Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-02-09
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.

Good That Men of Talent Have Within
Their Reach-Brave Stay-at-Homes.
TEXT: "Thou art worth 10000 Of U.S.
II Samuel xviii, s.
One of the most wondrous chara cters of
his time was David. A red haired boy, he
could shepherd a flock or carry "ten loaves
and ten slices of milk cheese to his brothers
in the regiment" or with leathern thong,
stone loaded. bring down giant whose
armor weighed two hundredweight OF
metal, or cause a lion which roared at him
in rage to roar with pain as he flung 1t,
dying, to the roadside, or could marshal
host, or rule an empire. or thumb harp
so skillfully that 1t cured Saul's dementia
"a harp from whose strings dripped pas
torals, elegies, lyrics, triumphal marches,
henedictions. Now, this man, combina-
tion Of music and heroics, of dithyrambs
and battle fields, CT country quietudes md
statesmanship, is to fit out a military eX-
petition Four thousand troops. accord
ing to Josephus, were sent into the field.
The captains were put in command of
the companies, and the colonels in COM
mand of the regiments, which were dis
posed into right wing, left wing and
center. General Joab, General Abishai
and General 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. He will lead them in the awful
CudISe, lOr u0 udS NOT u COWdIuly nerve
in all his body. He did not propose to have
his troops go into perils which he himself
would not brave, apd the battlefield re-
quired as much courage then as now, for
the opposing forces must, in order to do any
execution at all, come up to within posi-
tive reach of saber and spear. But there
came up from the troops and from civilians
a mighty protest against Davd's taking
the field. His life was too important to
the nation. If he went down, the empire
went down; whereas, il the whole 1000 of
the ranks were slain another army might
be marshaled and the defeat turned into
victory. The army and the nation practi-
cally cried out: "No! Mol You cannot
go to the front! We estimate you as 10 600
men! Thou ait worth 10000 of usp"
That army and that nation then and
there reminded David and now remind us
OF the fact which we forget or never ap-
preciate at all that some people are moral
ly or spiritually worth far more than
others, and some worth far less. The CEN
sus and statistics of neighborhoods, or
churches, of nations, serve their purpose,
but they can never accurately express the
real state of things. The practical subject
that want to present to-day is that those
who have especial opportunity, especial
Sraces, especial wealth, especial talent
especial eloquence, ought to make up by
especial assiduity and conservation for
those who have less opportunities and less
God and human uplifting than those who
have only tenth of your equipment. The
rank and the file of the 1000 of the text
told the truth when they said, Thou art
worth 10, 900 of u.s.
In no city of its size are there so many
men OF talent as are gathered in the capital
OF the American nation. Some of the States
are at times represented by men who have
neither talents nor good morals Their
political party compensates them for parti-
san services by sending them to Congress
or by securing for them position in the war
or navy or pension or printing depart
ments. They were Dobodies before they
left home, and they are nobodies here, but
they are exceptional. All the States of the
Union generally send their most talented
men and men Of exemplary lives and noble
purposes. Some Of them have the gifts and
qualifications of ten men, OF hundred men
yea, of thousand men-and their con-
stituents could truthfully employ the
words of my text and say, Thou art worth
10000 of u.s.
With such opportunity, are they aug
menting their usefulness in every possible
direction? Many of them are, some of them
are not. 1t is stupendous thing to have
power-political power, social power, Of
fetal power. 1t has often been printed and
often quoted as one OF the wise sayings OF
the ancients. Knowledge is power Yet
1t 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 plunges down the embankment
The ocean steamer has power for good,
sailing in right direction and in safe waters
and under good helmsman and wide awake
watchman on the lookout, but indescrib-
able power for evil II under full head
way it strikes the breakers. As steam
power or electricity or water forces may
be stored in boilers, Ia dynamos, in reser-
voirs, to be employed all over town or
city, 80 God sometimes puts in one man
enough faith to supply thousands of men
with courage. II a man happens to be thus
endowed let him realize his opportunity
and improve 1t. At this time millions OF
men are a-tremble lest this nation make a
government for the islands of the sea that
will founder the republic. 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 now TAX
ing, false as false aan be. The one is that
II we decline to take under full charge
Cuba and Porto Rico and tho Philippines
we make declination that will be disas-
trous to our nation, and other nations will
take control Of those archipelagoes and
rule them, and perhaps to our humiliation
and destruction. The Other theory is that
IL we take possession OF those once Spanish
colonies we invite foreign interference and
enter upon a career that will finally be the
demolition of this government. Both posi-
tions are immeasurable mistakes. God has
set apart this continent for free govern
ments and the triumphs Of Christianity,
and we may take either the first
or the second course without ruin
We may say to those islands, .'We
do not want you, but we have set you
free. Now stay free, while we see that the
Spanish panther never again puts its
paw on your neck.'' Or we may invite
the annexation Of Cuba and Porto Rico and
say to the Philippines, sect ready by edu-
cation and good morals for free govern
ment, and at the right time you shall be
one Of our Territories, on the way to be one
OF our States"
And there is no power In Europe, Asia or
Africa, or all combined, that could harm
this nation In its worldwide endeavor God
is on the side OF the right, and by earnest
imploration for divine guidance on the part
of this nation we will be led to do the right,
We are on the brink Of nothing. There is
no frightful crisis. This train OF Republi-
can and Democratic institutions is
through train. and all we want is to have
the engineer and the brakemen and the
conductor attend to their business and the
passengers keep their places.
vast majority OF men have no surplus
OF confidence for others and hardly