Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1901-01-17
Dr.TALMAGE SERMON
TfR GREAT DIyINE'S ELOQUENJ
MESSAdH.
-u,,,ust. Apples OF t;.'id 4, ~ ,rpnr;atS
Word May decide Dns's De.t nr -
The Power o. Little Things = yAine
os Sympathy

word Nav Decide Dns's i,e,tn nv -.
The Power o. Little Things - y4lue
oe Sympathy.
[copyriv.1s 1911.
WAsHINcToN, u. C.--1n Mis- discourse
DIR. Talmage shows all open door for any
one who desires to be useful, and illus.
trates how little thing may decide ones
destiny The text is Proverbs XIV, II IRE
vised verson), "a word fifty spoken is
like apples of gold in baskets Of silver"
A filigree basket loaded with fruit is put
translated pictures ought to be has
kets" Here is a silver network basket
containing ripe and golden apples, pip
pins or rennets You know how such ap-
PIES glow through the openings Of a bas-
ket Of silver network You have seen
such a basket OF fruit on many table.
1t whets the appetite as well us regales
the vision. So'omoa was evidently fond
OF apples, because he SO often speaks of
them. While he writes in glowing terms
of pomegranates and figs and grapes and
lnandrakes, he seems to find soiace as well
as lusciousness in apples, calling out for a
supply Of them when he says IN another
place, Comfort ME with apples" Now
you see the meaning of my text, "A word
ftly spoken is like apples Of god in bas-
| kets of silver
You see. the wise man eulogizes just one
| word. Plenty Of recognition has there
been for great orations-Clcero s arralgn-
ment Of Catiline, the phillippics OF De
! mosthenes, the five days argument OF Ed
| mund Burke against Warren Hastings.
| Edward lrvings discourses on the Bib.e
| and libraries full of prolonged utterance--
| but my text extojs the power OF one word
| when it refers to "a word fit'y spoken
This may mean single word CT small
! collection Of words--somet thing yoa can
utter, in one breath, something that YOU
can compact into one sentence. "A word
| Gtiy spoken" - an encouraging word, a
| kind word, a timely word, sympathetic
word, an appropriate word. / can pass
| find between pulpit aud front door men
| whose temporal and eternal destlnles have
+, been decided by word.
! I tell YOU what is great crlsls.ln every
| mans history. It is the time when he is
! entering an occupation or profession. He
| is opposed by men in middle life because
] they do not want any 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
lawyers by old lawyers, of young doctors
by old doctors, Of young ministers by old
ministers. Hear some of the old mer-
chants talk about the young merchants.
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 a time has
many physician had his sign out before
he got call for his services and the attor-
ney before he got q case! Who wants to
risk the life of Ills family to young ply
sician who got his diploma only last spring
,I,o nNt clpc fr0@Y
scarlatina, or to risk the obtaining of q
verdict for $4,000 to an attorney who
only three wears ago read the first page OF
Blackstone?
How is the young merchant to compete
with his next door bargain maker, who
can afford to undersell some things be-
cause he can More than make it up by the
profit on other things OF has failed three
times and had more money after each
failure? How is that mechanic to make
livelihood when there are twice as many
occupation9 There are this very moment
thousands of men who are just starting
life for themselves, and they need encour
agement-not long harangue, not quota
tion from profound book. not a page. not
a paragraph, but word, one word, ftly
spoken.
Why does not that old merchant, who
has been forty years in business, go into
that young merchants store and say
Courage" He needs only that one word
although, Of course, you will illustrate il
by telling your own experience and how
long YOU waited Cor customers, and how
the first two years you lost money, and
how the next year, though you did better
illness in your household swamped the
surplus with doctors bills Why does not
that old lawyer go into that young law
yer's office just after he has broken dowr
in making his first plea before jury anc
say that word with only two syllables
"Courage?" He needs only that one word
although, Of course, you will illustrate il
by telling him how you broke down II
:. one OF your first cases, and got laughed o.
by court and bar and jury, and how Dis
{ raeli broke down at the start. and how
, hundreds of the most successful lawyers
at the start broke down. Why do not tn,
successful men go right away and tell thos,
J who are starting what they went through
and how their notes got protested ant
what unfortunate purchases they made
and how thev were swindled. but KEEP
right on until they reached the colder
. favor the new beginner and say they wisl
. him we'll put obstacles in his way.
There are so many men who have al
the elements of usefulness and power ex
: cept encourage. If you can only unde
! God give them that, you give them every
thing. In illustrating that one word shoy
them that every man that ever amounte,
to anything had terrific struggle. Shoy
him what ships Decatur had to fight. an
what mountain Hannibal had to climb
S and what lame foot Walter Scott had t.
S walk with. and that the greatest poe
! who ever lived-Milton-wa blind, tina
;. one of the grandest musicians of all tn
s-Beethoven-was deaf, and tina
/ Stewart, in some respects the creates
: merchant that America ever saw, bega
4 in his small store, dining on bread an
: cheese behind the counter in snatche
interregnum between customers. he oper
e ing the store and closing it, sweeping
) out with his own broom and being his ow
+ errand boy. Show them that within te
| minutes walk there are stores, shops an
;. factories and homes where as brave deed
l have been done as those Of Leonidas .
It Thermopylae, as that of Horatius at tt
f bridge, as that of Colin Campbell at Bal,
!. lslava Tell them what Napoleon said
:. his staff officer when that officer declare
> a certain military attempt to be imposs
n ble Impossible" said the great cor
l. mander. Impossible is the adjective