The Bossier banner., 1894-06-21
"THE GENERATIONS"
Rev. DR.. Talmage Delivers His Sill
YER Jubilee Sermon.
He Reviews the Quarter Century of His
Pastorate and Incidentally Calls
Attention to the Maner of His
Preaching to the World.


The following twenty-ffth anniver-
Eary sermon was delivered by Rev. I.
levitt Talmage in commemoration of
the conclusion of q quarter century in
the pastorate of the Brooklyn taber-
nacle. The subject: THE Genera
tions," was based on the text:
One generation passeth away and another
generation cometh.-EcclesiasteS l., L.
According to the longevity of the
people in their particular century has
a generation been called one hundred
years, or fifty years, or thirty years.
BY common consent in our nineteenth
century, generation is fixed at twen-
ty-five years.
The largest procession that ever
moved in the procession of years, and
the greatest army that ever marched
is the army of generations. In each
generation there are about nine full
regiments of days. These nine thou
sand one hundred and twenty-five days
in each generation march with wonder
full precision. They never break
ranks. They never grounds arms.
They never pitch tents. They
never halt. They are never off on
furlough. They came out Of the eter-
nifty and they move on toward the
eternity of the future. They cross
rivers without any bridge or boats.
The six hundred immortals of the
Crimea dashing into them cause no
confusion. They move as rapidly at
midnight as at midnoon. Their haver-
sacks are full of good bread and bitter
aloes, clusters of rich vintage and bot
ties of agonizing tears. With a regu-
lar tread that no order of double
quick can hasten, or obstacle can
slacken, their tramp is on, and on, and
on, while mountains crumble and pyra-
mids die. Zone generation passeth,
and another generation cometh."
This IS my twentyffth anniversary
sermon-1S69 to 1894. 1t is twenty
five years since l assumed the Taber-
nacle 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
as! We who are now in the front regi-
ment are the only ones competent to
| tell the new generation now coming 9
| into sight who our predecessors were.
| Biography can not tell it. Autobiogra-
| ply can not tell it. Biographies are
| generally written by special friends of
the departed, perhaps by wife or son
or daughter and they only tell the
good things. The biographers of one
of the first presidents of the United
States made no record of the presi-
| dents account books, now in the az
chives at the capitol, which l have
seen, telling how much he lost or
gained daily at the gaming table.
Yea, that generation which passed
Of within the last twenty-five years
had their bereavements, their tempta-
tIons, their struggles, their disappoint-
| nents, their successes, their failures,
their gladnesses and their griefs like
these two generations now in sight,
| that in advance and that following.
Bnt the twenty-five years between 1859
and 1S94-how much they saw! How
mnch they discovered. How much
| they felt Within that time have been
| performed the miracles of the tele-
phoue and the phonograph. From
the observatories other worlds have
| hecn seen to heave in sight. Six presi-
dents of the United st tes have been
inaugurated. Transatlantic voyage
abbreviated from ten days to five and
halt. Chicago and New York, once
three days apart, now only twenty
four hours by the vestibule limited.
| Two additional railroads have been
built to the Pacific. France has passed
from monarchy to republicanism.
| Many of the cities have nearly dou bled
their populations. During that gen
| Grafton the chief surviving heroes OF
the civil war have gone into the en-
canpment of the grave. The chief
| physicians. attorneys, orators mer.
chants, have passed off the earth. OF
are in retirement waiting for transi.
ton. Other men in editorial chairs, in
! pulpits, in governors mansions, in
! Legislative, senatorial and congress
siOnal halls. There are not ten men
| Or women on the earth now prominent
who were prominent twenty-five years
| ago. The crew of the old ship of a
| world is all changed. Others at the
helm, others on the lookout" others
elm bing the ratlines. Time is a
doctor who with potent anodyne has
| put an entire generation into sound
sleep. Time like another Crom-
well, has roughly prorogued parlia,
ment, and with iconoclasm driven
nearly all the rulers except one queen
from the high places. So far as 1 OBJ
served that generation, for the most
part, they did their best CHASTITY ex-
ceptions but so far as l knew them,
they did quite well. They were born
at the right time and they died at the
right time. They left the world better
than they found it. We are indebted
to them for the fact that they prepared
the way for our coming. Eighteen
hundred and ninety-four reverently
and gratefully salutes 1869. ''One
generation passeth away, and another
generation cometh."