Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1894-01-24
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "The Bread Question"

TEXT: aye haze the poor al,eays Nth
you. MATTHEW xvi, II.
Who said that? The Christ who nevei
owned anything during His earthly stay. His
cradle and His grave were borrowed. Every
fig He ate was from some one else's tree.
Every drop of water He drank was from
some one else's well. To pay His personal
tax. which was very small, only 31E cents.
He had to perform a miracle and make a
fish pay if. All the heights and depths and
lengths aS1 breadths of poverty Christ meas
ured in His earthly experience, and when
He comes to speak Of destitution He always
speaks sympatheticaly, and what He said
then is as true now-'Ye have the poor al
ways with You"
For 6000 years the bread question has been
the active and absorbing question. Witness
the people crowdiny up to Joseph's store
house in L :ypt. Witness the famine In Sa-
maria and Jerusalem. Witness the 1000 hun
cry people for whom Christ multiplied the
loaves. Witness the uncounted millions OF
people now living, who, / believe, have
never yet had one full meal OF healthful and
nutritious food in all their lives. Think OF
the 354 great famnes in England. Think OF
the 25,0O0 600 people under the hoof OF
hunger year before last in Russia. The fall
ure OF the Nile to overflow for seven years
in tho eleventh century left those regions
depopulated. Plague of insests in England.
Plague OF rats in Madras Presidency. Plague
Plague of grasshoppers in America. Devas-
tation wrought by drought, by deluge, by
frost, by war. by hurricane, by earthquake,
by comets flying too near ths earth by change
in the management OF National finances,
by baleful causes innumerable. l pro-
ceed to give you three or four reasons why
my text is markedly and graphically true in
ths year 1894.
The first reason We have always the poor
with US is because OF the perpetual overhaul
-. ~ ,I,lI all
it. the taritfic controversy. There Is need
for such a word, and so / take the response
bility OF manufacturing II. There are millions
of people who are expecting that the present
Congress Of the United States will do some
thing one way or the other to end this dis
cussiOn, but it will never end. When
/ was five years of age, L remem-
ber hearing my father and his neigh
bors in vehement discussion of this very
question. 1t was high tariff or low tariff or
no tariff at all. When your great -grandchild
dies at ninety years Of age, it will probably
be from over-exertion in discussing the
tariff On the day the world is destroyed,
there will be three men standing on the post
ofice stepS-One high tariff man,
another low tariff man, and the other
free trade man-each ons red In the face
from excited argument on this sub
ject. Other questions may get quieted. the
Mormon question, the silver question, the
pension question, the civil service question.
All questions of annexation may come to
peaceful settlement by the annexation OF ISL
ands two weeks voyage away and the heat
OF their volcanoes conveyed through pip1s
under the sea made useful in warming our
continent, or annexation of the moon, de-
thrOnIng the queen of night, who is said to
be dissOlute, and bringing the lunar popula-
uOns under the influence Of our free institu-
tiOns yea, all other questions, National and
international, may be settled, but this traffic
question never. 1t will not only never he
settled, but il can never be moderately quiet
for more than three years at a time, each
party getting into power taking one of the
iOur years to fix 1t up, and then the next
party will fix il down, Our finances cannot
get well because OF too many doctors. 1t is
with sick Nations as with sick individuals.
Here is a man terribly disOrdered as to his
body. A doctor is called in, ami he admin
isters febrifuge. spoonful every hour
But recovery is postponed, and the anxious
friends call in another doctor, and he says
What this patient needs is blood letting
now roll up your sleevew and the Ian ,et
flashes. But still recovery is postponed, and
a homeopathic doctor is called in, and he
administers some small pellets and says
"All the patient wants is rest"
Recovery still postponed, the family say
that such small pellets cannot amount to
much anyhow, and an allopathic doctor is
called in, and he says, what this patient
wants is calomel and jalap." Recovery still
postponed. nylrOpitnle doctor Is called In,
and he says: ''Nnat this patient wants is
hot and cold baths, and he must have them
right away. Turn on the faucet and get
ready tor the shower baths Recovery is
still postponed, an electric doctor is called
in, and he brings all the schools to bear
upon the poor sufferer, and the patient, after
a brave struggle for life, expires. What
killed him? Too many doctors. And that
is what is killing our National finances My
personal friends. Cleveland and Harrison
and Carlisle and Mckinley and Sherman. a.
talented and lovely and splendid men az
walk the earth. all good doctors, but their
treatment Of our lnnCuishing finances is 50
different that neither treatment has full op-
pOrtunity. and under the constant changes it
is simply wonderful that the Nation still
lives. The tariff question will never be set
tied because Of the fact which have never
heard any one recognize, but nevertheless
the fact-that high tariff is best for some
people and free trade is best for others. This
tariffic controversy keeps business struck
through with uncertainty, and that uncer-
tainty results in poverty and wretchedness
for vast multitude OF people. Ifthe eternal
gab on this question could have been fash
ionet into Ioives of bread, there would not
be a hungry man or woman or CHILD on all
the planet. To the end of time, the words
OF the text viii be kept true by the tariffic
contrOyersy-'Ye have the poor always with
you"
Another cause OF perpetual poverty Il the
cause alcoholic. The victim does not las.
long. He soon rrOu:hes into the drunk IL
grave But what about his wife and chi
dreul She takes in washing, when she can
get If. or goes oIt working on small wages.
because sorrow and privatiOn have left her
inCaDI 'itatad to 90 a strong wOman's wOr6.
The children are thin bloodei and gauni
and pale and weak, standing around in cold
rooms, or pitching pennies on the street cor
ner and munchiug slice of unbu;tered
yEh hay car IN al bJ-r
ersby because they do not get out of the
way, kicked onward toward manhood or
wonaniOOi, for which they have no prep
nratiOn, except a deprayed appetite and
frail constitution, candidates for aim
house and penttentiary. Whatever
other cause OF poverty may fail, the saloon
MAJ be depended on to furnish an ever In
creosing thrOng OF paupers. Oh, ye grog-
shops of Brooklyn and New York and OF all
the cities ye mouths OF hell, when will ys
cease to craunch and devour2 There is no
danger Of the liquor business failing. All
other styles of business at times fail. Dry
goods stores 20 under. Hardware stores go
under. Grocery stores go under. Harness
makers fail, druggists fail, bankers fail
butchers fail. bakers fail, coniectioners iail
but the liquor dealers n yer. 1t is tho only
secure business 1 know Of. Why the per
manence Of tine alcoholic trader Because,
In the first place, the men in that business,
IL tight up for money, only have TO put
into large quantities OF water more strych-
nine and logwOod and nux vomica and Wit
riOl and other congenial concomitants for
adulteration. One quart OF the real g-nuine
plndemOniac elixir wiz do to mix up with
several gallons of milder Gamnation. Il sides
rhat, these dealers can depend on an increase
OF demand on the part of their customers.
The more Of that stun they drink, the thirst
ier they arc. Hard times, which stop other
business, only increase that business. for men
go there to drown their troubles. They take
the spirits down to keep their spirits up.
There is an inclined plane down which aica
.oItsrn ~'I.lcS its v'ctims-eiarst, champagne
u1-f. co mae, WHISKY. tom and i>rry. sour
mash, or AMI down until it il g 1T OF mix
tUra Of kerosene oil, turpentine, toadstools,
swill, essence of the horse blankets and gem
"r-il n"stiHess. With its red sword OF fame
that liquor power marshals its process
sion. and they move on in ranks long
enough to Girde the earth, and the pro-
c"ssiOn is headed by the nose blotched
nerve shattered, rheun eyed, lip bloated,
soul s"Orrhei inehriates, followed by the
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