Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1894-05-18
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
Thu Eminent Brooklyn Divine'S Sun
day Sermon.
Subject: "The Gener ations."

~.
According to the longevity OF people IN
their particular century has generation been
called 100 years, or fifty years, or thirty
years. By common consent in our nineteenth I,
century generation Is fixed at twenty-five
years.
The largest procession that ever moved IS
tho procession Of years. and the greatest
army that ever marched Is the army oil gene
rations. In each generation there are about
nine full regiments of days. These 9l25 days
in each generation march with wonderful
precision. They never break ranks. They
never ground arms. They never pltcn tents.
They never halt. They are never off on fur
lougb. They came out OF the eternity past,
and they move on towardthe eternity future.
They cross rivers without any bridge or Ooats'
The 600 immortals Of the Crimea dashing into
them cause no confusion. They move as
rapidly at midnight as at midnoon. Thelr
| haversacks are full of good bread and bitter
aloes. clusters OF richest vintage and bottles
| of agonzing tears With a regular tread
| that no order OF "double qulck" can hasten or
obstacle can slacken. their tramp is on anu
| on and on and on while mountains crumDle
| AMI pyramids die. lone generation passetn
and another generation cometh.
This is nv twenty-nfth anniversary SER
| mon-1S69 and 1894. 1t is twenty-five years
since assumed the Brooklyn pastorate.
whole generation has passed. Three genera
tions we have known--that which prsce1e
our own. that which Is now at the front, am
the one coming on. We ara at the neeS OF
our predecessors, and our successors ars at
our heels What a generation 1t was tnat
preceded us We who are now in the 'front.'
Ireciment are the only ones competent to tell
the new generation Just now coming in sight
who our predecessors were. Biography cam
not tell it. Autobiography cannot tell IT:
Biographies are generally written by special
friends OF the perhaps 10y VIE or
son or daughter-and they only tell the goo1
things The biographers OF one OF the HIST
Presidents OF the Unhei States make no rec
ord Of the Presi lent's account b0ois, now III
the archives at the Capitol, when naV3
seen. telling how much he lost or galnsi
daily at the gaming table. The bio2raphers
of one OF the early Secretaries OF the UnItel
States never described the scene that day
witnessed when the Secretary was carried
dead drunk from the State apartments TO MS
own home. Autobiography is written by the
man himself. and no one would record 1or
future times his own weaknesses and moral
deficits. Those who keep diaries put down
only things that read well. No man or wo-
man that ever lived would dare to make Jul
record of all the thoughts and words OF q
lifetime We who saw and heard much OF
the generation marching just ahead oil
us are far more able than any DooG
to describe accurately TO our successors VINO
our predecessors were. Very much ike our
selves. thank YOU. Human nature in them
very much like human nature in US. AT our
time OF life they were very much IKE we now
are. At the time they woro in their teens
they were very much like you are In your
teens. and at the time they were in their
twentes they were very much Ike you are
in your twenties. Human nature got an aw,
full twist under fruit tree in Eden, anu
though the grace of God does much 10
strighten things every new generation mas
the Same twist an the same WORK Oh
STRENGTHENING out has TO be done over again
A mother in toe country districts, expect
ING the nejchbOrs at her table on some gaia
night had with her own hands arranged ev-
erytbing in taste, and as she was about 10
| turn from il 10 r9seive her guests saw her
little child by accident upset ptcher al!
over the white cloth and soil everything, an
the mother lifted her hand to slap the chlld'
hut she suldenly remembered the time "hen
little chill herself, in her fathers mouse,
where they had always before been used to
candles on the purchase OF lamp, Wnicn
WAS n matter of rarity AMI pride, she TOOK II
in her hands and dropped it, crashing into
nieces. AMI looking up in her fathers race
expecting chastisement, heard only ths
words, at is a sal loss, but never minu
you did not mean 10 do it.
: History repeats itself. Generation
. won lerfnlly alike. Among that generation
that is past, as in our own, and as 1t Will p'
in the generation following US, those wn(
succeeded became the target, slot at D.
those who did not succeed. Inthose times
nc in Ours. n mans btterest enemies WerI
those whom he had befriended and he'pe'
Hates. iealousles and revenges were JUS, a
lively in 1869 as in 1894 Hypocrisy snime
) and looked solemn then as now. more Wa
lust as much avarice among the app'o pu
: rels ms now among the cotton bales an
+ among the wheeiharrow5 rs among IN
I locomotives. Tue talow candles SAW IN
: same sins that are now foInd un Ter IN
electric lirb:s. HOnespun was just q
. nrou1 as is Tia mo fern fashion plate
TWENTY-FIVE years-yea, twenty-five cenlutit
: have not changed human nlture par'.c''
b [ say this for the encouragement oi ihos
9 who think that our times monopolze all u
- denominations OF the ages.
One minute after Adam got OUTSIDE
naradise he was just like you, man On
step after Eve left the gate 8 ne was Just liz
Won O woman All the faults m vices a
many times centeuarianS Yea, the cuu
Sodon. Gomorrab, Pompeii, Hercuiansua
Hsliopo,is AMI ancient Memphis w1r3 2
much worse than our molern cities us 70
might expect from the fact that the mo Ter
cities have somewhat yielded 10 the II
straints o. Christianity. while t0o5a ancieI
cities were not limited in their aoonih'
tiOnS. . -,
Yea. that gener ltion which passed of witt
in the last twenty-five years had their d.
reavements, their temptations. tasIr stru
giles. their dis appointments, their succeSs'
their failures, their gla lnesses ani cue
grie's, like these Two generations now
sight. that in advance AMI that follow'n
But the twenty-five years between 1907 az
1S94-how much they saw How much th'
discovered How much they felt! with
that time have been performed the mir4cl
of the telephone and the photograph. FRO
the observatories other worlds nave pe'
seen to hcave in sight. Six Presiuen's
the United States hava been ln1uSurd'e
Transatlantic voyage abbrevIate from u
Or DAYS to 5%. Chicago and New YORK. on
~. IN three days apart now only twehty-o
H e' hours bv the vestibule limited Two al,
tional railroads have been built to the Paclh
nd France has passed from monarchy TO repu
nal licanism. Many Of the cities have neat
n doubled their populations. During 10
generation the chief surviving heroes OF I
a' Civil War have gone into the encampment
the grave. The chief physicians, attorney
orators. merchants, have passed. oil the o II
or nrs in retirement waiting for transltio
20. Other men in editorial chairs, in puiplts,
nm Governors mansions, in legislative, Ser
torial and Congressional halls.
\, There are not ten men or women on ear
20 now prominent who were prominent tWen
five Years ago. The crew OF this ola snip
,E n world is all changed Others at the hel
Din others on the lookout, others climoing
cy ratlines. Time is doctor who with pore
NV nnodvne. has put an entire gen grafton IL
NJ