Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-11-05
CUT OFF IN YOUTH.
REV. DR.. TkLMAGE GIVES CONSOLA-
TON 20 BEREAVED PARENTS.

While He Admits That Long Life IL
Pleasant In Some Cases, He shows That
1t Is often a Gain to Die Young.
copyright. 1897. by American Press Asso-
ciatiOn.l
WASHINGTON, Oct. 3l.-From an I'M
usual standpoint Dr. Talmage offers
comfort at the loss of children. and this
sermon must be a balsam for many
wounds His text is Isaiah lvii. /, THE
righteous is taken away from the evil to
come "
We all spend much time in panegyric
of longevity. We consider it a great
thing to live to be an octogenarian. If
any one dies in youth, we say, "What a
pityl" Dr. Muhlenberg, in old age,
said that the hymn written in early life
by his own hand, no more expressed his
sentiment when it said;
would not live alway.
If one be pleasantly circumstanced'
he never wants to go William Cullen
Bryant, the great poet, at 81 years OF
age, standing in my house in festal
group, reading "Thanatopsis" without
spectacles, was just as anxious to live
as when at IS years of age he wrote
that immortal threnody Cato feared at
50 years Of age that he would not live
TO learn Greek. Monaldesco, at 10
years, writing the history Of his time,
feared a collapse Theophrastus, writ
ing book at 80 years Of age, was anx-
ious to live TO complete it Thurlow
Weed at about Sc years Of age found life
as great desirability as when he snuffed
out his first politician. Albert Barnes,
80 well prepared for the next world at
TO- said he would rather stay here. So
it is all the way down. | suppose that
the last time that Methuselah was out
Of doors in a storm he was afraid Of get
ting his feet wet lest it shorten his
days
Indeed | some time ago preached a
sermon on the blessings of longevity,
but | now propose to preach TO you
about the blessings of an abbreviated
earthly existence II were an agnostic
| would say a man is blessed in proper
tion to the number Of years he can stay
on terra firma. because after that ne
falls off the docks and if he is ever
picked out Of the depths it is only to
be set up in some morgue Of the uni
verse 20 see If anybody will claim him
If | thought God made man only to last
30 or 50 or 100 years and then he was
10 20 into annihilation, | would say his
chief business ought TO be to keep alive
and even in good weather to be very
cautious aud TO carry an umbrella and
take oyershoes and life preservers and
bronze armor and weapons Of defense
lest he fall oil into nothingness and
obliteration.
But, my friends, you are not agnos-
tics You believe in Immortality and
the eternal residence Of the righteous i'll
heaven. and therefore | first remark
that an abbreviated earthly existence is
TO be desired and is blessing because
it makes ones life work very compact
Some men 60 to business at Z o'clock
in the morning and return at Z in the
evening Others 90 at s O'Clock and re-
turn at 70 Others 90 at 10 and return
at4 have friends who are ten hours
day in business. others who are five
hours. others who are one hour. They
all do their work well They do their
entire work and then they return
Which position do you think the most
desirable? You say. other things being
equal. the man who is the shortest time
detained in business and who can re-
turn home the quickest is the most
| blocSpd