The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-01-11
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
A Notable Discourse Giving "Ad-
vice to Young Women"

Advent of the ..New Woman" De-
| plored-Let the Young Wom-
en- Get Close to God.
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage took for the
subject of recent sermon to his Wash
ington congregation: "A Word to Wom-
en-" basing it on the following letter
lately received:
CINCINNATI, O.-REvEREND SIR: You deliv-
4 cred a discourse In answer to letter from six
| young men OF Fayette, O., requesting you to
| preach sermon on advice to Young Men. y
Are we justified in asking you to preach SER
mon on advice to Young Women Letter
signed by six young women.l
| Christ, who took His text from a
flock of birds flying overhead, saying:
''Behold the fowls of the air." and
from the flowers in the valley, saying:
Consider the lilies of the field" and
from the clucking of barnyard fowl.
saying: ''As hen gathereth her
chickens under her wing" and from a
crystal of salt picked up by the road
side, saying: salt is good" will
| grant us blessing If, instead of
| taking a text from the Bible,
| take for my text this letter
from Cincinnati. which is only one of
many letters which / have received
from young women in New York, New
| Orleans, San Francisco, London. Edin-
burgh and from the ends Of the earth.
all implying that having some months
ago preached the sermon on advice
to Young Men," I could not, with
out neglect of duty, refuse to preach a
sermon on advice to Young Women"
1t is the more important that the
pulpit be heard on this subject at this
time when we are having such an il
| limitable discussion about what is
called the New Woman" as though
some new creature of God had arrived
on earth. or were about to arrive. One
theory is that she will be an athlete,
and boxing-glove and football and
pugilistic encounter will character
ize her. Another theory lis that
she will superintend ballot-boxes,
sit in congressional hall, and
through improved politics bring the
millen MUM by the evil she will extir-
pate and the good she will install. An
other theory is that she will adopt
masculine attire and make sacred a
vulgarianism positively horrific. An
other theory is that she will be so
esthetic that broom handle and roll
ing-pin and coal scuttle will be picto-
rialized with tints from soft skies or
suggestions of Rembrandt and Ra-
phael.
But must be specific. This letter
before me wants advice to young
women
Advice the first: Get your soul right
with God and you will be in the best
attitude for everything that comes.
New ways of voyaging by sea, new
ways of threshing the harvests, new
ways of printing books, and the patent
Office is enough to exchant man who
has mechanical ingenuity and knows
a good deal of levers and wheels,
and we hardly do anything as it used
to be done; invention after invention.
invention on top of invention. But in
the matter of getting right with God
there has not been an invention for
six thousand years. It's on the same
line of repentance that David exer-
cised about his sins, and the same old
style of prayer that the publican used
when he emphasized it by an inward
stroke of both hands, and the same
faith in Christ that Paul suggested
to the jailer the night the PEN
| itentiary broke down. Aye. that
is the reason / have more confidence in
it. It has been tried by more millions
than / dare to state lest come far
short of the brilliant facts. All who
through Christ earnestly tried to get
right with God, are right and always
will be right. That gives the young
women who gets that position superb
ority over all rivalries, all .jeal-
ousies, all misfortunes. all health
failings, all social disasters, and
all the combined troubles of eighty
years, if she shall live to be an
octogenarian. If the world fails to
appreciate her, she says: God loves
me. the angels in Heaven are in sym
pathy with me, and can afford to be
patient until the day when the impe-
rial chariot shall wheel to my door to
take me up to my coronation" If
health goes, she says. II can en-
dure the present distress, for
am on the way to a climate
the first breath of which will
make me proof against even the
slightest discomfort" If she be jostled
with perturbations Of social life she
can say: well. when begin my life
among the thrones of Heaven and the
kings and queens unto God shall be
my associates, it will not make much
difference who on earth forgot me
when the invitations to that reception
were made out" All right with God
you are all right with everything.
Martin Luther, writing letter OF
coincidence to one of his friends who
has lost his daughter, began by say
ing: This is hard world for girls. y
1t is for those who are dependent upon
their own wits and the whims of the
world, and the preferences of human
favor. but those who take the Eternal
God for their portion not later than
fifteen years of age, and that is ten
years later than it ought to be, will
find that while Martin Luther's letter
of coincidence was true in regard ia
many, if not most, with respect to
those who have the wisdom. and
promptitude, and the earnestness tc
| get right with God, declare that THU
is good world for girls.