The semi-weekly messenger., 1901-01-08
POWER OF ONE WORD
OR. TALMAeE POINTS THE WAY TO-
LIFE OF USEFULNESS.

LIFE OF USEFULNESS.
Destiny May BE Changed by q Fifty
Spoken Sentence Sympathy For
the Troubled Like Apples of Gold
In Baskets OF Silver.
course Dr.. Talmage shows an open door
illustrates how little thing may decide
ones destiny. The text is Proverbs XIV,
IL (revised version), "a word itly spoken
Is like apples of gold in baskets of silver. ;"
A fligree basket loaded with fruit Is
put before us in the text. What IS ordI-I
narily translated pictures" ought to be
baskets" Here is silver network
basket containing ripe and golden apples,
pippins or rennets You know how such
apples glow through the openings of a
basket of silver network. You have seen
such a basket of fruit on many a table.
1t whets the appetite as well as regales
the vision. Solomon 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 mandrakes, he seems to find solace
as well as lusciousness in apples, calling
in another place, Comfort me with ap-
pies" Now you see the meaning of my
text, "a word flly 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 Catiline, the philippics of
Demosthenes, the five days argument of
Edmund Burke against Warren Hast
ings, Edward Irving's discourses on the
Bible and libraries full Of prolonged ut
terance, but my text extols the power Of
one word when it refers to "a word ftly
spoken"
This may mean a single word or a
small collection Of words-something you
can utter in one breath, something that
you can compact into one sentence. ga
word ftly spoken"-an encouraging word,
q kind word, a timely word, a sympa-
thetic word, an appropriate word. / can
pass right down the aisle of any church
and fad between pulpit and front door
men whose temporal and eternal destinies
have been decided by word.
Choosing an Occupation.
tell you what is a great crisis in ey-
cry mans history. 1t is the time when
he is entering an occupation or profess
sion. 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 merchants talk about the young
merchants Trowels and hammers and
scales often are jealous of new trowels
and new hammers and new scales. Then
Ut is so difficult to get introduced. How
long time has many physician had his
sign out before he got q call for his serv-
Ices and the attorney before he got a
easel Who wants to risk the life OF his
family to q young physician who got his
diploma only last spring and who may
not know measles from scarlatina, or to
risk the obtaining Of verdict for 10000
to an attorney who only three years ago
read the first page of Blackstone?
How is the young merchant to COM
pete with his next door bargain maker,
who can afford to undersell some things
because he can more than make it up by
the profit on other things, or has failed
three times and had more money after
each failure? How is that mechanic to
make a livelihood when there are twice
as many men in that trade as can in hard
times find occupation? There are this
very moment thousands of men who are
just starting life for themselves, and they
need encouragement. Not long harangue,
not quotation from profound book, not a
page, not a paragraph, but a word, one
word ftly spoken.
Why does not that old merchant, who
has been 80 years in business, go into
that young merchants store and say,
Courage" He needs only that one word,
although, OF course, you will illustrate it
by telling your own experience, ard how
long you waited for 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 down
in making his first plea before jury and
say that word with only two syllables,
''Courage! He needs only that one word,
although, Of course. you will illustrate it
by telling him how you broke down in
one of your first cases and got laughed at
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 the
successful m,n go right away and tell
those who are starting what they went
through, and how their notes got protest
ed, and what unfortunate purchases they
made, and how they were swindled, but
kept right on until they reached the gold
en- milestone? Even some who pretend to
favor the new beginner and say they
wish him well put obstacles in his way.
The Need of Courage.
There are 50 many men who hare all
the element of Usefulness and power ex-
cept one-courage &c. If you can only underI
God give them that you give them every
thing. 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 a ciouEtaia Hannibal had TO climb.
and what q lame foot Walter Scott had
to walk on. and that the greatest poet
who ever lived-Milton-wa blind. that
one of the grandcst musicians of all the
ages -Beetloven-w deaf, and that
81 1s-s