Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1899-01-14
DAVIDS ARE WANTED.
NOT ONLY THE NATION BUT EACH
COMMUNITY NEEDS LEADERS.

MOI ONLY TIE NATION BUT EACH
COMMUNITY NEEDS LEADERS
Dr. TalmaEe Points Ont the Way In
which One Man May Make Himself
worth Many. ms the Old Prophet
Did.
copyright. 1889 by American Press Asso-
clation.l
WASHINGTON. Jan. S.-From text prob
ably never before discourscd upon DIR
Talmage In this sermon shows how some
people multiply their resources for useful
ness and In IA novel way urges the putting
forth Of more energy In right directions:
text. II Samuel xviii. 8. Thou art worth
10000 Of us s.
One Of the most wondrous characters of
his time was David. A red haired boy, he
could shepherd n flock or carry "ten loavcs
and ten slices Of milk cheese 20 his broth.
ers in the regiment, or with leathern
thong. stone loaded, bring down giant
whose armor weighed two hundrcdweight
OF metal. or cause lion which roared at
him In rage TO roar with pain as he flung
II. dying. 20 the roadside. or could mar.
shal host. or rule an empire, or thumb
a harp so skillfully that IL cured Saul's
dementia-a harp from whose strings
dripped pastorals, elcgies, lyrics, tri--
umphal marches. benedictions Now, this
man. a combination Of music and heroics,
OF dithyrambs and battleflelds. of country
quietudes and craftsmanship. is 20 fit out
n military expedition. Four thousand
troops according 20 Josephus. were sent
Into the field The captains were put In
command Of the companies and the colo
nels In command Of the regiments, which
were disposed into right wing. left wing
and center. General Joab. General Abb.
shat and General Ittai are to lead these
three divisions But who shall take the
field rs commander In chief David Of
fers his services and proposes TO go 10 the
front He will lead them In tho awful
charge. for he has not cowardly nerve
In all his body He did not propose To
have his troops 90 into perils which he
himself would not brave, and the battle.
field required as much courage then as
now, for the opposing forces must, in or
der 90 do any execution at all, come up TO
within positive reach Of saber and spear
But there came mp from the troops and
from civilians mighty protest against
David's taking the field. His life was too
N,
the empire went down. whereas II the
whole 1000 OF the ranks We're slain an
other army might be II arshaled and the
defeat turned into victory The army and
the nation practically cried out: mol mol
You cannot 30 tn the front. We estimate
You rs 10000 men Thou art worth TO-
600 of usi''
The Lesson For Us.
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 9TH
ers and some worth far less. The census
and statistics Of neighborhoods. of church
es, of nations, serve their purpose, but
they can never accurately express the real
state of things. The practical subject that
] want 20 present today Is that those who
have especial opportunity, especial graces,
especial wealth, especial talent, especial
eloquence. ought To make up by especial
assiduity and conservation for those who
have less OPT ortunities and less gifts You
ought TO do ten times more for God and
human uplifting than those who have
only tenth II your equipment The
rank and tho file of the 1000 of the text
told the truth when they said. Thou art
worth 10000 of US
In no city Of its size arc there 80 many
men Of talent are gathered In this cap
ital of tho American nation. Some Of the
states ARC at times represented by men
who have neither talents nor good NOR.
ais Their political party compensates
them for PARTISAN services by sending
them TO congress or by securing for them
position IN the war or navy or pension or
printing departments. They were 10.
bodies before they left home and they ara
nobOdics here But they are exceptional
All the states Of the Union generally send
their most talented men ard men of ex.
emplary lives and noble purposes Some
of them have the gifts and qualifications
Of ten men. Of 100 men-yca, Of 1000
men-and their constituents could truth
fully employ the words Of my text and say
Thou art worth 10000 Of u.s.
The Use OF Power.
With such opportunity are they aug
menting their usefulness in every possible
directionY Many OF them are. some Of them
are not 1t is stupcndous thing % have
power-pohtical power, social power. Off
cial power. IL has often been printed and
often quoted as one of the wise sayings OF
the ancients. knowledge is power. Yet
IL may as certainly be power for evil as
has power for good IL II is on the track,
but horrible power for disaster II Il leaves
the track and plunges down the enbank-
ment The ocean steamer has power for
good sailing In right direction and i'm safe
waters and under good helmsmcn and
wide awake Waterman on the lookout, but
Understandable power for evil II under full
Roadway tt strikes the breakers. As steam
power or electricity or winter forces may
be stored in boilers. I'm dynamos, In reser
voirs, to be employed all over town OF
city, so God sometimes puts in one man
enough faith To supply thousands of men
with courage II man happens 10 be
thus endowed let him realize his oppor.
tunity and improve IT, AT this time mil
lions OF men are a-tremble lest this nation
make mistake and enter upon some pol
icy Of 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 aud courage for all the
rest There are two false positions many
ARE now taking, false as false can be The
one is that II we decline To take under full
charge Cuha and Porto Rico and the Phil.
ippines we make declinaticn that will
be disastrous TO our nation, and other ma
tions will take control OF thuse archipel-
agoes and rule them. and perhaps TO our
humiliation and destruction The other
theory Is shat II we take possession OF
those once Spanish colonies we invite for
eign interference and enter upon u career
that will finally be the demolition Of this
government Both positions are irumeas
urable mistakes God has sCt apart this
continent tor free NsrEmcni and the ri
az jils of Christianity ANA we nay take
,thrr the iirst or The scrund course with
.ut ruin We may say "a those islands.
-Wcuo not want yuu Ut we have set you
IRE NOW stay FREE willie We see that the
Slnnlsh panther never gain puts its paw
)n your n,rk. il.ny invite the an
n..xai ron nt Cnlm and l'ofto Rico and say
tD the PHILIPPINES tGet ready. by educa-
.ion and good n.urals. tor free government
and nc tho rirht time Won shall he ona ~