Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-01-12
DAVIDS ARE WANTED.
NOT ONLY THE NATION BUT EACH
COMMUNITY NEEDS LEADERS.

Copyright, 1899, by American Press Asso-
ciatlon.l
WASHINGTON, Jan. s. From text prob.
sbly never before dscoursed upon DIR.
Talmage in this sermon shows how some
people multiply their resources for useful
ness and in u novel way urges the putting
forth of more energy in right directions;
text, III Samuel xviii, 3, "Thou art worth
10, 900 of us.
One of the most wondrous characters of
his time was David. A red haired boy, no
could shepherd flock or carry "tcn loavcs
and ten slices of milk cheese to his broth.
ers in the regiment" or with leathern
thong, stone loaded, bring down giant
whose arInor weighed two hundrcdweight
OF metal, or cause u lion which roarcd at
him in rage to roar with pain as he flung
it, dying, to the roadside, or could mar
shall host, or rule an empire, or thumb
q harp SO skillfully that it cured Saul's
dementia-a harp from whose strings
dripped pastorals, elcRios, lyrics, tri.-
umphal marches, bcnedictions. Now, this
man, combination Of music and heroics,
of dithyrnmbs and battlefclds, of country
quietudes and craftsmanship is to fit out
military expedition. Four thousand
troops, according to Josephus, were sent
into the field. The captains were put in
command of tho companies and the colo
nels in command Of tho regiments, which
were disposed into right wing, left wing
and center. General .Ioab, General Abb
shat and General 1ttai are to lead these
three divisions. But who shall take the
field as commander in chief? David Of
iers his services ard proposes to 90 to the
front. He will lead them in the awful
charge, for he has not cowardly nerve
in all his body. He did not propose to
have his troops 20 into perils which he
himself would not brave, and the battle.
field required as much courage then as
now, for tho opposing forces must, in or
der to do any execution ut all, come up to
within positive reach of sabcr and spear
But there came up from the troops and
from civilians 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 il the
whole 1000 of the ranks were slain an
other army might DO inarshaed and tho
defeat turned into victory. The army and
the nation practically cried OUT "Nol MOI
You cannot go to the front. We estimate
you as lU,UOU lHbU InOu urU worth ~,
600 of us"
The Lesson For Us.
That army and that nation then and
there reminded David and now remind ne
Of tho fact which we forget or never APP
precato 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 to present today is that those who
have especial opportunity, especial Rraces,
especial wealth, especial talent, especial
eloquencc, 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 Sod 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, 600 Of u.s."
In no city of its size are there so many
men of talent rs are gathered in this cap
ital of the American nation. Some Of the
| states are 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 no.
bodies 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 ex-
emplary lives and noble purposes, Some
Of them have the gifts and qualifications
Of ten men, of 100 men-yea, 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
mentng 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 Off
cial power. 1t has often been printed and
often quoted as ono of the wise sayings Of
the ancients, knowledge Is power Yet
it may as certainly be power for evil rs
for good. The lightning express rail train
has power for good if it is on the track,
but horrible power for disaster if 1t leaves
the track and plunges down the elnbank-
ment. The ocean steamer has power for
good sailing in right direction and in safe
waters anu ulutr ROO'i HclHsHlcn anu
wide awake Waterman on the lookout, but
Undesirable power for evil il under full
Roadway it strikes the breakers. AS steam
power or electricity or water forces may
be stored in boilers, in dynamos, in reser-
voirs, to be employed all over town or
city, so God sometimes puts in one man
enough faith to supply thousands of men
with courage. If man happens to be
thus endowed, let him realize his oppor
tunity and improve it. AT this time mil
lions of mon are a-trcmble lest this nation
make mistake and enter upon some pol
icy of government for the islands Of the
yea that will founder the republic. God
will give 20 u few men on both sides OF
this question faith and courage for all the
rest There are two false positions many
nre now taking, false as false ca3 be. The
one Is that II we decline to take under full
charge Cuba and Porto Rico and the Phil
ippines we make doclination that will
be disastrous to our nation, and other ma
tions will take control of those archipcl
agoes and rule them, and perhaps to oul
humiliation and destruction. Tho othel
theory is that II we take possession o.
those once Spanish colonies we invite for
sgn interference and entcr upon "a career
that will finally be the demolition Of thi
:, government. Both positions are immeas
/ urable mistakes God has set apart thi
,; continent for free government and the tri
Ii umphs of Christianity, and we may taxi
either the first or the second course with
=, out ruin, We may say to those islands
r we do not want you, but we have set yol
: FREQ; now stay free, while we see that TIN