The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-06-04

WASHINGTON, June 2.-This is a dis
course by DIR. Talmagerfor those. given to
depreciate themselves and who have an
idea, that their hest attempts amount to
little. or nothing; text, Matthew XIV, Is,
ITO another one"
.Expel first from this parable Of the
talents the word "usury." 1t ought to
have been translated interest" "Usu-
y" is finding a man in a tight place and
compelling him to pay an unreasonable
sum to get out. Interest" is a righteous
payment for the use Of money. When
the capitalist of this parable went off
from home, he gave to his stewards GER
tain sums of money, wishing TO have
them profitably invested. Change also
your idea as 10 the value of one talent.
You remember the capitalist gave to one
of his men for business purposes five tai
ents, to another two. to another one. What
a small amount to this last, you think.
and how could he be expected to do any
thing with only one talent? ! have to tel
you that one talent was about 1920.
so that when my text says. TO another
one" it implies that those who have tn"
least rave much.
We bother ourselves a great deal abou'
those who are highly gifted or have larG-
financial resource or exalted official pos
ton or wide reaching opportunity. W.
are anxious that their wealth. their 81"
quence, their wit, be employed on IT,
right side. One of them makes a mis-
take, and we say. "Wha an awful dis
aster." When one of them devOteS a.
his great ability TO useful purposes. -,
celebrate it. we enlarge upon il. we spea"
of it as something for gratitude TO GOu
Meanwhile We give no time at all TO cor
slider what people are doing with Their
one talent. not realizing that ten people
of one talent each are quite as impOr-
tant as one man with ten talents.l In the
one case the advantage or opportunity
is c]oncentered in a single personality.
while in another it is divided anon" ten
individuals. Now. what we want TO 90
In this sermon is to waken people of only
one talent to appreciation of their duty.
Only 4 few people have FIVE talents or ten
talents, while millions have one. My
short text is like q galvanic shock. TO
another one
The most difficult thing in the world is
to make an accurate estimate of our
selves. Our friends value Us too high,
our enemies too low. To find out what
we are worth morally and mentally is al.
most impossible. We are apt to measure
ourselves by those around us. but this is
not fair, as they may be very brilliant u:
very dull. very good or very bad. Indeed
there are no human scales that can tel
our exact moral and mental weight. nu!
is there a standard by which we ca,
measure our Pxact intellectual height. =
the hardest thing TO DO i to calcUl.:
our real stature or heft. But it will 80
no evidence of egOtism in any "f US If y.
say that we have at least one talent
What is it and. finding what it is, wiar
use shall we make of it? The most OF
the people, finding that they have only
one talent. do as the man spoken of IN the
parable. they hide it. But if all of the
people who have one talent brought it GU
for use before this century is half pas
and correspondents begin to write at the
head of their letters 1850 the eartf
would be one Of the outskirts Of heaven
i ask you again, What is your one talent
Garry Good Cheer.
Is it O cheerful look? Garry that lool
wherever you go. ItImust come from {
cheerful heart. 1t is not that inane smile
which we sometimes see which is an irri
tation. In other words, it must be s
light within US so bright that it illumine:
eye, cheek, nostril and mouth. Let ter
men who are accustomed to walking 8
certain street every day resolve upon &
cheerful countenance as a result of {
cheerful heart, and the influence Of suct
q facial irradiation would be felt not nnl!
in that street. but throughout the town
Cheerfulness is catching. But a Cheerful
look is exceptional. Examine the first ;,
faces that you meet going through Penn
sylvania avenue or Chestnut street al
Broadway or State street or La Sale
street or Euclid avenue. and 10 out I"
the 20 faces have either an anxious lo''i
or q severe look ar a depressing look Z"
an avariciuus Irnk or a steering look or
vacant look. Here is a missionary worl
for those whn have trouble. Arm your
self with gospel comfort. Let the Coo
who comforted Mary and Martha at IN,
loss of their brother. the God who sooth
ed Abraham al the loss of Sarah and thu
God of David. who consoled his beref,
spirit at the loss of his boy by saying. 81
shall 60 to him." the God who filled St
John with d~oxolOgy when an exile OF
barren Patmos and the God who hal
given happiness to thousands Of the bank
rupted and prosecuted. filling them with
heavenly riches which were more thar
the earthly advantages that are wipet
OUTLET that God help them. II he tax,
full possession Of your nature, then yor
will go down the street a benediction t.
all who see you, and those who are in thu
tough places Of life and are run upon ant
belied. and had their homes destroyed vii
say: IF that man al be happy, / can b.
happy. He has been through troubles a.
big es mine, and he goes down the street
with a face in every lineament Of which
there are joy and peace and heaven
What I'm I groaning about? From the
Unit place that man got his cheerfulness
I can get mine. Why art thou cast
down. o my soul, and why art thou dis
quieted within me? Hope thou in God
for ! shall yet praise him who is the
health Of my countenancs and my Cod
Religion of Happiness.
In one of the towns Of New York state
an inhabitant said of a friend Of mine
Fl do not believe as that man does. but
cannct despise a religion that makes
man look as happy as he seems to be-
Ii we have a rough usage. we cannot