The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1894-07-26
is LIFE WORTH LIVING +?
REV. DIR. TALMAGE ANSWERS
Tho Question-Abidine Happiness Found
Only in Devotion to God.

Trzr: "whereiore doth living man COM
plainY-L1mentations ill.,, 80.
II We leave TO tho ovolutionlsis to rness
whore we came from, and to the theologians
10 ptophesy where we are going to, we still
have left for consideration the important
fact that Wa are here. There NAV be some
doubt about where the river rises, and
some doubt about where the river empfles,
hut there can be no doubt about the fact
that we are sailiuc on Il. So am not sur
pris that everybody asks the question, "Is
life worth lv;n2Y"
So'omon in his unhappy moments says n
is not. Vanity" "vexation OF spirit. "no
GOO y" are his estimate. The fact is that
Solomon was at one time n polygamist. and
that soured his disposition. One wife maSss
man happy; moro than one makes him
wretched. But solomon was converted from
poycamyt to mono samy, and the last words
he ever wrote. as far rs we can read them.
were the words "mountains OF spices" But
jeremiah says In my text life Is worth living.
In book supposed 10 bc doleful and
lugubr,ous AMI sepulchrai and entitled
lamentations he plainly ihtimates that
the blessing OF m erely livin Is so great and
grand n blessing that though man have
piled on him all mlsfortunes aud disasters
he has no right TO complain. The author OF
nv text cries out In startling intonation 10
NIL lands and TO all centuries, "Wherefore
doth living man complain" A diversity
OF opinion TN our time Gs we'll rs Ia olden
timc. Hero Is "a young man OF light hair
AMI blue eyes an sound digestion and
generous salary and happily aflianced and
In the way 10 become the partner In con-
merclal firm OF which he Is an important
clerk. Ask him whether life is worth living.
He will laugh in your face AMI say "Yes,
yes, yes" Here Is man who has come 20
the iorties. He Is Mt tho tiptop OF the hill! OF
llfe Every step has been n stumble and n
bruisc. The people he trusted have turned
out deserters. and tho money he has honestly
made bo has been cheated out o'. His
nerves are out OF tune. He has poor
appetite. and all tho iood he does eat does
not as'imiate. Forty miles climbing up tho
hill Of life have been 10 him like climbing
tho Matterhorn, and there are forty miles
yet 10 60 down. and descent is always more
dangerous than ascent. Ask him whether
life is worth living. and he will drawl out In
shivering nni lugubrious and appalling
negative, "No, no. noI'
How arc we 10 decide this matter right
eously and intelligently? You will find tho
same man vlcillating. osclllating In bis opln-
ion rom detection 10 oxuberance, and II he
be- very mercurial in his temperament II will
depend very much upon which wav the
wind blows. II tho wind blow from tho
northwest, and yoI ask him. he will say,
"les." and II It blow from the northeast,
md YOU ask him. he will say "No." How
are we. then. 10 get the question righteously
nnswerrh2 Suppose we call all nations to-
cether In n great convention on eastern or
western hemisphere ami let all those who
are in the affirmative say "Aye,' and all
those who are IN the negative sag mo-"
While there would be hundreds OF thou
sands who would answer in the affirmative
there would be more millions who would
answer in the negative, ant because OF the
\. -g,.t,.. ~, 4.
fortune ami trouble the "nOss would have
Il. The answer shall give will be different
from either, an ! Yet II will commend itself
10 all who hear me this day as tne right an-
swer. n you ask me. "Is life worth llving?"
Ianswcr, IL all depends upon the kind OF lie
you live.
In the frs, place, remark that life Of
mere money getting Us always q failure, be-
cause you will never get Us much us you
want. The poorest people in this country
are the richest. and the next TO them those
Tb9 hero III rh. Teirs Is not . sSis--
sors grinder on the streets OF New YORK or
Brooklyn who IL so anxious to make money
as these men who have piled up fortunes
year after year in storehouses, IN govern
ment securities, in tenement houses, In
whole city blocks.
You ought 10 SEQ them jump when they
hear the iireOel ring. You ought TO see
them in their excitement when some bank
sSploles. You ought 10 SEQ their agitation
when there is proposed n reformation in
tho tariff. Their nerves iremb,o like harp
strings. but no music In the vibration. They
read tho reports from Wall street in the
morning with Il concernment that threatens
paralysis or apopl'Xy, or, more probably.
thev nave telegraph or a telephone In their
house, so they eaten every breath OF change
IN tae money market. The disease OF accu-
mutation has eaten into tham--aaten into
Into ls.u f.sA hnt
spleen. into their liver. into :heir bones.
Chemists have sometimes analysed the hu-
man by, ana they say II Is so much mag
nesia, so much line, so much chlorate OF po-
ta~sium. II some Christian chemist would
anl,yze one Of these financial behemoths, ne
woud iini he IL made up OF copper and gold
Anl silN 'r ani zine ana lead AMI coal aud
iron. That is not n life worth living. There
are TOO many earthquakes in il, too many
hgOuies IN IL, too many perlitions in IL. They
bald their castles. and they open their pict-
ure galleries, and they summon prlms dop-
nis, ana they offer every inducemept for
happiness 10 come aud live there, but happi-
ness WI no; come.
They send footmGnnel anil postillioned
equipsge TO bring her she will no: ride 20
their door. They seni priucely escort she
will not take their arm. Tney make their
gatewdys triumphal arches shs will not
ride under them. Tley set a golden throne
Dciore GOiuen plhle SNe Turns away from
the banquet. They call TO her IRON up
hoistered balcony she will not listen. Marx
YOU, this isthc failure ofthose who have had
large uccunuatiou.
And then you must take into consideration
that the vast mai iority OF those who make the
dominant idea OF life money Settin; fall far
shOr. OF afiiuencP. II is estimated that ouiy
about two out OF hundred business men
hay" anything worthy the mans of success
A man wao sDen Is his lfe whh one doni-
nant idea o. financial accumulation spen Is u
life not worth living.
80 the idea OF worldly approval. II tha.
| be dominant in mans lite. he Is miserable
The two most unfortunate men In this coun-
/ try Tor the six months OF next presi 'rntial
campaign will be ths two men nominated
for the presidency. The reservoirs OF abuse
Rnl diatrihe and raaledictlon will gradually
] I'LL mp. gallon above gallon. hogshead above
/ hoyshead. AMI ABOUT autumn these two resnr-
voirs will be brlmmlng full, and hose will
! be attached to each one, AMI IL will play
away on these nominees, and they will havt
TO stand IL aud take tho abuse, and ths false
hooi, and the caricsturr, and the an1thema
-