The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1899-01-13
WANT MORE DAVIDS.
Dr.. Talmage Says Every Commu-
nifty Should Have One.
The People Need Energetic ChristIa n
Leaders In Their Fight Against
Satan-Iess0n from the
Old Prophet.
Washington,
Copyright

| ply their resources for usefulness and
in a novel way urges the putting forth
! of more energy in right directions;
| text, IL. Samuel 1873: Thou art wortt
| 10000 of us"
One of the most wondrous characters
| ofhis time was David. A red haired boy
| he could shepherd flock or carry "ten
loaves and ten slices of milk cheese tc
his brothers In the regiment" or with
leathern thong, stone-loaded, bring
| down giant whose armor weighed
| two hundredweight of metal, or cause
q lion which roared al him in rage tC
roar with pain as he flung it, dying
| TO the roadside, or could marshal host
| or rule an empire, or thumb d harp sc
successfully that it cured Saul's demen-
tia-a harp from whose strings dripped
Pastorals, elegies. lyrics, triumphaI
| marches. benedictions. Now, this ma n
| q combination of music and heroics, ol
dithyrambs and battlefields, of coun-
try quietudes and craftsmanship, is &c
fit out a military expedition. -Four
thousand troops, according to ,Io-
sephus. were sent into the field. The
companies and the colonies in com
mand of the regiments. which were
disposed into right wing. left wing
and center. Gen. Joab. Gen. Abishai
| and Gen. Ittai are to lead these three
divisions. But who shall take the field
as commander in chief? David offers
his services, and proposes to go to the
front. lie will lead them in the awful
charge. for he has not a cowardIy nerve
in all his body. lie did not propose 10
have his troops go into perils which he
himself would not brave, and the bat
tletield required as much courage then
as now, for the opposing forces must
in order to do any execution at all
come up to within positive reach of
saber and spear. But there came up
from the troops and the civilians a
mighty protest against David's taking
the field. His life was too important 10
the nation. If he went down, the en-
pire went down, whereas if the whole
1000 of the ranks were slain anot her
army might be marshaled and the de-
feat turned into victory. The>hTTry' md
the nation practically cried out: NO!
No. ION cannot go 10 the front, We
estimate you as 10000 men. Thou art
worth 10000 of us!"
That army and that nation then and
there reminded David. and now remind
us. of the fact which we forget or never
appreciate at all that some people are
morally or spiritually worth far more
than others and some worth far less.
The census and statistics Of neighbor-
hoods, of churches, of nations, serve
their purpose, but they can never ac-
curately express the real state of
things. The practical subject that
want 10 present to-day is that those
who have especial opportunity, especial
graces, especial wealth, especial talent.
especial eloquence, ought to make up
by especial assduity and conservation
for those who have less opportunities
and less gifts. You ought 10 do ten
times more for God and human uplift-
Of your equipment. The rank and the
file of the 1000 of the text told the
truth when they said: Thou art
worth 10000 of u.s."
In no city Of it's size are there so
many men of talent as are gathered in
this capital of the American nation.
Some of the states are at times repre-
sented by men who have neither tall
ents nor good morals. Their political
party compensates them for partisan
services by sending them to congress.
or by securing for them positions in
the war or navy or pension or print
ing departments. They were nobodies
before they left home. and they are no
bodies here. But they are exceptional.
All the states of the Union generally
send their most talented men aud men
of exemplary es and noble purposes
Some of them have the gifts and quail
ticatious of ten men, Of 100 men-yea,
OF 1000 men-and their constituents
could truthfully employ the words Of
my text and say: Thou art worth 1O.-
O00 of u.s."
With such opportunity are they aug
menting their usefulness in every pos
sible direction? It is a stupendous
thing TO have power-political power.
social power. official power It has
often been printed and often quoted as
one of the wise sayings Of the ancients:
knowledge is power" Yet, it may as
certainly be power for evil as for good
The lightning express rail train has
power for good if it is on the track, but
horrible power for disaster if it leaves
the track and plnuges down the en-
bankment. The ocean steamer has pow
er for good sailing in right direction
and in safe waters and under good
helmsmen and wide awake watchmen
on the lookout, but indescriba BILE power
for evil if under full headway it strikes
the breakers. AS stea N power or cleo
tricity or water forces may be stored in
boilers, In dynamos. in reservoirs. TO
be employed all over town or city, so
God sometimes puts in one man enough
faith to supply thousands of men with
courage. If man happens to be thus
endowed. let him realize his opportu-
nifty and improve it. At this time mil
lions of men are a-trembe lest this na
tion make a mistake, and enter upon
some policy of government for :he isl
ands of the sea that will founder tie re-
public. God will give TO few men on
both sides of this question faith and
courage for all the rest. There are
two false positions many are Low TAX
ing, false as false can be. The one is
that if we decline TO take under full
charge Cuba and Porto Rico and the