The Penn's Grove record., 1894-08-10

Christian almsgiying. Men and women put
80 much in personal display that they often
nave nothing for God and the cause OF SUI
fering humanity. A Christian man cracking
his Palais Royal glove across the back by
shutting up his hand to hidethe cent he puts
into the poorbox. A Christian woman, at
the story of the Hottentots, crying copious
tears into a S25 handkerchief and then CIV
ing a two cent piece to the collection, thrust
ing it under bills so people will not know but
1t was a $40 goldpiece. One hundred dol
lars Tor incense to fashion two cents for
God. Goo gives us ninety cents out ofevery
dollar. The other ten cents by command OF
His Bible belong to Him. Is not God liberal
according to His tithing system laid down
in the Old TESTAMENT Is not God liheraltn
giving US ninety cents out OF a dollar when
He takes but ten? We do not like that. We
want to have ninety-nine cents for ourselves
and one for God.
Now, l would a great deal rather steal ten
,ents from you than from God. Think one
reason why a great many people do not get
lle in worldly accumulation faster is be-
,ause they do not observe this divine rule.
God says, "Well, If that man is not satisfied
with ninety cents of a dollar, then l will
AXE the whole dollar, and l will give it 10
The man or woman who is honest with Me-
The greatest obstacle TO charity In the Chris
ian church to-day is the fact that men eX'
pend so much money on their table, and wo-
men so much on their dress, they haze got
nothing left for the work of God and the
worlds betterment. IN my first settlement
1t BellevlIle, n. j., the cause of missions
vas being presented one Sabbath, and a plea
Tor the charity of the people was being made,
when an old Christian man In the audience
lost his balance and said right out in the
midst OF the sermon, "Mr. Talmage, how are
We to give literally to those grand and giorl-
BUS causes when our families dress as they
io?" l did not answer that question. 1t
was the oniv time In my life when / hal
nothing to say.
Again, inordinate fashion is distraction to
public worship. You know very well there
are a good many people who come to church
Just as they go to the races-to see who will
come out first. What a 1utter 1t makes in
church when some womln with extraordi-
nary display of fashion comes in "What n
love of a tonnet ~ says one. "What a per-
feet fright y says 500. For the most mercl-
less critics in the world are fashion critics.
Men and women with souls to be saved pass
ing the hour in wondering whore that man
got mis- cravat or what store that woman
patronizas.
In many of our churches the preliminary
| exercises are taken up with the discussion
of wardrobes. 1t Is pitiable. Is 1t not Won
derful that the Lord does not strike the
meeting houses with lightnlngp What dis
traction OF public worshipi Dying men and
I tIL II "hSbo IA nav OWN ~ w
turned into dust, yet before three worlds
strutting like peacocks, the awful question
of the souls destiny submerged by the ques-
ton of navy blue velvet and long fan train
skirt, long enoug to drag up the church
! aisle, the husbands store, office, shop, fac
tory, fortune and the admiration OF half the
! people in the building! Men AMI women
| come late to church to show their clothes.
People sitting down in a pew or taking up a
| h~ymnDook, all absorbed at the same time in
| personal array, to sing:
Rise, my soul, and stretch thy wing,
Thy better portion trace.
Rise from trausitory things
Toward heaven, thy native place.
adopt the Episcopalian prayer and say,
"Good Lord, deliver US"
Insatiate fashion also belittles the intel
lect. Our minds are enlarged or they Twin
die just in proportion to the Importance of
the subject on which we constantly dwell.
Can you imagine anything more dwarlng to
| the human intellect than the study of fash
ion2 l see men on the street who, Judging
from their elaboration, must have taken two
hours to arrange their apparel. After q few
years of that kim OF absorption, which one
of McAllister's magnifying glasses will be
powerful enough to make the mans charae-
ter visible? They all land in idiocy.
1 have seen men at the summer watering
places, through fashion, the mere wreck of
what they once were. Sallow of cheek.
Meagre Of limb. Hollow at the chest. Show
ing no animation save in rushing across a
room to pick up a lady's fan. Simpering
along the corridors the same compliments
they simpered twenty years ago A New
York lawyer at United States Hotel, Sara
toga, within our hearing, rushed across q
room to say to a sensible woman, "You are
as sweet as peachesr' The fools OF fashion
are myriad. Fashion not only destroys the
body, but it makes idiotic the intellect.
Yet. my friends, l have given YOU only the
miIder phase OF this evil. 1t shuts a great
multitude out Of heaven. The first peakoi
thunder that shook Sinai declared, ''rsou
shalt have no other God before Me- and
you will have to choose between the goddess
OF fashion and the Christian God. There
are a great many seats in heaven, and they
are all easy seats, but not one seat for the
deyotee Of fashion. Heaven Is for meek and
quiet spirits. Heaven is for those VINO think
more of their souls than of their bodies.
Heaven is for those who have more joy in
Christian charity than in dry goods religion.
Why, II you, with your idolatry of fashion,
should somehow get into heaven, you would
be for putting II French roof on the 'house
of many mansions" Give up this idolatry
of fashion or give up heaven. What would
YOU do standing beside the Countess o.
Huntington, whose joy 1t was to build
chapeis for the poor, or with that Christian
woman OF Boston who fet 1900 children OF
the street at Faneuil Hall on New Year
day, giving out as q sort oil doxoloSy at u
end OF the meeting a pair OF SHOES to ea'
one of them, or those Decreases of mo Tern
society who nave consecrated their nee ties
to the Lord, and vino will get eternal rewari
for every stitch they taSeI
Oh, men and women, give up the idolatry
OF fashion! The rivalries ana the competi
tons OF such a life are n stupendous wretch
edness. You will always find some one With
brighter array and with more palatial rest
l nanNA md NuFEh ia,-anNa MA n1--a1 thai
make n tighter ft. AM 4 YOU buy this thing
and wear it YOU will wish you hal bought
something els" and 20 il. And the frets
| of such II life will bring the crows leet to
| your temples before they are due, and when
| you come to die you will have a miserable
time. | have Seen men and women OF fash
ion die. and l never saw one of them die
well. The trappings off, there they lay on
the tumbled pillow, and there We're Just two
| thinGsthat bothered them-a waste | life and
a coming eternity. Icould not pacify them.
for their body, mind and soul had been eI-
hausted in the worship OF fashion, AMI they
could not appreciate tho gospel. When l
knelt by their bedside. they were mumhling
out their regrets and saying 90 Cod o
God" Their garments hung up in the
wardrobe, never again 10 be seen by them.
Without any exception, so far as my MEM
DRY serves me, they diet without hops and
went into eternity unprepared.
The most ghastly deathbeis on Garth arc
the one where n imam dies o deliriun ramens
and the other where a woman dies after hay
ing sacrificed all her faculties OF body, mind
and soul in the worship OF fashion. My
friends, we must appear in Judgment TO an
swerf for what We have worn on our bodies as
well as for what repentences we have exer-
cised with our souls.
On that day 1 see coming in Bean Brum-
mel of the last century, without his CLOAK,
like which all England got n cloak. and wtts-
out his cane, like which all England got a
cane. without his snuTbox. like which all
England got a s~nufTbox-he, the fop OF the
ages, particular about everything but his
morals, and Aaron Burr without the letters
that down to Old aga he showed in pride TO
prove his early wicked Gallantrins, and Alb
salon without his hair, and Warehouses
Pompadour without her titles. ani Mrs.
Arnold, the belle OF Wall street, when that
was the center of fashion, without her "trip
peries OF vesture.
And in graf happnriness they shall 20