Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1899-02-25
on BOARD THE TRAIN
Or. TALmAee's WORDS OF CHEER TO
COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS.

Cautions Them 60 start Right ON
Their Journey-Condemns work on
the sabbath - Duty of Employers.
Evils of Drink and Gambling.
copyright. 1883. by American Press Asso-
ciation.l
WASHINGTON. Feb fa.-In this discourse
DR. Talmage gives words Of good cheer &c
commercial travellers and tells of their
safeguards and their opportunities; text,
Nahum II. 4. THE chariots shall iagc In
the streets; they shall justle one against
another In the broad ways; they shall
scem like torches; they shall run like the
lightnings
II hns been found out that many OF the
arts and discoveries which we supposed
Were peculiar 60 our own age are merely
the restoration 81 the arts and discoveries
of thousands Of years ago. ! suppose that
the past centuries have forgotten more
than the present century knows. IL seems
10 me that they must have known thou.
sands 81 years ago, In the days Of Nineveh,
OF the uses Of steam and Its application 20
swift travel In my text I hear the rush
Of the rail train. the clang Of the wheels
and the jalnming of the car couplings
THE chariots shall rage in the streets;
they shall justle one against ancdher In
the broad ways: they shall sem like
torches; they shall run like the light
nings"
Have YOU ever taken yonr position In
the night far away from depot along the
track waiting To see the rail train come at
fun spccdy At first you heard In the dis.
lance rumbling like the coming of a
storm: then you saw the flash of the head
light Of the locomotive n IL turned the
curue; then you saw the wilder glare II the
fiery eye Of the train n IL came flunging
toward you. then YOU heard tn, shrek
Of the whistle that frcnzied all the echoes;
then you saw the hurricane dash Of cinders;
then you felt the jar Of the passing earth
quake and you saw the shot thu nderbolt
81 the express train Well IL seems that
we can hear the passing of a midnight ex-
press train in my text. " The charlots shall
rage In the streets; they shall i,istlc one
against another In the broad ways: they
shall seem like torches: they shall run like
the lightnings"
halt the train long enough 10 get on
board. and 90 through the ears. and
find threc-fourths Of the passengers are
commercial travellers. They ar folk
peculiar Ia themselves, easily recognized.
at home ON all the trains. not startled by
the sudden dropping Of the brakes, ia
miliar with all the railroad signals, can
tell you what Is the next stat ion. how
long the train will stop. what place the
passengers take luncheon AZ. can give YOU
Information ON almost any subject. arc
cosmopolitan. at home cverywh ~ from
Halifax 20 san Francisco Thee arr on
the 5 O'Clock morning train. on the noon
train, on the midnight train. You take "A
berth In n sleeping ear and either above
you or beneath you is one Of these gentle
men. There are 100. 600 profcs.cd com
mer'ial travellers I'm the United States. but
500, O00 would not include all those who
are sometimes engaged in this service.
They spend millions Of dollars every day
in the hotels and In the rail trains. They
have their official newspaper organ. They
have their mutual benefit association.
about 4, 900 names on the rolls. and have
already distributed more than $500. 900
among the families Of deceased raembcrs
They ar, ubiquitous. unique and trcmen-
dous for good or evil All the tendencies
If merchandise arr toward their multipli-
cation. The house that stands back on its
dignity and waits for customers Ia come
instead of going 10 seek bargain makers
will have more and more unstable goods
ON the shelf and will gradually lose its
control Of the markets. while tie great.
enterprising and successful houses will
have their agents on all the trains, and
their chariots will rage in the streets, they
shall jostlc one against another In tho
broad ways, they shall seem lik,' torches.
they shall run like the lightning"
Words of Good Cheer.
think commercial travellers an stand
"a sermon Of warm hearted sympathy. II
yOu have any words of good cheer for
them, you had better utter them II you
have any good. honest prayers in their be-
half, they will b. greatly Obliged TO you.
! never knew "A man yet who did not like
IN be prayed for never knew man vet
that did not like "a bc helped II seems to
me this sermon t. timely AT this season
81 the year there are tens Of thousands Of
men going out To gather the spri ng trade
The months of February and March In
all our commercial establishm ents are
very busy months In few days our ma
fional pcrplexitics will all be settled, and
then look out for the brightest icn years
II national prosperity which Thu country
has ever witnessed All our assu te com
Inercial men feel that we are standing at
the opening gate Of wonderful prosperity.
Let the manufacturers put the bands on
their wheels, and the merchant. open a
new set Of account books In place Of those
filed with long columns Of bad debts. let
us start on n new commercial campaign.
Let US drop the old tune OF Mao nj, " and
take up Ariel" or Antioch a"
Now you, the commercial traveller, have
received orders from the head IN N Of the
firm that you are TO start on long excur-
sion. You hive your patterns ali assorted
and prepared You have them gut up In
bundles or cases and marked fou have
full instructions as TO prices You know
on what prices you are 90 stand iirrn, and
from what prices you may retreat some
what. You have your valisc or trunk, or
both, packed II were "A stranger would
have no right 10 look into that ytlise. but
rs ! am your brother will take uhc liber
~. look into the valise, and rongratu-
late you on ali these comfortable articles
Of apparel. The seasons are 50 changcable
you have not taken single prtca ition too
many. Some night you will get out i'm
the snow bank and have 81 walk three or
four miles until you get TO the railroad
station. and you will want all n esc com
forts and conyeniences. But will you ex-
cuse me II ! make suggestion or two
about this yalises You say, Certainly; as
we are having n plain, frank talk 7 will
bot he offended at any honorable sugges-
tion. -
Put in among your baggage some care
fully selected. wholesome reading Let IL
be in history. or poem. or "A boob; Of pure
fictior. or some volume that will give you
information IN regard to your lin, Of bust
ness. Thu a.ld "a that q Bible in round.
beautiful iyia'--s;i.all tyre i ha,l for the
ryes anyS hef' bu, pculiaTly killing in
the ioit = a rail train Put YOUR railroad
guide aHd eoar i.i !e e.h by ~ide.-the one
- show goa iilc ron Trough this world
and the - ne. % show ylu the route to the
next world "Oh. yoH say, that is SUI
pcrslnour. for now ia all the hotels, in the
parior you will lind "a Bible, and in nearly
all the rooms Of the guests you will find