Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-05-19
TALMAGE
SERMON
By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE. DID,.
Pastor OF jefferson Park Presby-
terrain Church, Chicago

young people against the tempters who
would lead them to ruin; text, Proverbs
4, 10, my son, If sinners entice thee,
consent thou not"
No cathedral, 1t matters not how
lofty the spires or how wonderful the
statuary or how may and bewildering
the architecture, awes the tourist into
reverence unless time has hallowed it.
Then the centuries have covered up
the crumbling walls with moss and
creeping ivy; then Westminster abbey,
with its dark. damp, dripping vaults,
has become the sepulcher of dead kings
and queens. In the same way no man
has q right to give advice or tell us
what to do unless gray hairs begin to
fringe the forehead or he can speak
out Of his own bitter experience. 1t is
absurd for the rudy faced lad to write
an essay upon sorrow, when the only
sorrow he ever felt was the fright from
the dentist pulling his first baby teeth,
and what audience does not smile when
listening to the schoolboy's bombastic
graduation grafton upon "How to Win
SuccessT No reformer can have great
influence in attacking a clubroom when
he himself is so unsociable that the
hearers dislike the reformer worse than
they despise his teachings.
Every speech, every sermon, every
argument, every essay, must be backed
up by the personality of the individual.
1t is said that when John j. Crittenden
fn 066rncc inru nd his
fingers through his long gray hair his
case was already half won. All Ken
tuekians knew John ]. Crittenden
would not defend a client unless he
himself believed in that mans inno-
cence. You must respect the speaker
before you can respect his speech.
King Solomon wrote with authority.
He had drunk from the chalices of
pleasure. He had quaffed to the bitter
dregs every cup Of woe. He had seen
the ups as well as the downs of life.
He was no fanatic or adventurer. He
was the king who sat upon the richest
throne of the then known world. His
pillared halls were lined with statuary.
The fountains which played in his
gardens moistened the threats of birds
whose ancestors once cleansed their
plumage or sang their young to sleep in
foreign lands. His cellars were filled
with wine of choicest vintage.
The throneroom and judgment hall
were circled by rooms above rooms.
Near by were his harems, in which tie
king gathered a thousand wives and
concubines. AS the wit once wrote of
Brigham Young. King Solomon was the
most married man that ever lived.
Not only was he great and increased
more than all that were before him in
Jerusalem. but his wisdom remained
with him. When two women claimed
little child, Solomon ordered his ex-
ecutioner to cut the baby in twain and
give half to each. The real mother fell
on her knees and begged him to save
the child and If necessary to give it to
her enemy. Then said Solomon: "She
Is the true mother. Give her the child
AS gardener, he knew all about flow
ers; as an equestrian, all about horses
as an architect, all about buildings. He
made the ant our teacher. AS q mer.
chant, he fingered in the busy marts
to tell us how to trade. Today, amid
wealth and power, within sound OF
clinking tankards of gold and rumbling
chariot wheels, the old sage writes an
eternal protest against sin. my son. il
sinners entice thee, consent thou not"
The Importance of Starting Right
Young men dislike to be patronized
Although willing to accost each Other
In terms OF familiarity, we dislike old
er people to pat us condescendingly
upon the back. So today. as a youns
man. thought you young people would
let me try to interpret these words o.
the Bible. ! would especially interpre
them now. because many of you wh'
have come from far away are for tn,
first time living in a great city. 70,
are away from home. away from ia
Their and mother. Unless you start RICH
you win never end right "The glor.
OF young men is their strength" Tn
way to keep that strength is to refus
to allow the sinful designations to sal
the virility of youth.
King Solomon warns the young pee
pie against sin, because young folk
are apt to be thoughtlessly reckless
They do not want to be bad; they hav
no intention Of throwing overheard a
the past teachings of probity and right
they are naturally religious; they sa
their prayers when they arise in tn
morning; they say their prayers agai
before going to bed at night. But the
are full of fun and animal spirits. The
laugh and sing and frolic just as a co
capers, kitten plays with her tail an
a bird flies hither and thither for th
mere pleasure of flying. A full bloot
ed lad cannot keep still. He squrn
and twists and whispers and passe
notes in the schoolroom. He does abol
everything that the teacher tells hi
not to do. If you ask him why he dot
thus. he could not answer. VIII:
Bchoolboy when out in the country hs