The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-03-03
THE TRAVELLING MAN.
REV. DIR. TALMAGE ADDRESSES
THE COMMERCIAL DRUMMERs
He TT z.nks They Are Entitled TO Words
of warmest Sympathy-The Safe
guards and Opportunitfes-Time Pas
sed on Railroad Trains

seq on HkAAlfOaO II6lns
Copyright, 1899, by American Prsss AS
ISOLATION.
In this discourse DIR. Ta1mage gives
words of good cheer to commercial traV-
elers and tells of their anu
their opportunities; text, Nahum H. IT,
'"The charfots shall rage in the streets'
sbav shall iustle one another in the broad
WAYS: they shall seem like torches; taey
shall run like the ~lightnings."
IT has been found out that many OF the
arts and discoveries which We supposed
were peculiar to our own age are merely
the restoration of the arts and discove-
cries of thousands of years ago. / sup
pose that the past centuries have forgot
ten more than the present century knows.
IT seems to me that they must have
known thousands of years ago in the
days of Nineveh of the use of steam
and it's application to swift travel. In
my text I hear the rush of the rail train,
the clang of the wheels and the jamming
of the car couplings. The chariots shall
rage In the streets; they shall justle one
against another in the broad ways; they
shall run like the lightnings."
Have you ever taken your position in
the night Tar away from d uepOL dloh6
the track waiting to see the rail train
come at full speed? At first you heard
in the distance a rumbling, Ike the COM
ing of a storm, then you saw the nasn
of the headlight of the locomotive as II
turned the curve: then you saw the wild
or glare Of the fiery eye Of the train as
it came plunging toward you; then you
heard the Shrek of the whistle tnat
frenzied al the echoes: then you saw the
hurricane dash Of cinders; then you felt
the jar of the passing earthquake and you
saw the shot thunderbolt OF the express
train. Well, it seems that we can near
The passing of a midnight train in my
text. "The chariots shall rage in the
streets; they justle one against another
in the broad ways they shall seem like
torches; they shall run like the light
nings."
L halt the train long enough to get on
board, and I go through the cars, and L
find three-fourths of the passengers are
commercial travellers. They are a folk
peculiar to themselves, easily recognized
at home on all the trains, not startled by
the sudden dropping of the brakes, fam1i-
lar with all the. railroad signals, can tell
you what IS the next station, no" Ions
sengers take luncheon at, can give you
information on almost any SUBJECT, are
cosmopolitan. at home from
Halifax to San Francisco. They are on
the s o'clock morning train, on the MID
night train. You take a berth in a Sleep
ing car, and either above you or beneath
you is one of these gentlemen. There
are lUU.UUU DTOItSStu Cid A"F
in the United States, but aO,0W would
not include all those who are sometimes
engaged in this service. They spend mil
lions of dollars every day in the hote!s
and in the rail trains. They have their
official newspaper organ. They nave
their mutual benefit association, about
1900 names on the rolls, and nave alreauy
distributed more than $500, 900 among fam
lilies of deceased members. Tney are
ubiquitous, unique, and tremendous LOT
good or evil. All the tendencies or mer-
l. A. we +auyor1 thnir mnlt1nlcatlOn
The house that stands back on ITS dignity
and waits for customers to come, lnstea1
of going to seek bargain makers, WILL
have more and more unSalaDle goods on
the shelf and will gradually lose its con-
troll of the market. While the great, en-
terprising and successful houses VII
have their agents on all the trans, anc
''their chariots will rage in the streets
they shall justle one against anolner az
the broad ways. They n seem IKE
torches, they shall run like the l1ght-
nings.'"
ENTITLED TO WARM SYMPATHY.
7 think commercial travellers can stanC
a sermon of warm hearted sympathy. II
YOU have any words of good cheer To-
them, you had better utter them. IL yoI
have any good. honest prayers IN thel
behalf, they will be greatly obliged &c
YOU. [ never knew a man yet VINO dlC
not like to be prayed for; L never a hneH
a man vet that did not like to be helped
IT seems to me this sermon is timely
At this season of the year there are ten
of thousands OF men gong 1 hs Of Of EEebru
ary and March in all our commercial eS
Establishments are very busy montns' II
a few days our national perplexltles VII
all he settled, and then look out 1or tn
brightest ten years of national proSperlt.
which this country has ever witnessed
All our astute commercial men feel ina
we are standing at the opening gate U
wonderful prosperity. Let the manuIac
turers put the bands on their wheels an'
the merchants open a new set OIL az
long columns of bad debts. Let US star
on a new commercial campaign. Let u
drop the old tune of Naomi ana IAN
Hp Ariel or Antioch
Now Won. the commercial traveller, nav
received orders from the head men OF tn
firm that you are to start ON a long eA
cursion. You have your patterns All as
sorted and prepared. You nave tneih w w
have full instructions as to prices. 1o'
know on what prices you are TO stan
firm and from what prices you may lie g
treat somewhat. You have your VaIls'
or trunk or both packed. II l We're
stranger, I would have no right 70 lopi
into that valise, but as L am o your into tn,
yalise. and I congratulate you on All tnes'
comfortable articles OF apparel. me sea
sons are so ~changeable you nave no
taken a single ~precaution too many. SOM
night you will get out in the snow pam
and nave to walk three or four miles un
til you get to the railroad station any
YOU WILL VAIN w. Is
yeniences. But will you excuse me II :.
make a suggestion or two about thl
vaIise? You say, Certainly; as We ar
having a plain, frank talk l will not not ?
offended at any honorable suggestion
put in among your baggage some care
fully selected, wholesome reading. lie e
it be in history, or a poem, or a book 2
n1,re fiction. or some volume that WI
give you information in regard to you
line of business. Then d to that a BID
in round beautiful type. Small type !
bad for the eyes anywhere, but pecullai
ly killing in the jolt of a train: Put you
railroad guide and yourBible SIDE py $40
the one to show the routes through TN
world and the other to show You IN
route to the next world. "Oh," you say
THAT is superf1ous, for now in all tn
hotels in the parlor you will lind a Blolt
and in nearly all the rooms of the guest
YOU will find one" But, my Drotner, ina
is not your Bible.
SHOULD CARRY A BIBLE.
You want your own hat, your ow
coat. your own blanket, your own Blol'
.'Rut.' YOU say, Il am not a Christian
and YOU ought not to expect me to carr
a Bible Ny brother. a great many pee
ME are not Christians who carry a Blbl'