The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1894-05-11
TIE PASSING THRONC4
A GREAT DAY IN THE HISTORY or
THE TABERNACLE.

THE TABERNACLE.
The Twenty-fft Anniversary of Rev. d..
Talmage's Brooklyn Pastorate-An Ele,
quent, Appropriate DEMONSTRATING
to Twenty-Five Million Souls.
BROOKLYN, May 6.-This was great
day in the history of the Brooklyn Tab
ernacle The figures in flowers back of
the platform-1SC9 and 1S94-indicat-
ed Rev. DR.. Talmage's time of coming
to Brooklyn and the present celebration
and were Introductory to the great meet
ings in honor of DR.. Talmage's pastor.
ate to take place on the following Thurs
day and Friday, presided over by the
mayor of the city and the ex-secretary of
the navy, General Tracy, and to be par
ticipated in by senators and governors
and prominent men from north, south,
east and west The subject of the SER
mon today was THE Generations, 7" the
text being Ecclesiastes j, A, Zone gen
Grafton passeth away, and another gener-
alton cometh.
According to the longevity of people
in their particular century has gener-
alton been called 100 years, or 30 years,
or 30 years. By common consent in our
nineteenth century a generation is fixed
at % years.
The largest procession that ever NOV
ed is the procession of years. and the
greatest army that ever marched is the
army of generations In each genera
ton there are about nine full regiments
of days. These 8, 1876 days in each gener-
alton march with wonderful precision.
They never break ranks. They never
ground arms They never pitch tents.
They never halt. They are never off on
furlough. They came out of the eterni
ty past, and they move on toward the
eternity future. They cross rivers with
out any bridge or boats. The 600 i'm
mortals of the Crimea dashing into them
cause no confusion. They move as rap
idly at midnight as at midnoon. Their
haversacks are full of good bread and
bitter alocs, clusters of richest vintage
and bottles Of agonizing tears. With a
regular tread that no order of "dou-
BILE quick can hasten or obstacle can
slacken, their tramp is on and on and
on and on while mountains crumble
and pyramids die. Zone generation
passeth, and another generation COM
eth.
A Generation.
This is my twenty fifth anniversary
sermon-1869 and 1894. 1t is 20 years
since assumed the Brooklyn pastorate.
A whole generation has passed. Three
generations we have known-that which
preceded our own, that which is now at
the 'front.' and the one coming on. We
are at the heels Of our predecessors, and
our successors are at our heels. What a
generation it was that preceded usl We
who are now in the front regiment are
the only ones competent to tell the new
generation just now coming in sight
who our predecessors were. Biography
cannot tell it. Autobiography cam
not tell it. Biographies are generally
written by special friends of the depart
ed-perhaps by wife Or son Or daughter
and they only tell the good things The
biographers of one of the first presi-
dents Of the United States make no rec
ord Of the presidents account books
now in the archives at the capitol,
which l have seen, telling how much
he lost Or gained daily at the gaming
table. The biographers of one of the
early secretaries of the United States
never described the scene that day wit
messed when the secretary was carried
dead drunk from the state apartments
to his own home. Autobiography is
written by the man himself, and no one
would record for future times his own
weaknesses and moral deficits. Those
who keep diaries put down only things
that read well. No man or woman that
ever lived would dare to make full rec
ord of all tho thoughts and words of a
lifetime. We who saw and heard much
Of the generation marching just ahead
of us are far more able than any book
to describe accurately to our successors
who our predecessors were. Very much
like ourselves, thank you. Human ma
ture in them very much like human ma
ture in us. At our time Of life they were
very much like we now are AT the
time they were in their teens they were
very much like you are in your teens,
and at the time they were in their TWEEN.
ties they were very much like you are
in your twcnties. Human nature got an
awful twist under fruit tree in Eden,
and though The grace of God does much
to straighten things every new gener.
alton has Tho Same twist, and the same
work OF Strengthening out has to be done
over again.
Twenty-Five Years Back.
A mother in the country districts, ex
pecting tae neighbors at her table OF
some galanight, had with her own hands
arranged everything in taste, and as She
was about to turn from it to receive hel
guests cav Der little child by accident
upset a pitcher all over the white clotl
and soil everything, and the mother
lifted her hand to slap the child, bur
piio Suouthsy ARCHAEOLOGICAL lue tllllt
when little child herself, in hel
fathers house, where they had al
ways before been used to candles on thu
purchase of lamp, which was mat
ter of rarity and pride, she took it il
her hands and dropped it, crashing int,
pieces, and looking up in her father
face, expecting chastisement heard only
the words, at is sad loss, but nevei
mind; you did not mean to do it. "
History repeats itself Generation
wonderfully alike. Among that gener
alton That is past, as in our own, ant
as it will be in the generation follow
ing us, those who succeeded becam,
the target, shot at by those who did no
succeed. In those times, as in ours, :
mans bitterest enemies were thos
whom he had befriendcd and helped
Hates, lcalousies and roSenges were jus
as lively in 1869 as in 1894. Hypocris,
shifted and looked solemn then as now
Therc was just as much avarice among
The apple barrels as now among the cot
tex bales and among the wheelbarrow