The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-05-09

nounces the Scope of His Coming
Vacation. e..4,,-,,..,...t.,
BROOKLYN, May s-This was
great day In tfIe<h1story of the Brooklyn
tabernacle. The figures in flowers back
Of the platform. 1863 and 1894, indicated
the Rev. Dr. TaAnlagefs time Of coming
TO Brooklyn and The present celebration.
and were Introductory to the great meet
ings IN honor OF DR.. Talmage's pastorate
10 take place on the following Thurs
day and Friday, presided over by the
mayor Of the city and ex-Secretary OF
the Navy Gen. Tracy. and TO be partici-
pated in by senators and governors and
prominent men from north, south, east
and west The subject of the sermon
today was THE Generations" the text
being Ecclesiastes. /. 4, "One generation
cometh."
According to the longevity of people
in their particular century has a genera
ton been called 100 years. or fifty years.
or thirty years. BY common consent in
our nineteenth century generation is
fixed at twenty-five years.
The largest procession that ever moved
is the procession Of years, and the great
est army that ever marched is the army
of generations. In each generation there
are about nine full regiments of days.
These 9,125 days In each generation
march with wonderful precision They
never break ranks. They never ground
arms. They never pitch tents. They
never halt They are never off on fur
Tough They came out OF the eternity
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
rapidly at midnight as at midnoon. Their
haversacks are full Of good bread and
bitter aioes clusters or richest vintage
and bottles Of agOnizing tears With
regular tread that no order Of double
quick can hasten, or obstacle can
slacken, their tramp is on and on and
on and on while mountains crumble and
pyramids die. "One generation passeth,
and another generation cometh."
An Anniversary.
This is my twenty-ffth anniversary
sermon, 1863 and 1894. 1t is twenty-five
years since I assumed the Brooklyn pas
torate. 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 prede-
ceSsOrs and our successors are at our
heels What generation 1t was that
preceded US, We who are now in the
front regiment are the only ones compe-
tent to tell the new generation just now
coming in sight who our predecessors
were. Biography cannot tell it. Auto
biographies cannot tell il. 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
make no record Of the presidents ac-
count books, now in the archives al the
capitol, which have seen, telling how
much he lost or gained daily at the gam
ing 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 writ
ten by the man himself, and no one would
record for future times his own weak
nesses 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 record 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 de-
scribe accurately TO our successors who
our predecessors were. Very much like
ourselves, thank you. Human nature in
them is very much like human mature 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 who are in your teens, and at
the time they were in their twenties they
were very much like you who are in
your twenties. Human nature got an aw-
full twist under a fruit tree in Eden. and
though the grace of God does much TO
straighten things every new generation
has the same twist. and the same work
Of strengthening out has to be done over
again.
Glance at History.
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 10 turn from it to receive
her guests saw her little child by acct
dent upset a pitcher all over the white
cloth and soil everything, and the moth
er 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 always been used
10 candles on the purchase of a. lamp,
which was matter of rarity and pride
she took it in her hands and dropped 1t,
crashing into pieces, and looking up in
her fathers face, expecting chastise-
ment heard only the words: ''It is a
sad loss, but never mind. You did not
mean to do II. History repeats itself.
Generations wonderfully alike. Among
that generation that is past. as in our
own and as it will be in the generation
following us. those who succeeded be-
came the target. shot at by those who
did not succeed In those times as in
ours, a mans bitterest enemies were
those whom he had befriended and
helped. Hates. jealousies and revenges
We're just as lively in 1869 as in 1894
Hypocrisy SMILED and looked solemn
then as now. There was just as much
avarice among the apple barrels as now
among the cotton bales, and among the
wheelbarrOws as among the locomotives.
The tallow candles saw the same sins
that are now found under the electric
lights. HOmespun was just as proud as
IS the modern fashion plate. Twenty-Five
years-yea, twenty-five centuries-have
not changed human nature a particle
/ say this for the encouragement of
those who think that our times monOpo-
lie all the denominations Of the ages.
One minute after Adam got outside Of
paradise he was just like you, o man!
One step after Eve left the gatG-she was
just like you. o womanl All the faults
and vices are many times centenarians
Yea. the cities SodOm, Gomorrah, Pom
peii, Herculaneum, Heliopolis and an
cfent MenDhis Were as much worse than