Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1900-08-02
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
GIVES SOME HINTS ON WHAT
TO READ,
Says That the Greatest Blessing of a
Nation Is an Elevated Literature-Its
Greatest Curse an Impure Literature
Some Timely Suggestions.

Copyright, 1900. by Louis Klopsch)
DR.. Talmage, who has been spending
a few days in st. Petersburg, sends the
following report of a discourse, which
will be helpful to those who have an
appetite Tor literature and would like
some rules to guide them in the selec-
ton of books and newspapers: text,
Acts xix, 10, Many Of them also
which used curious arts brought their
books together and burned them be-
fore all men, and they counted the
price of them and found it $1,000 piec-
es of silver"
Paul had been stirring up Ephesus
with some lively sermons about the
sins of that place. Among the more
important results was the fact that
the citizens brought out their bad
books and in a public place made a
bonfire of them. l see the people
coming out with their arms full Of
Ephesian literature and tossing it
into the flames. ] hear an economist
who is standing by saying: stop this
waste. Here are 81 500 worth Of books.
Do you propose to burn them all up?
II you don't want to read them your
selves, sell them and let somebody
else read them" NO." said the peo-
pie; IF these books are not good for
US, they are not good for anybody
else, and we shall stand and watch
until the last leaf has burned to ashes.
They have done us a world of harm.
and they shall never do others harm. ="
Hear the flames crackle and roar!
Well, my friends, one of the wants
OF the cities is great bonfire of bad
books and newspapers. We have
enough fuel to make a blaze 200 feet
high. Many of the publishing houses
would do we'll to throw into the blaze
their entire stock of goods. Bring
forth the insufferable trash and put
1t into the fire and let II be known
In the presence of God and angels and
men that you are going to rid your
homes of the overlapping and under
lying curse of profiigate literature.
The printing press is the mightiest
agency on earth for good and for evil.
The minister of the gospel standing in
a pulpit, has a responsible position,
but do not think 1t is as responsible
as the position of an editor or pub
Usher. At what distant point OF time
at what far out cycle of eternity, will
cease the influence of Henry ]. Ray
mond. or Horace Greeley, or a
James Gordon Bennett, or a Watson
Webb, or an Erastus Brooks, or a
Thomas Kinsella? Take the over
whelming statistics Of the circulation
OF the daily and weekly newspapers
and then cipher If you can, how far
up and far down and how far
out reach the influences of the Ameri-
can printing press.
What is to be the issue of all this?
l believe the Lord intends the print
Ing press to be the chief means for the
worlds rescue and evangelization.
and | think that the great last battle
Of the world will not be fought with
swords and guns, but with types and
presses, purified and gospel litera-
ture triumphing over. trampling down
and crushing out forever that which
is depraved. The only way to over
come unclean literature is by scatter
ing abroad that which is heslthful
May God speed the cylinders of an
honest, intelligent. aggressive, Christ
ian printing press.