The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1896-10-16
REV, DIR. TALMAGE,
rHH HOTKD DHvmE,s NUNDAY
DHRMoN.


Chirography, or the art Of handwriting,
like the science OF acoustics, is in very un-
satisfactory state. While constructing u
church, and told by some architects that the
voice would not be heard in a building sha ped
like that proposed. oame in much anxiety
to this city and consulted with Prof. Joseph
Henry, OF the Smithsonian Institution, about
the law Of acoustics. He said. "Go ahead
and build your church In tho shape pro-
posed, ana I think It will be all right.
have studied the laws ot.sound perhaps more
than any man OF my time, AMI I have come
so far rs this Two auditoriums may seem to
be exactly alike, and in one tho acoustics
may be good and IN tho other bad. In the
same unsatisfactory stage is chlrography,
although maDy declare they have reduced it
TO q science. There aro those who say they
can read character by handwriting. 1t is
said that the way one writes the letter II"
decides his eSolism or modesty. aud the way
one writes the letter 80" decides the height
and depth OF his emotions. 1t is declared a
cramped hand means cramped nature, and
an easy, flowing hand u faci!e and liberal
spirit; but VI there be anything Ia this science
there must be somU rules not vet announced
for some OF the boldest and most asgressiv.
men have u delicate and small rennun ship,
while soms OF the most timii sign their
names with til" height and width and scope
OF the name OF John Hancock on the immor-
tai documenr. But whilo IN" chirograph
OF the earth is unceraip, our blessed ord
in our text presents tho chirography ce!es-
tia. Wher addressing the seventy disc;,Ies
standing nefors Him, He said "Rejoice be-
cause your names ars written In heaven"
or courS", the Bibl", io- the most part
when speaking OF the heavenly world, speaks
tlguraiively while talking about books ami
about trumpets and about wings and about
gates and about golden pavements and about
orchards with twelve crops of fruit-ons
crop each month-and about the white
horses OF heavens cavalry: but we do we'll to
follow out these inspired metaphors and reap
from them courage und sublime expectation,
and consolation and victory. We are told
that in the heavenly library there is Book
.. Life. Perhap2 there are many volumes in
it, When we say II book, we mean all writ
ten by the author on thai subject. i cannot
tell how large those heavenly volumes are,
nor the splendor Of their binding, nor the
number OF their pages, nor whether they are
pictorialiZed with some eXcitinyscenes of this
world. / only know that tho words have not
been impressed by type, but written out by
some hand. and that all those who, like the
seventy disciples TO whom tho text was
spoken, repent and trust the Lord for their
eternal salvat on, surely have their names
written in heaven. II may not be the same
name that we carried on earth. We may,
through til, inconsiderateness OF parents
have Il name that Is uncouth, or that was
afterward dishcnored by one after whom We
entrances OF the names OF the seventy dis.
ciples correspond with the record in the
genealogical table. 1t may not bs the name
by which we were called on enrth but it will
be the name by which heaven will know u.s.
an we will have 1t announced to us as We
pass In, and We will know II so certainly that
We will not have to DO called twice by 1t. as
in the Bible times the Lord called some pso-
pletwice by name: saul! Saul!'' .'Samuel!
Samuel" Martha! Ma-thr!"
heavenly archives, II you f1nd It thero at
al, you will find It written with bold ham,.
You have seen many signature that because
OF sickness or old age had q tremor In 1t, vet
II was as bold rs the man who wrote 1t.
Many an order wr:tteg-o on tho battlefield and
amid the thunder the capnonadc has had
Evidence OF excitement In every word aud
every fetteS a2lfn tho speed with which 1t
was folded aid handed to the officer as he
put his foot in the swift stirrups, and yet
that commander, notwithstanding his trem-
bling hand. gives boldness OF order that
shows itself In every word written. You do
not need to be told that a trembling hand
does not always mean II cowardly hand. 1t
was with very trembling hand Charles
Carroll. OF Carrollton, signed his name to
the Declaration Of American Independence,
but no signer had more courage and when
some one said, .'Thrre are many Charles
CAROLS, and 1t will not be known which one
it Is" he resumed tho pen and wrote Char es
Carroll OF Carrollton. Trembling hand no
sign Of tmidity. The daring and defiance
IL
heaven is n challenge to all earth and hell to
come on IL they can to defeat your ransomed
SOU.
Again, ii according to the promise OF tho
text, you aro permitted to look into the
volumes Of eternity and see your name there,
you will find it written in lines, In words in
letters unmistnknble. Some people have
come to consider indistinct and almost un-
readable penmanship a mark Of geniu., and
SO they affect it. Because every paragraph
that Thomas Chalmers, and Dean Stanley,
and Lord Byron, and Rufus Choate md
other potent men wrote was q puzzle, imita-
tors make their penmanship a puzzle. Alex
ander Dumas says that plain penmnnship Is
tho brevet OF incapacity. Then there are
some who, through too much demand upon
their energies and through lack OF time, lose
the capacity Of making the pen Ineligible,
and much OF the writing Of this world Is in
decipherahle. We have seen piles of mex
plicable chirography. and we ourselves have
helped augment the magnitude We have
not been sure OF the name signed. or tho
sentiment expressed. or whether the reply
was Affirmative or negative. Through in
distinct penmanship last wills and tcIta-
mentS have boen defeated. widows and
orphans robbed OF their inheritance. railroad
trains brought into collision through the
dim words Of n telegram put INTO tho hand
Of conductor. aud regiments. in this wise.
mistnkin@ their instructions, have been
sacrificed in battle. [ as;c( Bishop
Cowic. in Auckland. New zealand, tho
Bishop having been III many OF the wars,
what Tennyson, in his immortal poem.
"Tno Charge of the Light Brigade"
meant by tho words, "Some ono had
blundercd.' and the Bishop said that
tho awful carnage ut Balaklava was tho
result Of IN indistinctlywrittcn and
wrongly-read military crder. "Somo one
hah blundered. But your name, once
written in the Lambs Book OF Life. will be
so nnmistakable that all heaven can read it
ut the first glance. 1t will not bo taken for
the name Of some other SO that i'm regard to
1t there shall come to be disputation. Not
one of the millions and billions and quad }
trillions Of the finally saved will doubt that
II means You and only you. oh, the