St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-08-28
FINANCIAL DISTRESS.
Rev. DR.. Talmaae Prescribes 10E
It's Alienation.

Cheerful Behavior and Conversation, Prop.
q Christian Investment and :
Great Spiritual Awakening
the Remedies.
The following discourse by Rev. 1.
Dewitt Talmage indicates how all may
aid in restoring good times. 1t is based
on the text:
Wherefore doth living man oomplain:-La-
mentations, iii, 81.
A cheerful interrogatory in the most
melancholy book of the Bible! Jere-
miah wrote SO many sad things that
we have a word named after him, and
when anything is surcharged with
grief and complaint. we call it jere-
miad. But in my text Jeremiah, rs
by a sudden jolt, wakens us to . thank
full spirit.
Our blessings are SO much more nu-
merous than our deserts that he is sur
prised that any body should ever find
fault Having life, and with it thou
sand blessings, it ought to hush into
perpetual silence everything like crit
icism of the dealings Of God. where
fore doth living man complaint
While everything IN our national
finances is Frightening, for the last
few years the land has been set to the
tune of Naomi" There has been
here and there a cheerful soloist, but
the grand chorus has been one of lam
entation. accompanied by dirRes over
Frustrated commerce. silent manufac-
tories, unemployed mechanism, and
all those disorders described by the
two short words, "hard times" The
fact is that we have been paying for
the bloody luxury of war. more than
80 years ago. There were great ma
tional differences, and we had not
enough Christian character to settle
them by arbitration and treaty, aud
SO we went into battle, expanding life
and treasure, and we'll nigh swapping
the national finances; and north and
south, east and west have ever since
been paying for those four years in
diligence in barbarism. But the time
has come when this depression ought
to end-yea. when it will end
if the people are willing to do
two or three things by way Of
financial medicament, for the people
Is well rs congress must join in the
work of recuperation. The best po-
litical economists tell US that there is
no good reason for continued prostra-
ton. Plenty of money awaiting in
vestment The national health with
never SO strong an arm or SO clear .
brain. Yet we 20 on grooming. groan-
ing, grooming, Is though God had put
this nation upon Cruel, and allowed MS
but one decent breakfast in six months.
The fact is the habit of complaining
has become chronic in this country,
and after all these years of whimper
and wailing and objurgation, we are
under such momentum of SWIVEL that
we cannot stop.
There are three prescriptions by
which believe that our individual and
national finances may be cured of their
present depression. The first is cheer
full conversation and behavior. have
noticed that the people who arc most
vociferous against the day in which we
live are those who are in comfortable
l have made inquiry
of those persons who are violent in
their jeremiads against these times,
aid fhave asked them: Nov. after
all, are you not making . living?"
After some hesitation and coughing,
clearing their throat three or four
times, they say, stammeringly: Yes"
So that with a great multitude
of people it is not aquestion Of getting
q livelihood. but they are unhappy and
because they can mot make
rs much money as they would like to
make. They have only S2.eoo in the
bank, where they would like to have
$1,000. They can clear in ayear only
IS, 600, when they would like to clear
$40. 900, or things come out just even.
Or in their trade they get three dollars
. day when they wish they could make
four dollars or five dollars. ''Ohv' says
some one. are you not ayfre Of the
fact that there 3 geest population
out of employmepl There are hun
dreds of the good aEhilies of this coun-
try who are at their wits end, not
knowing which way to turn?" Yes,
I know it better than any man in
private life can know that sad fact for
it comes constantly to my eye and ear.
But who is responsible for this state Of
things?
Much Of that responsibility I put
upon men in comfortable circumstan-
ces, who, by an everlasting growing,
keep public confidence depressed and
new enterprises from starting out and
new houses from being built. You
knew very well that one despondent
man can talk so men into dependency,
while one cheerful physician can wake |
up into exhilaration q whole asylum of
It is no kindness to |
the poor or the unemployed for you to
Join in this deploration. Hyou have
not the wit and the common sense to
think of something cheerful to say,
then keep silent There i no man
that can be independent of depressed
The medical journals
are ever illustrating it. Twas reading
Of Eve men who resolved that they
would make IN experiment and
see what they could do in the
way of depressing = stout, healthy
man. and they resolved to meet
him at different points in his journey;
md as he stepped out from his house
IN the morning in robust health. one
ot the five men met him and said:
'.Why, you look very sick to-day. What
Is the natter" He said: Il am in ex-
cellent health; there Is nothing the
matter" But passing down the street.
he began to examine his symptoms,
and the second of the ave men met
him and said: why, how bad you
look" WELL" he replied, II don't
feel very well!" After awhile the
II I'D man mat him and the fourfh man