The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-12-13
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON,
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE By THE NOTED
DIVINE.

Subject: Victories Of Pea aoe-The Many
Blessings For Which We Should Be
Observation-Disclosures Eas Lightened
Burdens-God sent the Wheel.
copyright, Louis Klopsch. 1891
WASHINGTON, D. C.-This discourse Of Dr.
Talmage Is a sermon OF preparation for the
national observance and In IN unusual way
calls for the gratitude Of the people; the
text, Ezekiel Z. 13, "As for the wheels. II
was cried unto them in My hearing, O
wheell''
Tho last Thursday of the eleventh month,
by proclamation Of President and Cover
nors, Is observed In thanksgiving for
temporal mercies. With what spirit shall
we enter upon It? For nearly year and q
half this nation has been celebrating the
triumph OF the sword and gun and bat
terry. We have sung martial air, and
cheered returning heroes and sounded the
requiem for the slain in battle. Methinks
giving week, in church and homestead, we
celebrate the victories OF peace, for moth
ing was done at Santiago or Manila that
was of more Importance than that which
In the last year has been done In farmers
field and mechanics shop and authors
study by those who never wore an epaulet
or shot Spaniard or went hundred
miles from their own doorsill. And now
I call your attention to the wheel Of the
text. -: 49,
Man, q small speck in the universe, was
set down in a big world, high mountains
rising before him. deep seas arresting his
pathway and wild beasts capable OF his
destruction, yet he was to conquer. It
could not be by physical force, for COM
pare his arm with the ox's horn and, the
elephants tusk, and how weak he Isl It
could not be by physical speed, for COM
pure him to the antelope's foot and ptar-
migan's wing, and how slow he Is! It
could not be by physical capacity to soar
or plunge, for the condor beats him In one
direction and the porpoise In the other.
Yet he was to conquer the world. Two
eyes, two hands and two feet were INSULT
cient. He must be REINFORCED, so God
sent the wheel.
. twenty-five times is the wheel mem
toned In the Bible, sometimes, as In
Ezekiel, illustrating provldential move
ment; sometimes, as In the Psalms, crush-
ing the bad; sometimes, as In Judges, rep
resenting Gods charioted progress. Th6
wheel that started in Exodus rolls on
through Proverbs, through Isaiah, through
jeremiah, through D Daniel through Nahum,
through the centuries, all the time gather
ing momentum and splendor, until, seeing
what 1t has done for the world's progress
and happiness, we clap our hands in thanks
giving and employ the apostrophe Of the
text, crying, 20 WHEEL" go
call on you In this Thanksgiving week
to praise God for the triumphs OF machin.
cry, which have revolutionized the world
and multiplied Its attractions. Even para-
disc, though very picturesque, must have
been comparatively dull. hardly anything
going on, no agriculture needed, for the
harvest was spontaneous; no architecture
manufacturers loom necessary for the
weaving of apparel, for the fashions were
exceedingly simple. To dress the garden
could not have required ten minutes day.
Having nothing to do, they got into mis-
chief and ruined themselves and the race.
It was sad thing to be turned o1t Of par
adise, but, once turned out, a beneficent
thing to be- compelled to work. To help
man up and on God sent the wheel. II
turned ahead, the race advances; II turned
back, the race retreats. To arouse your
gratitude and exalt your praise 7 would
show you what the wheel has done for the
domestic world, for the agricultural world,
for the travelling world, for the literary
world. "As for the wheels, It was cried
unto them In my hearing, o wheel!'
In domestic life the wheel has wrought
revolution. Behold the sewing machinel It
has shattered the housewives bondage and
prolonged woman's life and added immeas.
urable advantages. The needle for ages
had punctured the eyes and pierced the
side and made terrible massacre. Te pre-.
pare the garments OF the whole household
In the spring for summer and In the au-
tumn for winter was an exhausttng pro-
cess. "Stltch, stitch, stitchl'' Thomas
Hood set 1t to poetry, but millions OF per-
sons have found 1t .aeonizlrg prose.
Slain by the sword, we buried the hero
with the I'D cad March" In "Saul" and flags
at half mast. Slain by the needle, no one
knew 1t but the household that watched
her health giving way. The winter after
that the children were ragged and cold
that welded the needle had forgotten it's
cunning. Soul and body had parted at the
seam. The thimble had dropped from the
palsied finger. The thread of life had
snapped and let suffering human life
drop into the grave. The spool was all un-
wound. Her sepulcher was diRged not
with sections spade, but with q sharper and
shorter Implements needle. Federal and
Confederate dead have ornamented graves
at Arlington Heights and Richmond and
Gettysburg, thousands by thousands, but
1t will take the archangel's trumpet to find
the million graves OF the rsster army OF
women needle slain.
Besides all the sewing done for the house.
hold'af home, there are hundreds OF thou
sands Of sewing women. The tragedy OF
the needle Is the tragedy Of hunger and
cold and insult and inconsistencies and sui
cide-fvs acts. ...
But hear the rush OF wheel, woman
puts on the band and adjusts the tnstru-
ment, puts her foot on the treadle and be-
gins. Before the whfr and rattle pleurtsies,
consumptions, headaches, backaches,
heartaches, are routed. The needle, once
an oppressive tyrant, becomes q cheerful
slave-roll and rumble and roar until the
family wardrobe Is gathered, and winter IS
defled, and summer Is welcomed. and the
ardors and seventies Of the seasons are
overcome; winding the bobbing, threading
the shuttle, tucking, quilting, running,
cording, embroidering, under-bratding SET
to music; lock stitch, twisted loop stitch,
crocket stitch, fascinating ingenuity. :.
+! No wonder that at some Of the learned
institutions, like the New Jersey State
Normal school, and Rutgers Female tnstl-
tute, and Elmira Female college. acquaint-
ance with the sewing machine Is requtsi.
tion, young lady not peing conslaereo
educated until she understands 1t. Winter
is coming on, and. the household "nust be
warmly Glad. 1.-THE Last Rose OF Summer"
will sound better played on q sewing ma
chine than on a piano. Roll on. O wheel
Of the sewing machine, until the last
shsckled woman OF toll shall be, .emanci-
patedl Roll onl :,
Secondly; look into the agricultural
world to see what the wheel has accom-
plished. Look ut the stalks OF wheat and
oats, the one bread for man. the other
bread for horses. Coat of and with
cradle made out Of FIVE or six fingers OF
wood and one OF sharp steel. the harvester
went across rthe field, stroke after stroke,
perspiration rolling down forehead and
cheek and chest, head blistered blythe con-
sumlng sun and lip parched by the mercl-
less August air, at noon the workmen lylng
Il 0xaa Of Qaf