Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1894-05-10
AT THE TABERNACLE.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE breaches AN EL-
oQUENT ANNIVERSARY SERMON.

A Discourse Appropriate to the Genera
tions Past, Present and Those to Come.
The Distinguished Pastor Announces the
Scope of His Coming Vacation.
BROOKLYN, May 6.-This was great
day in the history of the Brooklyn Taber-
nacle. The figures in flowers back of the
platform, 1869 and 1894, indicated Rev.
DR.. Talmage's time of coming to Brooklyn
and the present celebration, and were in
troductory to the great meetings in honor
of DR.. Talmage's pastorate to take place
on tho following Thursday and Friday,
presided over by the mayor of the city and
Ex-Secreta1y of the Navy General Tracy,
and to be participated 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 Ecclosiastes l, 4, lone genera
tion passeth away, and another generation
cometh."
According to the longevity of people in
their particular century has generation
been called 100 years, or 80 years, or 30
years. By common consent in our nine
teenth century generation is fixed at 25
years.
The largest procession that ever moved
is 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
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 furlough. They came out
of the eternity past and they move on to-
ward the eternity future. They cross rivers
without any bridge or boats. The 800 i'm
mortals 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 richest vintage and bot
ties of agonizing tears. With a 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 noun
tains crumble and pyramids die. Zone
generation passeth, and another generation
cometh."
An Anniversary.
This is my twenty fifth anniversary SER
mon, 1869 and 1894. 1t is 25 years since I
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 q generation 1t was
that preceded us! We who are now in the
front regiment are the only ones competent
to tell the new generation just now COM
ing in sight who our predecessors were.
Biography cannot tell it. Autobiogra-
phies cannot tell it. Biographies are gen.
orally written by special friends of the
departed, perhaps by wife or son or daugh-
ter, and they only tell the good things
The biographers of one Of the first presi-
dents of the United States make no record
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
witnessed 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 we'll. No
man or woman that ever lived would dare
to make full record of all the thoughts and
words of 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 sue
cessors who our predecessors were. Very
much like ourselves, thank you. Human
nature 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 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 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.
A 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 ar
ranged everything in taste, and as she was
about to turn from it to receive her guests
saw her little child by accident upset a
pitcher all over the white cloth and soil
everything, and the mother lifted her hand
to slap the child, but she suddenly remem-
bered the time when, little child herself,
in her fathers house. where they had al
ways before been used to candles, on the
purchase of a lamp, which was matter 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: lit is
q sad loss, but never mind. You did not
mean to do it." History repeats itself
Generations wonderfully alike Among
that generation that is past, as in our own
and as it will be in the generation follow
ing us, those who succeeded became the
target, shot at by those who did not sue
ceed. In those times, as in ours, mans
bitterest enemies were those whom he had
befriended and helped. Hates, jealousies
and revenges were just as lively in 1855
as in 1894. Hypocrisy sniff1ed 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 locomo-
tives. 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, 25 centuries-have not changed
human nature particle. I Say this for tbs