the family across the street that
they cannot bear the sight of the man
is thrown on his gallantry and on his
pride of family and without translat-
ing his feelings into plain language he
gees into extortion and issuing false
stock and skillful pcnmanship III writ
ing somebody else's namo at the foot Of
promissory note, and they all go down
together--the husband to the prison,
the vito to the sewing machine, the
children to be taken care of by these
who were called poor relations. Oh,
for some new Shakespeare to arise and
write the tragedy of human clothesl
Win you forgive me ii say ia ters-
est shape possible that some Of the men
have TO forge and to porjure and to
swindle TO pay for their wives dresses?
will say it whether you forgive me
or notl
Again, inordinate fashion is the foe
Of all Christian allnsgiying Men and
women put SO much in personal display
that they often have nothing for God
and the cause of suffering humanity. A
Christian man cracking his Palais Roy
al glove across the back by shutting up
his hand to hide the cent lie puts into
the poorbox A Christian woman, at
+hn sta,.1- ~ tha IIoataptots. ,,..,-;,,,. 90
pious tears into $25 handkerchief and
then giving 2 cent piece to the collec-
ton, thrusting it under the bills SO peo-
pie will not lznow but it was $40 gold
piece. One hundred dollars for incense
to fashion; 2 cents for God. God gives
us 80 cents out of every dollar. The
other 10 cents by command Of his Bible
belong to him. Is not Cod liberal ac-
cording to his tithing system laid down
in the Old Testament? Is not God lib
oral i'll giving US 90 cents out of dollar
when he takes but 10? We do not like
chat. We want to have 90 cents for our
selves and for God.
Now, Iwould a great deal rather steal
10 cents from you than from God.
pie do not get along in worldly accumu-
lation faster is because they do not OBJ
serve this divine rule. God says, "Well, |
if that man is not satisfied with 80 cents
of dollar, then | will take the whole
dollar, and | will give it to the man CT
woman who is honest with me. :" The
greatest obstacle to charity in the Chris
ION. oh, ie-+ ka
expend so much money on their table,
and women SO much on their dress, they
have got nothing left for the work of |
God and the wcrld's bettcrment. In my
first settlement at Belleville, N. j., the |
cause of missions was being presented |
enc Sabbath, and q plea for the charity
Of the people was being made, when an
old Christian man i'll the audience lost
his balance and said right out in the |
midst of the sermon, MIR. Talmage,
how are we to give literally to these
grand and glorious causes when our
families dress as they dor" | did not
answer that question. 1t was the only |
time i'll my life when had nothing to
say.
again, lHDfsIldtS ldSnlDu Is ulStrac- |
ton to public worship. You know very
well there are a good many people who
como to church just as they go to the
races-to see who will come out first. /
What fiutter it makes in church when
some woman with extraordinary display |
Of fashion comes I'M What a love of
bonnetr' says some one "What
perfect frightp say 500 For the most
meroiless critics III the world are fash
ion critics Men and women with souls !
to be saved passing the hour in wonder
ing where that man got his cravat or
what store that woman patronizes.
In many of our churches the prelim-
mary exercises are taken up with the
discussion of wardrobes 1t is pitiable. |
Is it not wonderful that the Lord does
not strike the meeting houses with /
lightning? What distraction Of public
worship Dying men and women, whose |
bodies are soon to be turned into dust, /
yet before three worlds strutting like |