The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-11-20
washington Post.l

and he is to-day more vigorous mentally
and is doing more work than he ever did
before in his life. He is also in very
fine physical condition and enjoying eN
cellent health.
He reads half hundred different pa
pers every week: writes all the editorials
for his religious weekly. wears out some
times two male stenographcrs day die
tating correspondence, sermons, and lee
lures; does a great deal of work on Il
series of new books he will publish soon;
sees scores of callers every week, friends
and admirers and cranks and impostors,
and lectures ut least once year in most
of the large cities of the country.
For a man of his age his natural nerv-
Gus energy is something remarkable. He
talked for two hours the other day, in
his home on Massachusetts avenue. and
it was so impossible for him to sit still
like most public men of his age. during
the entire interview he rolled and twisted
into ropes, unrolled and tied into knots
and pulled and hauled an unfortunate
white linen handkerchief about until the
poor things was almost worn out. 1t is
better to interview him than to see our
best actor in good play; for the inter
viewer is working. being entertained and
educated at the same time.
He says that in all his life he has
never written line nor spoken a word
under any kind of stimulant. At BAN
quets he drinks tea if he can get it, and
if not, then he drinks water. His adj
vice TO all mental workers is never TO
touch even so light a stimulant as tea
or coffee until they are forty-five years
of age. He stimulates himself by physi-
IL. l. .,nl,
day since he was in the grammar school.
In the top of his house he has a private
gymnasium. where he spends from one
to two hours every day. He believes that
running is far better exercise than walk
ing. and he runs in his gymnasium from
five to eight miles day.
RECORD OF A BUSY LIFE.
He has not missed having a sermon
printed on Sunday in twenty-seven
years. Estimating upon the combined
circulation of all the papers now sub
scribing to his sermons through a syn
dicate which is operated from New York
for him, about 100000 copies of each
sermon are distributed over the world
every Sunday and appear simultaneously
in SIX different languages. He never
thought of printing his sermons until a
poor young man came to him one day
twenty-seven years ago in Brooklyn and
asked for copy of his sermons weekly
to sell to newspaper. At first DIR.
Talmage thought he could not write a
sermon, as he then always spoke ex-
temporaneously, but he made the effort
to help the young man out Within
four weeks after the first one appeared
nearly every large daily paper in the
country applied for copy of his SER
mon every week. The poor young man
secured an education and became q
flourishing lawyer, and within no time
at all the syndicating of his sermons
grew entirely out of DR.. Tamage's
hands. He says now that he can hardly
understand the miraculous growth of
this work.
lie has never preached a sermon here
when the seating capacity of his church,
the First Presbyterian, was not taxed ia
its utmost and generally hundreds of
strangers are turned away disappointed.
He usually talks for three-quarters of an
hour. His friends have often urged him
to build a church in the Nations CAPITAL.
but he says it is very doubtful if he ever
undertakes the task. Hundreds of
public men in Washington, who are too
busy to go to church, generally read his
sermons.
he has the pleasure now i'm presiding
over most happily united family COM
posed of his second wife, to whom he
has been married little over a year.
and two grown daughters by his first
wife, After church Sunday night. fire.
quently he and Mrs. Talmage can be
seen walking along Pennsylvania avenue
toward their home, the Doctor moving
with that briskness which was charac-
Iefisuc OF him twenty years ago. He
does not keep team of his own but has
the use of horses when he wants them.
and he and Mrs. Talmage generally ride
10 church. because, he says, he cannot
speak so well after walking. He never
walks out, day or night but hundreds OF
visitors to the Capital. who have neve,
seen him, but recognize him from his
pictures, turn around and look at him
AS he goes about. generally walking
very fast, especially if alone he does moi
seem to be n close observer of the mass
ing show, but pushes on through the
crowds at his usual fast pace. with his
head up high, form very erect. and an
parently thinking deeply and at the same
time getting some good out Of and en-.
loving his walk. He says he loves
Washington because he can learn some
thing new every day, live like a whirl.
wind of excitement or be perfectly Quiet
Just as he likes. Every day he gets
hundreds of letters calling for all man.
ner of answers, ridiculous and serious
humorous and pathetic and if he an.
swered them all he says it would take
ten years of his life.
PECULIAR METHODS OF WORK
Most all Of his work is done in the fore
noon. He studies subject and then
dictates to his stenographer perhaps
two, three, or four sermons upon that
subject; which he calls for convenience
sake of course. He dictates all his
work to a man stenographer and has
been able to find but few men who car
keep up with him. He rises promptly al
Z o'clock in the morning, and after q
bath and breakfast reads several morn
ing papers. Sometimes he dictates as
high as 10000 words in a day, after
wearing out two stenographers. WheI
he is engaged in mental labor he keeps
his mind active by physical exertion. II
he should sit down quietly, he says, anC
think about what he was going to say
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