The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-12

great sorrow has fallen upon Rev. T.
Dewitt Talmage, the distinguished d.
vine. and his immediate family. Mrs. Tai
mage, for thirty-two years his devoted
wife. and a lady beloved by a very wide
circle Of friends in many states. passed
peacefully away on Monday. Aug. 5. at
Dansville, y. Y. where she has been re-
ceiving medical treatment for a nervous
afliction. She had been an invalid for
nearly a year. Her illness practically
dated from the Brooklyn Tabernacle fire
in May. 1894, when it is thought she sus-
tanned a shock that was aggravated by
an attack Of Roman fever the same sum-
mer. Nervous prostration was followed
by a physical breakdown SO complete as
TO leave hardly a hope of recovery. Still,
with true Christian fortitude. she kept
up bravely until a short time before the
end, and would not permit her husband
and children to sacrifice all other inter-
ests that they might remain by her bed
side Toward the last, however when
even her physicians could no longer hold
out any reasonable hope of cure, she
summoned her husband and children to
her sickroom. DR.. Talmage. who loved
his wife with a true and intense devo-
ton, at once abandoned all his lecturing
and preaching engagements in the west
and FASTENED to her bedside. where the
whole family were gathered about the
dying mother. At sunrise on Monday the
waiting soul was liberated and the father
and his children gazed upon the lifeless
form Of the dear one lying white and stin
before them.
Probably no woman was ever more de-
serving of the love and gratitude of hus-
band and children than Susan Whittemore
Talmage. She was born in New York city,
where her father was prosperous banker
and bank president. The family residence
was afterward moved to Greenpoint The
education of the young daughter, Susan
Curtis Whittemore, was a thorough one,
and her teachers found her deserving of
their best efforts. Clara Louise Kellogg
the famous singer, was one of her class
mates.
On May 7, 1863, Miss Whittemore was
married TO T. De Witt Talmage in the
building where they had first met a few
months before. the Greenpoint Dutch Re
formed church, of which Rev. Goyn Tai
mage brother of DR.. Talmage was then
pastor. At that time, the bridegroom was
but little known outside of his own field /;
reputation had not yet come, and thus
Mrs. Talmage started with her husband at
almost the foot of the ladder of fame,
which, with her loving aid he soon be-
gan to climb so quickly And few wives
proved such helpmeets to their husbands
as has Mrs. Talmage. She fulfilled the
best idea of a helpful wife. All the APP
pointments of the Talmage home in South
oxford street, Brooklyn, reflected the ex-
cellent taste of the woman who presided
so long over it. Everything showed the
perfect housekeeper. The rear apartment
of the second floor was Mrs. Talmage' s
working-room. 1t was tastefully furn-
ished, but more with an eye to utility than
ornamentation. In this room she spent
most of her time. All the mail that was
left at the house for DIR. Talmage was
taken into this room and usually open ed
by her. 1t was not an unusual thing for
the postman to deliver between one and
two hundred letters a day, all of which
passed through her hands. Business let
tiers were answered by her, and all letters
that did not call for his personal atten-
ton were attended TO by her, so that his
valuable time might be economical
Besides, she had a multitude of callers.
All kinds of people had to be seen, innum-
efable appointments made and kept, the
details of a score or more churches and
other matters adjusted. In addition to all
these were the household cares of a large
house and a family of growing children.
Mrs. Talmage was thus distinctly her
husbands right hand, and all the details
of his busy life were looked after by her.
She was a thorough business woman
having rare executive ability, and capable
of easily handling a number of things
at the same time. Much of her husband
daily work was planned and laid out by
her. She made his pastoral and social en-
gagements, and all his lecturing interests
were in her hands. She knew his ca
pacities even better than he. Whenever
journey was TO be made, it was she
who laid out the route, procured the
tickets and staterooms, and attended 10
all the details. Few public men were
saved so many annoyances as was DR..
Talmage by his wife's kindly foresight
and ability But, even if she had never
shared her husbands life work she would
still have been one of the busiest of wo-
men.
Mrs. Taimage sympathetic by ma
ture Like her husband, she saw the
cheerful side Of life Cheerful, active, Wig
orous, she was till within year ago in
the prime Of life, and of fun figure. Her
face was youthful because she kept her
heart young and her hands busy. She was
always tasteful IN her wardrobe, but never
SNOWY
mrs. Iaimage was well known TO many.
poth ~ America and Europe on several
occasions she had crossed the Atlantic
WIN her husband. when he made his ia
nous tour OF Palestine and Epvpt in
AsJ' Mfs. Ialmage accompanied him and
visited the sacred places. Again IN is99
"Aen he went 10 Russia with DR.. Klopsc1