The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1896-09-23
THE CHANGED CITIES.

THE CHANGED CITIES.
REV. DR.. TALMAeE SHOWS HOW THE
GOSPEL WILL AFFECT THEM.
He Says They Will All Be Evangelized'
and He Expects to Live to See It-How
Il VIII Be Brought About and the Con-
sequence.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 13. - So much
that is depressing is said about the
wickedness CT the cities it will cheer
us to read what Dr. Talmage says in
this sermon about their coming redemp-
tion. The text is Zecha-iah viii, 8,
"And the streets of the city shall be
full of boys and girls playing In the
streets thereof. -
Glimpses Of our cities redeemed!
Now boys and girls who play in the
streets run such risks that multitudes
of them end in ruin. But, i'll the COM
ing time spoken of, our cities will be so
neral that lads and lasses shall be as
safe in the public thoroughfares as in
the nursery.
Pulpit ard printing press for the
most part in cur day are busy IN dis
cussins the condition of the cities at
this time, but would it not be health
fully encouraging to all Christian work
ers, and to all who are toiling to make
the world better, if we should fer lit
tie while look forward to tho time when
our cities shall be revolutionized by the
gospel of tho Sen of God, and all the
darkness of sin and trouble and crime
and suffering shall be gene from the
world?
Every man has pride i'll the city OF
his nativity or residence, if it be city
distinguished for any dignity or PROV
ess. Caesar boasted of his native Rome,
Virgil Of Mantua, Lycurgus Of Sparta,
Desmcsthenes Of Athens, Archlmedes
of Syracuse and Paul Of Tarsus /
should have suspicion Of base hearted
ness in man who had no especial in-
terest in the city Of his birth or resi-
dence-no exhilaration ct the evidence
OF it's prosperity CT its artistic embellish-
ments or its intellectual advancement.
A Noticeable Point.
have noticed that a man never likes
a city where he has not behaved we'll!
People who have had free ride IN the
prison van never like the city that fur
nishes the vehicle. When / find Argos
and Rhodes and Smyrna trying to prove
themselves the birthplace Of Homer,
conclude at once that Homer behaved
we'll. He liked them and they liked
him. We must not war on laudable city
pride, or, with the idea Of building our
selves up at any time, try to pull others
down. Boston must continue to point
to its Faneuil hall and to its Common
and to its superior educational adyan-
tages. Philadelphia must continue to
point to its independence hall and its
mint and its Girard college. Washing
ton must continue TO point to its Won
drous capitoline buildings If should
find man coming from any city, hav-
ing no pride in that city, that city hav-
ing been the place Of his nativity, or
now being the place of his residence,
would feel like asking: What mean
thing have you done there: What out
rageous thing have you been guilty OF
that you do rot like the place."
J ! think we ought-aId / take it fer
granted you are interested III this great
work Of evangelizing the cities and saw
ing the world-we ought to toll with
the sunlight in our faces. We are not
fighting in miserable Bull Run OF de-
feat. Wo are On our way to final VIC
tory. We are not following the rider On
the black horse, leading Us down to
death and darkness and doom, but the
rider on the white horse, with the moon
under his feet and tie stars of heaven
for mis- tiara. Hail, Conqueror, hail!
I know there ere sCrrows, and there
are sins, and there arc suGeripgs all
around about US, Lut rs i'll some bitter,
cold winter day, when we are thrashing
our arms around Us to keep our thumbs
from freezing, VIC think CT the warm
spring day that will after awhile come,
or in the dark winter night we lcok up
and see the northern lights. the WIZ
Gows cf heaven illuminated by scmc
great victory, just SO we look up from
the night Of suffering and sorrow and
wretchedpess IL Cur cities, and we see
light streaming through from the other
side, and we know we are Oh the way
to morning-more than that, on the
way to "a morning without clouds"
I want you to understand, all you vino
are toiling for Christ, that the castles
of sin arc all going to be captured. The
victory for Christ in these great towns
is going to be go complete that Lot
man on earth, or al angel i'll heaven, or
a devil in hell will dispute it How do
/ know? / know just as certainly as
God lives and that this is holy truth. The
old Bible is full CT it. If the nation IS
to be saved, Of course all the cities are
to be saved. Ii makes q great difference
with you and with me whether VIC are
toiling OH toward defeat or toiling
on toward victory.
A Glorious Time.
Now, in thismunicipat elevation OF
which I speak have to remark there
will be greater financial prosperity than
our cities have ever seen. So,ae people
seem to have morbid idea Of the mil
lennium, and they think when tire bet
ter time comes to Our cities and the
world people will give their time Up to
psalm singing and the relating of their
religious experience. and, as all social
life will be purified, there will be no
hilarity, and, as al business will be
purified, there will be no enterprise.
There is no ground for such all absurd
anticipation. In the time of which 1
speak where now one fortune is made
there will be hundred fortunes made.
We all know business prosperity de-
pends upon confidence between Liam
and man Now. when that time comes