The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-23
WESTINGHOUSE FAMOUS AND ELO-
/ QUENT DIVINE SPEAKS AT THE
" PEOPLES CHURCH.
HIS TRIP AROUND THE WORLD.
I'm VIVID LANGUAGE THE PREACH
Err DESCRIBES THE MASSACRE
of LUCKNOW.
HIS AUDIENCE WAS sPELLBoUND.
The Lecturer Declares Russia the
Most Maigned Country on
Earth.

Rev. T. De Witt Talmage, of Wash
ington. q devine of worldwide fame,
lectured at the Peoples church last
evening upon his trip around the
world, and the principal features Of
note resulting from the long journey.
If Talmage had entered ON any other
career besides that of a minister of the
gospel, he would have made for him
self just as great name as he has In
the ministry. There are few men on
earth who possess his wonderful power
Of description. Even plain, unvarnish-
ed sentences, when delivered by him,
become resounding periods. He holds
an audience in awe during some of his
descriptions. In his lecture last even
ing Talmage had an exhaustless fund
of incident and ancedote to draw from
His tour around the world was made
at a period when most of the European
and many of the barbarian countries
were undergoing political disturbances
He graphically pictured many of them
Among the countries visited by the
speaker was India, where he spent
days on the scene of the massacre Of
Lucknow. The facts concerning this
horrible event are familiar to all. Set
forth in the wonderful word painting
of Talmage the massacre seemed to
take on untold horror. Men and women
shuddered as the description progress
sed, so vivid and real was the
language of the speaker, and so dra-
matte and expressive his gestures, for
Talmage is nothing if not theatrical
and intense.
Talmage probably has seen as much
of royalty as any other American liv-
ing, who has not been sent to the
courts of Europe as an official repre-
sentative. Toward the close of his lee
ture, the speaker narrated his visit
to the palace of Alexander the Great,
car Of Russia, an honor rarely &C
corded outsiders. Mr.. Talmage told
the story in unassuaning language, but
it left a vivid impression upon his
hearers. He described the dead car
as wonderful man, of magnificent
presence, kindly demeanor, interested
in everything American, and of a re-
igious temperament. The speaker de-
clared that Russia had been the most
maligned country for the last forty,
years of any nation on the earth
Mr.. TalmageS visit to the car was
not without local interest. 1t occurred
at the time that millions of people in
Russia were starving, and contribu-
lions of food were being sent from all
over the civilized world. The speaker.
was at the capital when the great ship
load Of Minnesota flour was discharged
at one of the ports of Russia. Mr.. Tai
mage saw it loaded upon an imperial
freight train and watched the agents
of the car decorate the train with
American and Russian flags inter
twined. Soon after this, Mr.. Talmagc
visited the emperor and the empress.
The latter he described as an artless,
sincere, loving woman. She thanked
America, and especially Minnesota
through Mr.. Talmage, while the tears
ran down her cheeks.
The speaker said the love which had
existed between Alexander the Great
and the empress was not convention
al affair but real old-faShioned, gen
uine wooing, which had lasted through
life. The speaker also saw and con-
verSed with the present emperor, Gar
Nicholas, who, he said, had many no
BILE traits.
Proceeding westward, Mr.. Talmage
visited Gladstone at London. He told
many incidents of the great old man,
whom Talmage believes is the greatest
man Of many centuries. In the open
ing portion Of his address, the lecturer
spoke Of his visit to Honolulu, which
was at the time of the reformation of
the government and the forming of
the new republic. He was at the con-
vention which framed the constitution
and declared that the men at the head
Of the government were as well de-
velOped mentally as many who sat in
the American senate or British parlia-
ment.
One of the most beautiful bits of
word painting heard in the city for
many months was the speakers de-
scription of the ringing of the bells
of Moscow at sunset. Mr.. Talmage
climbed high tower one evening, and,
just as he reached the top, some $50
feet above the earth, the bells Of the
city burst out in their evening anthem,
thousands of bells, soft and sweet At
the same instant the last rays of the
sun caught the CLINT of gold from the
roofs of the 400 towers of Moscow
and it seemed as if the city was on
fire. Nothing could have exceeded the
vividness Of the speakers description.
He fingered on the words bell" and
boom m-m,' repeating them over and
over, interspersing their repetition with
short and vivid sentences, until the au-
dience instinctively bent to catch the
sound. Talmage has truly wonder
full faculty Of holding his audience
spellbound. The discharge of a can
non in the midst of his hearers would
not have disturbed them, so intent were
they upon the words of the speaker.