The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1894-05-11
THE PASSING THRONG
A GREAT DAY IN THE HISTORY OF
THE TABERNACLE.

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-18G9 and 1894-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.. Talmages 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 i'll by senators and governors
and prominent men from north SOUTH
east and west. The subject of the SER
mon today was ''The Generations, " the
text being Ecclesiastes i, 4, 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 so years,
or 30 years. By common consent in our
nineteenth century a generation is fixed
at 25 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 aloes, clusters of richest vintage
and bottles of agoniZing tears. With
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 corr
eth.
A Generation.
This is my twenty fifth anniversary
sermon-1S69 and 1894 1t is 20 years
since l 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
generation it was that preceded us! 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 can
not tell it. Biographies are generally
written by special friends of the depart
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 | 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 the 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 i'll 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 twenties. Human nature got an
awful twist under fruit tree in Eden,
and though the grace of God does much
to stralghten things every new gener-
alton has the 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 the neighbors at her table on
some gala night, had with her own hands
arranged everything in taste, and as she
was about to turn from it to receive her
guests saw her little child by accident
upset pitcher all over the white cloth
and soil everything, and the mother
lifted her hand to slap the child, but
she suddenly remembered the time
when a little child herself, in her
fathers house, where they had al
ways before been used to candles on the
purchase of lamp, which was a mat
ter of rarity and pride, she took it in
her hands and dropped it, crashing into
pieces, and looking up in her fathers
face, expecting chastisement, heard only
the words, "It is a sad loss, but never
mind; you did not mean to do it.
. TIsoforr- /