The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1899-01-19
.TALMAGE'S SERMON.
"A NEW CENSUS LAST SUN
DAYS SUBJECT.
From the Second Book Of Samuel.
Chapter XVIII, Verse 8, as Follows:
Thou Art Worth Ten Thousand Of
U.s.

nalred boy, he could shepherd Hoch,
or carry "ten loaves and ten slices OF
milk cheese to his brothers in the reg1-
ment," or, with leathern thong, stone
loaded. bring down giant whose ar
NOR weighed two hundred weight OF
metal, or cause a lion which roared at
him in rage to roar with pain as ne
flung it, dying, to the roadside, or
could marshal a host, or rule an en-
pire, or thumb harp so skllltully
that it cured Sauls dementia-a harp
from whose strings dripped pastorals,
elegies, lyrics, triumphal marches
benedictions. Now, this man, COM
bination of musics and herolcs, or
dithyrambics and battlefelds, of coun-
try quietude and craftsmanship, Is TO
fit out military expedition. Four
thousand troops, according to Jo-
sephus, were sent into the field. Inc
captains were put in command OF the
companies, and the colonies in COM
mand of the regiments, which were
disposed into right wing, left wing,
and center. Gen. Joab, Gen. Abishal
and Gen. 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 aw-
full charge, for he has not a cowardly
nerve in all his body. He did not pro-
pose to have his troops go into perlls
which he himself would not brave,
and the battlefield required as much
courage then as now, for the opposing
forces must, in order to do any ex-
ecution at all, come up to within pos
tive reach of sabre and spear. But
there came up from the troops and
from the civilians a mighty protest
against David's taking the field. His
life was too important to the nation.
If he went down, the empire went
down; whereas, if the whole four thou
sand of the ranks were slain, another
army might be marshaled and the de-
feat turned into victory. The army
and the nation practically cried out,
mo! No! You cannot go to the
front. We estimate you as ten thou
sand men. Thou art worth ten thou
sand of u.s."
That army and that nation, then
and there, reminded David, and now
remind us, Of the fact which we for
get, or never appreciate at all, that
some people are morally or spiritually
worth far more than others, and some
worth far less. The census and statis-
tics of neighborhoods, of churches, of
nations, serve their purpose, but they
can never accurately express the real
state of things. The practical subject
that I want to present today is that
those who have especial opportunity,
especial graces, especial wealth, espe-
cial talent, especial eloquence, ought
to make up by especial assiduity and
conservation for those who have less
opportunities and less gifts. You
ought to do ten times more for God
and human uplifting than those who
have only a tenth of your equipment
The rank and the file of the four thou
sand of the text told the truth when
they said, Thou art worth ten thou
sand of u.s."
In no city of it's size are there so
this capital of the American nation.
Some of the states are at times repre-
sented by men who have neither tai
ents nor good morals. 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 print
ing departments. They were nobodies
before they left home, and they are
nobodies here. But they are excep-
tional. 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
a hundred men-yea, of a thousand
men-and their constituents could
truthfully employ the words of the
text and say, Thou art worth ter
thousand of u.s."
With such opportunity are they aug
menting their usefulness in every pos
sible direction? Many Of them are
pendous thing to have power-politica
power, social power, official power. I
has often been printed and often quot
ed as one Of the wise sayings Of tn
ancients, knowledge is power" We
it may as certainly be power for evi
as for good. The lightning expires
rail train has power for good, if it i
on the track, but horrible power 70
disaster il it leaves the track an
plunges down the embankment. TIL
ocean steamer has power for goot
sailing in right direction and in SAT
waters and under good .helmsman an
wide-awake Waterman on the lookou
but indescribable power for evil If ur
der full Roadway it strikes the break
ers. AS steam power or electricity {
water forces may be stored in boiler
in dynamos, in reservoirs, to be en-
ployed all over town or city, so Go
sometimes puts in one man enoug
faith to supply thousands of men wit
courage If man happens to be t1ll
endowed, let him realize his oppo
tunity and improve it. At this tin
millions of men are atremble lest tn