The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-05-07
DEATH OF DR.. TALMAGE
Makes Appropriate Reprinting
HIS FAMOUS SERMON
Considered by Many the Mas.
terpieee Of the Great
Pulpit Orator
'4On the Choice Of a Wife. "
SgarrisSs Not For All-Multitudes VINO
Never win Marry. who Are Not fif
% Marry-Some Eminent BlundcrefS-
Avoid observation-disclosures Qusli-
tsss.Bssuty . Benedietion.

Avoid observation-disclosures Qusli-
tiss-Bssuty . Banediction.
WASHINGTON, D. C.-Tbe following
;d;seourse il one Of q series Of sermons on
domestic life delivered several years age
by the late Rev. DR.. T. De Witt Talma8e,
and by many admirers il considered ms
pulpit masterpiece. In commemcraaon
Of his death it 10 now repubiished. IL va, ~.
founded ON the text, Judges nv, 8;
there never u woman among the dauSn.
ters of thy brethren, or among all my
he uncircumcised Philistines"
Samson, the giant, is here asking con-
cent OF his father and mother TO mar.
riaqe with one whom they thought unns
for him. He was wise in asking their
council, but not wise in rejecting 1t. Gap,
tiyated with bar looks, the big son wanted
10 marry q daughter OF one OF the hostile
fsmiiies. a deceitful, hypocritical, whining
and saturnine creature, who afterwaro
made for him 0 world OF trouble till she
cult him forever. In my text his parents
forbade the banns, practically saying;
'When there are so many honest anu
beautiful maidens OF your own countr!
are you 70 hard put to for . lifetime par!.
ner that you propose conjugality with TINS
Sors;gn iSrt? In there such q dearth OF
Ehes in our Israelitish gardens that you
must wear on your heart Philistine
thistle? Do you take crahapple because
khefe are no pomegranates? Is there never
\ woman among the daughters OF thy
brethren, or among all my people, that
thou goest to take wife OF the uncircum'
essed Philistines?
Excuseless was he for such choice m .
land and amid O race celebrated Tor re.
male loyeliness aud moral worth, > land
and a race of which se;f.denying Abigail
and heroic Deborah. and dazzling Miriam;
and pious Esther. and glorious Ruth, and
Mary, who hugged to her heart the blessed
Lord were only magnificent specimens.
The midnight folded in their hair, the
lakes Of liquid beauty in their eye, the
sracefulness Of spring morning IN thelr
posture and gait, were only typical OF the
greater brilliance and glory OF their soal.
Likewise excuseless il any man IN our
time who makes lifelong alliance with any
one who, because of her disposition. or
heredity, or habits. or intellectual vanity,
or moral classification, may be ss,d 70 DC
Of the Phiistines.
The world never owned such opnlence
Of womanly character or such spiendor OF
vomanly manners or multitudinous In
stances Of wifeiy, mother,y, daughterly,
sisterly devotion, as it owns to-day.
have not words to express my admiration
for GOOD womanhood. Woman Il not
only mans equal, but in affectional and re:
Egious nature, which Is the best part OF
us, she il seventy.five per cent. his su'
perior. Yea, during the last twenty years;
through the increased opportunity opened
country are better educated than the ma
iority of men: and il they continue to
advance mentally at the present ratio: be-
fore long the majority OF men will have
difficulty in finding in the opposite sex
enough ignorance to make appropriate
consort. II I am under y delusion as to
che abundance Of good womanhood abroad.
consequent upon my surroundings since
the hour I entered this life until now, l
hope the de,usion will last until embark
from this planet. So you will understand,
II say in this course OF sermons some.
thing that seems severe, am neither
cynical nor disgruntled.
There are in almost every farmhouse IN
the country, in almost every home OF the
ereat town. conscientious women, worthip-
{ul women, self-sacrificing women, holy
women. innumerable Marys, sitting at the
feet of Christ: innumerable mothers, help.
ina to feed Christ in the person Of His
suffering disciples; q thousand capped and
spectacled grandmothers Lois, bending
over Bibles whose precepts they have fol.
lowed from early girlhood; and tens OF
thousands Of young women that are dawn.
ing upon us from school and seminary.
that are going to bless the world with
good and happy homes, that shall eclipse
IN their predecessors, fact that will be
acknowledged by all men except those who
hre struck through with moral decay from
- o.
than the Samson Of the text 10 that man
Who, amid all this unparalleled nunifi.
eence Of womanhood. marries Q fool. But
some of you are abroad suffering from,
such disaster, and to halt others OF you
from going over the same precipice, cry
out in the words OF my text: Is there
never a woman among the daughters OF
thy brethren. or among all my people, that
thou goest to take q wife OF the uncir'
cumcised Philistines?"
That marriage is the destination Of the
human race ia . mistake that l want to
correct before ] 60 further. There are
nuii;tudes who never will marry. and still
greater multitudes who are not fit to
msrfy. In Great Britain to-day there are
nine hundred and forty-eight thousand
more women than men, and that, un'
derstand. 10 about the ratio in America
By Mathematical and memorable law. you
zee, millions OF women will never marry
The supply for matrimony greater than
khe demand, the first lesson OF which ID
that every woman ought to prepare to
take care Of herself II need be. Then there
are thousands of men who have no right
10 marry, because they have become so
corrupt Of character that their offer ol
marriage II an insult TO any good woman
Society will have to be toned up and cor
81 kLAk - ahaI
realize that II . woman who has sacrificed
her honor Is unified for marriage. 30 j,
any man who has ever sacrificed his pur
ity. What right have you. o masculine
beast! whose life has been loose, to take
under your care the spotlessness Of vir
gin reared in the sanctity of a respectable
home? Will buzzard dare to court 4
dove
But the majority of you will marry. ant
have q right to marry, and as your re
iKious teacher wish to saw to these men
in the choice of wife frat of all seel
divine direction About thirtv-five year
ago, when Martin Farquhar Tupper. th'
English poet, urged men to prayer befor'
people laughed. And some of them hav,
lived to laugh on the other side Of theil
mouth.
The need Of divine direction I argu,
from the fact that SO many men, ant
some of them strong and wise, have
wrecked their lives at this juncture. Wit
meas Samson and this woman OF Timnath
Witness Socrates, pe-ked Of the historica
Xsntippe! Witness Job. whose wife hat
nothing to prescribe for his carbuncle
but allopathic doses Of profanity! Witnes
Ananias, a liar, who might perhaps hav
been cured by truthful spouse. yet mar
rying as great liar as himself-Sapphira
Witness John Wesley. one of the bes
men that ever lived. united to one of tn
most outrageous and scandalous of women
who sat in City Road Chapel makin
mouths at him while he preached! Wit