Connecticut western news., 1900-07-19
PRACTICAL CHARITY.
REV. oR. TALMAGE ExTolS BENEvo-
 LENCE OF DORCAS.

Contrasts Her Work With Present
 Day Methods-woman Gods Hand
 maiden I'm the Alleviation of Mis-
 ery-A Record of Self Denial
 WASHINGTON, July 15.-Dr. Talmage, who Is still travelling In northern Flu rope, has forwarded the following re- port of a sermon in which he utters helpful words to all who are engaged in alleviating human distresses and shows how such work will be crowned at the last; text Acts K, 80, And all the widows stood by him weeping and showing him the coats and garments which Dorcas made Xhile she was
 Joppa Is a most orblng city of the orient. Into hel~darbor once float nd the rafts of Lebanon cedar from which the temples of Jerusalem were builded. Solomon's oxen drawing the logs through the town. Here Napo- leon had 800 prisoners massacred. One of the most magnificent charities of the centuries was started In this sea port by Dorcas, woman with her nee dle embroidering her name inefacea- bly into the benef1cence of the world. I see her sitting In wonder home. In the doorway and around about the building and in the room where she sits are the pale faces of the poor. She listens to their plaint, she pities their woe, she makes garments for them, she adjusts the manufactured articles to suit the bent form of this invalid wom- an and to the cripple that comes crawl ing on his hands and knees. She gives a coat to this one; she gives sandals to that one. With the gifts she mingles prayers and tears and Christian en- couragement. Then she goes out to be greeted on the street corners by those whom she has blessed, and all through the street the cry Is heard "Dorcas Is coming" The sick look up gratefully in her face as she puts her hand on the burning brow, and the lost and the abandoned start up with hope as they hear her gentle voice, as though an an- gel had addressed them, and as she goes out the lane eyes half put out with sin think they see halo of light about her brow and a trail of glory in her pathway. That night half paid shipwright climbs the hill and reaches home and sees his little boy well clad and says, Where did these clothes come from? And they tell him, Dor cas has been here" In another place woman Is trimming lamp; Dorcas bought the oil. In another place family that had not been at table for many week are gathered now, for Dorcas has brought bread.
 Dorcns the Disciple.
 But there Is sudden pause in that woman's ministry. They say: Where Is Dorcas? Why, we haven't seen her for many day. Where is Dorcas" And one of these poor people goes up and knocks at the door and finds the mystery solved. All through the haunts of wretchedness the news comes, "Dorcas Is sickv' No bulletin flashing from the palace gate telling the stages of a kings disease Is more anxiously waited for than the news from this benefactress. Alas, for Jop- pa there Is wailing, wailing! That voice which has uttered so many cheer full words Is hushed; that hand which has made so many garments for the poor Is cold and still; the star which had poured light into the midnight of wretchedness is dimmed by the blind ing mists that go up from the river of death. In every forsaken place in that town, wherever there is a sick child and no balm, wherever there Is hunger and no bread. wherever there Is guilt
 %lo,, Is broken heart and no comfort, there are despairing looks and streaming eyes and frantic gesticulations as they cry, "Dorcas Is deadw
 They send for the apostle Peter, who happens to be in the suburbs of the place, stopping with tanner of the name of Simon. Peter urges his way through the crowd around the door and stands in the presence of the dead. What demonstration of grief all about him! Here stand some of the poor people, who show the garments which this poor woman had made for them. Their grief cannot be appeased. The apostle Peter wants to perform mira cle. He will not do 1t amid the excited crowd, so he orders that the whole room be cleared. The apostle stands now with the dead. Oh, it Is serious moment. you know, when you are alone with lifeless body. The apostle gets down on his knees and prays, and then he comes to the lifeless form of this one all ready for the sepulcher, and In the strength of him who Is the resur- rection he cries, "Tabitha, arisew There Is stir in the fountains of life; the heart futters; the nerves thrill; the cheek fushes; the eye opens; she sits up.
 We see In this subject Dorcas the disciple, Dorcas the benefactress, Dor cas the lamented, Dorcas the resur- rected.
 Life's Greatest Duty.
 If had not seen that word disciple in my text, would have known this woman was a Christian. Such music as that never came from heart which is not chorded and strung by divine grace. Before I show you the needle work of this woman I want to show you her regenerated heart, the source of pure life and of all Christian char. ities. 1 wish that the wives and moth. CTS and daughters and sisters of all the earth would initiate Dorcas in her dis eipleship. Before you cross the thresh old of the hospital. before you enter upon the temptations and trials of to- morrow, charge you in the name oi God and by the turmoil and tumult oi the judgment day, o woman, that you attend to the first, last and greatest duty of your life-the seeking for God and being at peace with him. Wher the trumpet shall sound, there will bt an uproar and wreck of mountain and continent, and no human arm can help you. Amid the rising of the dead and amid the boiling of wonder sea and amid the live, leaping thunders of the flying heavens calm and nlacid will be