The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1899-03-31
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON
Tho Eminent Divine's Sunday
Discourse.
Subject: "Perils OF tho Metropolis"-Th
Luxury and the Squalor OF Groat Cite
Thrown Into Violent Contrast-O ec
Lessons Drawn From Experlonca.

Thrown Into Violent Contrast Object
Lessons Drawn From Experience.
TEXT: "wisdom crieth without; she ut.
tereth her voice In the eets."-Proyerbs
l., 20.
We are all ready to listen to the voices Of
voices Of the sea. the voices OF the storm,
the voices OF the star. As in some OF tho
cathedrals In Europe there Is an organ at
either end OF the building. and the one in
so in the great cathedral of nature day re-
spends to day and night to night and
flower to flower and star to star In the
great harmonies OF the universe. The
preaching of Gods love. and the winter is
a prnphet-white bearded-symbolizing
WOO against our sins. We are all ready to
listen to the voices OF nature but how few
OF US learn anything from the voices Of the
noisv and dusty streetf You go tN your
mechanism and to your work and to your
merchandise. and you come back again,
and often with how different heart you
pass through the streets. Are there no
things for US to learn from these pave
ments over which we pass? Are there no
tufts OF truth growing mp between these
cobblestones, beaten with the feet OF toll
and pain and pleasure, the slow tread OF
old age and the quick step OF childhood?
Ave, there are great harvests to be reaped,
and now Thrust in the sickle because the
harvest Is ripe. "Wisdom crieth without:
she uttereth her voice in the Streets"
In the first place. the street impresses
me with the fact that this life is a scene OF
toll and struggle. BY ten O'Clock every day
the city is iarring with wheels, and shun-
ling with feet, and humming with voices,
and covered with the breath OF smc!,a-
stacks. and rush with trafnckers. Once
in awhile you hnd a man going along with
folded arms and with leisurely step, as
though he mad nothing to do; but for the
most part as you find men going down
these streets on the way to business. there
IL anxiety in their faces, as though they
had some errand which must be executed
at the first possible moment. You are
jostled by those who have bargains to
make and notes to sell. Up this ladder
with a hod Of bricks. out OF this bank with
a roll OF bills, on this dray with load OF
goods. digGinga cellar, or shtngling q roof,
or shoeing horse, or building wall, or
mendinga a watch. or binding a book. In
dustry, with her thousand arms and thou
sand eyes and thousand feet goes on sing
ing her song OF work. work. work, while
tho mills drum 1t and the steam whistles
'Nfe it. All this not because men love toll.
Some one remarked, every man ia as lazy
as he can afford to be- But It is because
necessity with stern brow and with uplifted
whip stand over you re- ,dy whenever you
relax your toll to make your shoulders
sting with the lash.
Can 1t be that passing up and down
these streets on your way to work and
business that you do not learn anything
struggle? Oh. how many dropping hearts,
how many eyes on the watch, how many
miles Travelled. how many burdens carried,
how many losses suffered. how many
battles fought. how many victories gained,
how many defeats suffered, how many eX-
ASPIRATIONS endured; what losses. what
,icnger, what wretchedness, what pallor.
what disease. what agony, what despatrl
the street IA the multitudes went hither
and yon, and 1t has seemed to me great
pantomime, and as I looked upon 1t my
heart broke. This great tide ofhuman life
and turned aside, and dashed ahead. and
driven back-beautiful in its confusion,
aud confused in its beauty. In the carpeted
aisles OF the forest. in the woods from
on the shore Of the sea over which iron
coast tosses the tangled foam sprinkling
the cracked cliffs with baptism of whirl-
wind and tempest IL the best place to
study God. but In the rushing, swarming.
ravng street Is the best place Is study
mar.
Going down to your place OF business
and coming home again, charge you to
look about-.-see these signs OF poverty, OF
wretchedness, OF hunger, OF sin, OF bereave-
ment-and rs you go through the streets,
and come back through the streets, gather
up In the arms OF your prayer all the sor.
row, all the losses, all tho sufferings, al!
the bereavements Of those whom you cRss
and present them in PRAYER before an all
sympathetic God. In the great day OF
eternity there will be thousands OF persons
with whom you in this world never OK.
changed one word, will rise up and cal
fingers pointed at you in heaven, saying
THAT Is the man. that Is the woman, who
helped mo when was hungry and sick and
wandering and lost and heartbroken. That
is the man. that is the woman" and the
blessing will come down upon you as
Christ shall say: "I was hungry, and ye
fed Me; 1 was naked, and ye clothed Me:
was sick and in prison. and ye visited Me
inasmuch as We did 1t to these poor wallis o.
the streets, ye did 1t to Me-
Again, the street i'm presses mo with the
fact that all classes and conditions OF so
ciety must comminGle. We sometimes cul
spise, ignorance. Refinement will have
nothing TO do with boorishness. Gloves
hate the sunburned hand, and the high
forehead despises the fiat head, and tine
trim hedgerow will have nothing to Dc
with the wild copsewood, and Athens hate:
Nazareth. This ought not so to be. The
astronomer must come down from the
starry revelry and help us in our nagign
ton. The surgeon must come away from
his study OF the human organism ard SCI
our broken bones. The chemist mus: com,
away from his laboratory, where he ha
been studying analysis and synthesis. ant
help rs. to understand the nature OF tn,
soils. Ibless God that all classes OF peo.
plc are cOElpciieu 10 fneet On tUe Stfeet
The glitterlng couch wheels clashes against
the scavenGer's curt. Elmo robes ruI
against thr peddlers pack. Robust health
meets wan sickness. Honesty confronts
fraud. Every class Of people meets every
other class. Impudence and modesty
pride and humility. purity and bsastliness
frankness and hypocrisy, meeting on the
same block. in the same street, In the same
city. Oh, TINT Is wha. Solomon meant
when he said. "The rich and the poor mee
together; the Lord is the Maker OF then
all"
like this democratic principle OF the
gospel of Jesus Christ which recognizes
the fact that we stand before God one ant