Democratic messenger., 1894-08-11
THE IDOL OF FASHION
REV. Or. TALMAGE DEPICTS THE
TRAGEDY or DRESS.

come y Rival of the Lord of Heaven and
Earth-An Eloquent Discourse ON the
Evils of Dress.
BROOKLYN, Aug 5.-Rev. DIR. Tai
mage, who is now i'll Melbourne on his
round the world tour, has chosen rs the
subject of his sermon today through the
press 1.-The Tragedy of Dress, the text
selected being Peter iii. 3, 4, "Whose
adorning let it not be that outward
adorning of plating the hair and the
wearing of gold or of putting on of ap-
parel, but let il be the hidden man of
the heart"
That we should all be clad is proved
by the opening Of the first wardrobe in
paradise, with its apparel of dark green.
That we should all, as far rs our means
allow us. be beautifully and gracefully
appareled is proved by the fact that God
never made wave but he gilded it with
golden sunbeams, or a tree but he gar
landed il with blossoms. or u sky but he
studded it with stars. or allowed even the
smoke of furnace 10 ascend but he
uotiAttA
scrolled it into outlines of indcscribable
gracefulness When see the apple or
chards of the spring and the pageantry
of the autumnal forests, come TO the
conclusion that. if nature does ever join
the church, while she may be Quaker
in the silence of her worship. she never
will be Quaker in the style of her
y. Nv1,x- IS L..
or the stamen of water lily: Why.
when the day departs. does it let the
folding doors of heaven stay open SO long
when it might go in SO quickly?
One summer morning / saw an army
of million spears, each one adorned
with diamond of the first water-I
mean the grass. with the dew on it
When the prodigal came home, his IA
ther not only put coat on his back,
but jewelry on his hand Christ wore
beard Paul, the bachelor apostle, not
afflicted with any sentimentalify. adj
mired the arrangement of woman 5
hair when he said in his epistle. IF a
woman have long hair, it is a glory un-
TO her. "
There will be fashion in heaven as
on earth, but it will be- different kind
of fashion. II will decide the color Of
the dress. and the population of that
country, by beautiful law, will wear
white. / say these things rs back
ground to my sermon to show you that
have no prim. precise. prudish or cast
iron theories on the subject of human
apparel. But the goddess of fashion has
set up her throne in this world, and at
the sound of the timbrels we are all ex-
pected TO fall down and worship. The
Old and New Testament of her Bible are
the fashion plates. Her affairs smoke
with the sacrifice Of the bodies, minds
and souls Of 10000 victims In her
temple four people stand i'll the organ
loft, and from them there comes down
cold drizZle of music. freezing ON the
ears of her worshipcrs. This goddess
of fashion has become rival of the
Lord of heaven and earth, and il is high
time that we unlimbered our batteries
against this idolatry. When come to
count the victims of fashion, find as
many masculine as feminine. Men make
she were the chief worshiper at this
idolatrous shrine, and no doubt some
men III the more conspicuous part of the
pew have already cast glances at the
more retired part of the pew. their look
prophecy of generous distribution.
My sermon shall be rs appropriate for
one end of the pew rs for the other.
Men are as much the idolatorS of fash
ion rs women, but they sacrifice on n
different part of the altar. With men
the fashion goes To cigars and clubrooms
and yachting parties and wine suppers
In the United States the men chew up
and smoke 800, 900, 900 worth of to-
bacco every year. That is their fashion.
In London not long ago a man died who
started in life with $3.50, 900, but he ate
it all mp in gluttonies, sending his
agents 10 all parts of the earth for some
rare delicacy for the palate. sometimes
one plate of food costing him $500 or
500. He ate up his whole fortune and
had only u guinea left With that he
bought woodcock and had it dressed
in the very best style. ate il, gave two
hours for digestion, then walked out on
Westminster bridge and threw himself
into the Thames and died, doing on q
large scale what you and have often
seen done OH small scale. But men do
not abstain from millinery and elabora-
ton of skirt through any superiority OF
humility. IL is only because such ap-
pendages would be blockade to bust
ness. What would sashes and trains 81.
yards long do in u stock market: And
yet men are the disciples of fashion
Just as much rs women. Some of them
wear boots SO tight they can hardly
walk i'll the paths of righteousness. And
there are men who buy expensive suits
Of clothes and never pay for them, and
who 90 through the streets III great
stripes of color like animated checker
boards. l say these things because
want TO show you that / am impartial
In my discourse, and that both sexes,
In the language of the surrogate's Office,
shall ''share and share alike" As God
may help me. shall show you what are
lhe destroying and deathful influences
sf inordinate fashion.
The first baleful influence / notice is
In fraud. illimitable and CHASTITY Do
Tou know that Arnold Of the Revolu-
lion proposed TO sell his country in or
der to get money TO support his wife's
wardrobe? / declare here before God
and this people that the effort to keep
mp expensive establishments in this
country is sending more business men
to temporal perdition than all other
causes combined. What was it that sent
Gilman to the penitentiary. and Phila-
delphia Morton To thewatering of stocks.
and the life insurance presidents topper
iured statements about their assets, and
has completely upset our American
fnancesg What was il that oyerthrew
------------
He Got His Rifle Back.
A good story is told Of a young re.
cruit who enlisted in regiment of foot
n