Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1901-01-12
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
POINTS THE WAY TO LIFE OF
USEFULNESS.


In this discourse DR.. Talmage shows
an open door for any one who desires
to be useful and illustrates how a lit
tie thing may decide ones destiny The
text is Proverbs XIV, IL (revised YER
sion), "a word fifty spoken is like APP
pies Of gold in baskets of silver"
A ffligree basket loaded with fruit is
put before US in the text What is or
dinarily translated pictures" ought to
be baskets Here is silver network
basket containing ripe and golden APP
pies, pippins or rennets. You know
how such apples glow through the
openings of basket of silver network.
You have seen such a basket of fruit
on many table. 1t whets the appe-
tite as well as regales the vision Solo
mon was evidently fond of apples, be-
cause he so often speaks of them
While he writes in glowing terms of
pomegranates and figs and grapes and
mandrakes, he seems to find solace as
well as lusciousness in apples, calling
out for a supply of them when he says
in another place, Comfort me with ap-
pies Now you see the meaning OF
my text, "A word fifty spoken is like
apples of gold in baskets of silver"
You see the wise man eulogizes just
one word. Plenty of recognition has
there been for great orations. Cicero's
arraignment of Cataline, the philippics
of Demosthenes, the five days argu-
ment of Edmund Burke against War
rem Hastings, Edward Irving's dis
courses on the Bible, and libraries full
of prolonged utterance. but my text
extols the power of one word when it
refers to "a word fifty spoken"
VI, Gil oil Ord M a
small collection of understanding
you can utter in one breath, something
that you can compact into one SEN
tence. "A word fifty spoken''-an en-
couraging word, kind word. a timely
pirate word. 1 can pass right down
the aisle of any church and find be-
tween pulpit and front door men whose
temporal and eternal destinies have
been decided by a word
Choosing an Occupation.
+ L tell you what is a great crisis in
livery mans history. 1t is the time
when he is entering an occupation or
profession. He is opposed by men in
middle life. because they do not want
hny more rivals, and by some of the
aged, because they fear being crowded
off and their places being taken by
younger men. Hear the often severe
and unfair examinations of young law
yers by old lawyers, of young doctors
by old doctors, of young ministers by
old ministers. Hear some of the old
merchants talk about the young mer-
chants. Trowels and hammers and
scales often are jealous of new trowels
and new hammers and new scales.
Then it is so difficult to get introduced.
How long time has many physician
had his sign out before he got a call
for his services, and the attorney be-
fore he got case. Who wants to risk
the life OF his family to a young physi-
clan who got his diploma only last
spring and who may not know measles
from scarlatina, or to risk the obtain
ing of a verdict for 900 to an at
torney who only three years ago read
the first page of Blackstone?
The Need of Courage.
There are so many men who have all
the elements of usefulness and power
except encourage. If you can only
under God give them that you give
them everything. In illustrating that
one word show them that every man
that ever amounted to anything had
terrific struggle Show him what ships
Decatur had to fight, and what noun
tain Hannibal had to climb, and what
a lame foot Walter Scott had to walk
on, and that the greatest poet who
ever Observation-Disclosures blind, that
one of the grandest musicians of all the
ages-Beethoven-w deaf, and that
Stewart, in some respects the greatest
merchant that America ever saw, be-
gan in his small store. dining on bread
and cheese behind the counter in a
snatched interregnum between custom
ers, he opening the store and closing
it, sweeping it out with his own broom
and being his own errand boy. Show
them that within ten minutes walk
there are stores, shops, and factories,
and homes where as brave deeds have
been done as those Of Leonidas at
Thermopylae, as those of Horatius at
the bridge, as that of Colin Campbell
at Balaklava- Tell them what Napo-
leon said to his staff officer when that
ofncer declared certain military at
tempt to be impossible Impossiblei %
said the great commander. Impossi-
bic is the adjective of fools"
Show them also that what is true in
worldly directions is more true in spir-
ltual directions. Call the roll of proph-
cts, apostles and martyrs and private
Christian from the time the world be-
gan and ask them to mention one man
or woman greatly good or useful who
was not deprecated and failed and
made a laughing stock. Racks and
axes of beheadment did their worst.