Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1899-03-25
LIFE in GREAT CITIES
DR.. TALMAeE TELLS OF IFS SPLEEN
DOR AND ITS WOE.

DOR AND ITS WOE.
The Pulpit Orator Drayva Some Use
full and Helpful Lessons From His
Own observations The Voice OF
the Streets.
copyright. 1899. by American Press Asao-
ciation.l
WASHINGTON. March 19.-In this dis
course DR.. Talmage. w has lived the
most of his life in cities. draws prac-
tical lessons from his own observation
text. Proverbs i. 30. Wisdom crieth
without; she uttereth her voice in the
streets
We are all ready to listen to the
voices of nature-the voices Of the
mountain. the voices Of the sea, the
voices OF the storm. the voices Of the
star AS in some of the cathedrals in
Europe there is an organ at either end
of the building. and the one instrument
responds unsteady to the other. SO in the
great cathedral of nature day responds
TO day and night to night and flower to
flower and STIR to star in the great har-
monies of the universe The springtime
is an evangelist in blossoms preaching OF
God 8 love. and the winter is a prophet
white bearded = denouncing woe
against our sins. We are all ready to
listen to the voices of nature. but how
few Of us learn anything from the
voices Of the noisy and dusty street
You go to your mechanism and to your
work and to your merchandise. and you
come back again. and often with how
different heart you pass through the
stree$s Are there no things for us to
learn from these pavements over which
we passf Are there no SUITS Of truth
growing up between these cobblestones'
beaten with the feet OF toll and pain
and pleasure, the slow tread Of old age
and the quick step of childhoodY Aye.
there are great harvests to be reaped.
and now thrust in the sickle because
the harvest is ripe Wisdom crieth
without: she uttereth her voice in the
streets
In the first place. the street impresses
me with the fact that this life is scene
OF toll and struggle BY 0 o'clock ev
cry day the city is jarring with wheela.
and shuffling with feet. and humming
with voices. and covered with the breath
OF smokestacks. and arusl with traftick'
era. Once in awhile you find man go.
ing along with folded arms and with
leisurely step. US though he had nothing
to do; but for the most part. as You
find men going down these streets on
the way to business. there is anxiety in
their faces. as though they had some
errand which must be executed at the
first possible moment You are jostled
by those who have bargains to make
and notes to SELL Up this ladder with
a hod of bricks, out Of this bank with
a roll of bills. on this dray with load
Of goods. digging cellar. or shingling
q roof, or shoeing horse, or building
a wall. or mending a watch, or bind
ing book. Industry, with her thou.
sand arms and thousand eyes and thou
sand feet goes on singing her song of
work. work. work. while the mills
drum it and the steam whistles fife it
All this not because men love toll.
Some one remarked. Every man is as
lazy as he can afford to be. . But it is
because necessity with stern brow and
with uplifted whip stands over you
ready whenever you relax your toll to
make your shoulders sting with the Lash.
The Worlds Toll and Anxiety.
Can it be that passing up and down
these streets on your way to work and
business that you do not learn anything
Of the worlds toll and anxiety and
struggle? Oh. how many dropping
hearts. how many eyes on the watch,
how many miles travelled. how many
burdens carried, how many losses suf-
fered, how many battles fought, how
many victories gained, how many de-
feats suffered. how many corporations
endured; what losses, what hunger.
what wretchedneBs. what pallor, what
disease. what agony. what despair ]
Sometimes have stopped at the corner
of the street as the multitudes went
hither and yon. and it has seemed to be
a great pantomime, and as ] looked
upon it my heart broke. This great tide
of human life that goes down the street
is rapid. tossed and turned aside. and
dashed ahead and driven back-beau-
tiful In its confusion. and confused in
its beauty. In the carpeted aisles of the
forest. in the woods from which the
eternal shadow I never lifted. on the
shore of the se's over whose iron coast
tossea the tangled foam sprinkling the
cracked cliffs with baptism Of whirl-
wind and tempest. is the best place to
study God. but in the rushing. nwarm-
ing. raving street is the best place to
study man.
Going down TO your place OF business
and coming home again, l charge you
to look about-see these signs Of power
ty, of wretchedness. Of hunger. OF sin.
Of bereavement-anda as you 30 through
the streets, and come back through the
streets, gather up in the arms of your
prayer all the sorrow. all the lossea, all
the sufferings. all the bereavements Of
those whom you pass. and present them
in prayer before an all sympathetic God.
In the great day of eternity there will
be thousands Of persons with whom you
in this world never exchanged one word,
will rise up and call you blessed. and
there will be thousand fingers pointed
at you in heaven. saying "Thas is the
man, that is the woman. who helped
me when was hungry and Eick 40
wandering and lost and heartbrol D.
That is the man. that is the woman,
and the blessing will come down upon
YOU as Christ shall say: ''Iwa hungry
and we fed me; / was naked, and 20
clothed me: / was sick and in prison,
and ye visited me; inasmuch as 70 did
1t TO these poor waits of the streets, 20
did it TO me-
Again, the street impresaes me with
the fact that all classes and conditions
OK society must commingle We some
times culture wicked exclusiveness
Intellect despises ignorance Redno-
ment will have nothing TO do With