Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1900-05-12
LIFT UP THE FALLEN.
DR.. TALMAGE PLEADS FOR WELCOME
= FOR THE PRoDlGAL..

Has No Sympathy with the SELF
Righteous Elder Brother - Kind
ness Would Reclaim Many Who
Fall by the Way.
WASHINGTON. May G. In this dis
course DR.. Talmage pleads for hearty
reception to all those who have done
wrong and want to get back. while the
unsympathetic and self righteous are
excoriated; text, Luke Nv, %, And
he was angry and would not 90 In"
Many times have | been asked to
preach sermon about the elder broth
er of the parable. received a letter
from Canada saying. 'Is the elder son
of the parable SO unsympathetic and
so cold that he is not worthy OF recog-
nition?" The fact Is that we ministers
pursue the younger son. You can hear
the flappings of his rags In many a SER
monic breeze and the branching OF the
pods for which he was an unsuccessful
contestant | confess that 1t has been
difficult for me to train the camera OBJ
scura upon the elder son OF the para
BILE. could not get q negative for q
photograph. There was not enough
light In the gallery. or the chemicals
were poor. or the sitter moved In the
picture. But now | think | have him;
not a side face or three-quarters or
the mere bust. but full length por-
trait as he appears to me. The father
I'm the parable of the prodigal had moth
ing to brag Of In his two sons. The
one was rake and the other churl.
find nothing admirable In the disso-
luteuess OF the one. and | find nothing
attractive In the acrid sobriety OF the
other. The one goes down over the
larboard side. and the other goes down
over the starboard side. but they both
go down.
From all the windows OF the old
homestead bursts the minstrelsy. The
floor quakes with the feet OF the rus
tics. whose dance Is always vigorous
and resoundlng. i4Set ~ '.,,,.,'"rs have
heard OF the return Of the younger sOh
from his wandcrings. and they have
gathered together. Tie house Is full
OF congratulators suppose the tables
are loaded with luxurips: not only the
one kind of meat mentioned. but Its
concomitants. "Clapy' 20 the Gym
balls. "Thrum." go the harps. Click!
20 the challces. up and down 90 the
feet inside. while outside Is most sor-
ry spectacle
Always Present.
The senior son stands at the corner
Of the house. frigid phlegmatic. He
has Just come In from the fields In very
substantial apparel. Seeing some wild
exhilarations aro the old mansion,
he asks Of a ser, ant passing by with
a goatskin. OF wine on his shoulder
what all the fuss Is about. One would
have thought that. on hearing that his
younger brother had got back, he
would have gone into the house and re-
joiced and II he were not copscIen-
tiously opposed to dancing, that he
would have joined In the oriental scbot-
tish. No. There he stands. His
brow lowers: his face darkens; his lip
curls with contempt; he stamps the
ground with Indignation; he sees moth
ing at all to attract. The odors OF the
feast coming out on the air do not
sharpen his appetite; the lively music
does not put any spring into his step.
He Is In a terrible pout: he crticlses
the expense. the injustice and the NOR
ais Of the entertainment. The father
rushes out bareheaded and coaxes him
to come In. He will not go in; he
scolds the father; he goes into pas
quinade against the younger brother,
and he makes the most uneOmely
scene; he says. Father, you put a
premium on yagabondism. l staid at
home and worked on the farm. You
never made a party for me; you didn't
so much as kill kid. That wouldn't
have cost half as much as n calf. But
this scapegrace went of In fine clothes,
and he comes back not fit to be seen,
and what a time you make over him!
He breaks your heart. and you pay
him for II. That calf. to which we
have been giving extra feed during all
these weeks. wouldn't be so fat and
sleek II I had known to what use you
were going to put It! That yagabond
deserves to be cowhlded instead Of
Veal Is too good for hIm!
That evening. while the younger son
sat telling his father about his adven-
lures and asking about what had oc-
Cured on the place since his departure,
the senior brother goes to bed disgust
ed and slams the door after him. That
senior brother still lives. You can see
him any Sunday, any day Of the week.
At a meeting Of ministers in Germany
some one asked the question. "Who Is
that elder SON." and Krummacher an
swered: 81 know him: | saw him yes
terday." And when they insisted upon
knowing whom he meant be said: MY
self. When saw the account Of the
Of most obnoxious man. !
was irritated."
An Migrate.
First, this senior brother Of the text
stands for the self congratulatory, self
self worshipful man. With
the same breath In which he vltupe-
rates. against his younger, brother he
1tters a panegyrlc for himself. The
self righteous man Of my text, like ev-
FRY other self righteous man. was full
,f faults. He was an migrate. for he
did not appreciate the home blessings
which he bad all those years. He was
ilsobedIent. for when the father told
him to come In he staid out He was
4 liar. for he said that the recreant son
lad devOured his fathers living when
he father. so far from being reduced
10 penury. had homestead left. had
Of music. had jewels. had |
/ mansion and instead Of being a pau
per was a prince. This senior brother, !
With so many faults of his own. was
N az ciIess In his criticism OF the yOun-