Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-01-04
LIKEAPPLES OF GOLD
AN APPROPRIATE WORD MAY DECIDE
ONES DESTINY.

\ ROVER OF Little NhinEs-EHe Door
OF Usefulness Is Open to AII-vaiue
OF Sympathy.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 30--In this dis
rourse DIR. Talmage shows an open
door for any one who desires 20 be use
ful and illustrates how little thing
may decide ones destiny. The text is
Proverbs XIV, IL revised version), "a
word ntly spoken is like apples OF gold
IN baskets of silver"
\ filigree basket loaded with fruit is
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 basket Of fruit
on many a table. It whets the anne
tite as well as regales the vision. Sol,
ONION 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
well as lusciousness In apples. calling
out for supply Of them when he saws
in another place, Comfort me with an
pics 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 Catiline. the philipDics
OF Demosthenes, the FIVE days argu-
nent of Edmund Burke against War.
rem Hastings, Edward lrving's dis.
courses on the Bible and libraries full
of prolonged utterance-but my text ex-
tolls the power of one word when It re-
fcrs to ga word fifty spoken"
This may mean n single word or a
small collection Of words-something
you can utter in one breath. something
that you can compact into one SEN
tence. "A word fitly spoken"-an en-
couraging word. kind word. timely
word. sympathetic word, en- appro-
pirate word. l 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 word.
Word of Sympathy.
tell you what is great crisis In ev-
cry mans history. 1t is the time when
ne is entering IN 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 OK
nminations OF young lawyers 10y old
lawyers, OF young doctors by old doc
tors, OF young ministers by old rnInis-
tiers. Hear some OF the old merchants
talk about the young merchants. Trow-
els and hammers and scales often are
Jealous or new trowels and new ham,
mers and new scales. Then Il is so diff
hcult TO get introduced. How long n
time has many a physician had his
sign out before he got n call for his
services and the attorney before he got
easel Who wants TO risk the life OF
his family TO young physician who
got his diploma only last spring and
who may not know measles from scar
latina. or 10 risk the obtaining OF n YER
dict for $4,000 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
1t up by the profit on other things or
has failed three times and had more
money after each failure? How Is that
mechanic 10 make livelihood when
there are twice as many men In that
trade MS can In hard times find occupa-
ton? There are this very moment
thousands OF men who are Just start.
Ing life for themselves. and they need
encouragement-not long harangue. not
quotation from profound book. not a
page. not paragraph. but a word, one
word. fifty spoken.
Why does not that old merchant. who
has been 40 years in business. 60 into
that young merchants store and say.
"Couragew He needs only that one
word. although. OF course. YOU Will H.
lustrate II by telling your own expert
ence and how-long you waited for Gus.
toners, 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 dies not that old
lawyer go into that young lawyers Of |
fee just after he has broken down In
making his first plea before a jury and
say that word with only two syllahles.
"Couragev He needs only that one
word. although. OF course. you Will H. |
lustrate 1t by telling him how you
broke down in one OF your FIRST cases |
co 0lan1 ns hxv..
and jury. and how Disraeli broke down !
at the start and how hundreds OF the |
most successful lawyers at the start |
broke down Why DO not the success |
full men go right away and tell those !
who are starting what they went |
through and how their notes got pro-
tested md what unfortunate purchases |
they made and how they were swim.
died. but kept right on until they |
reached the golden milestone? Even
some who pretend to favor the new be-
ginner and say they wish him well put
obstacles In his way.
Lack of Courage
There are SO many men who have oil
the elements OF usefulness and power
except one-courage. 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 sbips
Dscatnr nau 10 ngnr, ana wnar noun
tain Hannibal had to climb, and what
q lame foot Walter Scott had to walk
with, and that the greatest poet who
ever hyed-Milton-was blind, that one
or the grandest musicians Of all the
ages-Beethoven-was 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 II