The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1902-01-17
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
THE BEAUTY OF CHRISTIAN COURT
ESY POINTED OUT.
Discourse Preached from tho Words OF
Peter; 'Be Courteous"-The Value OF
Praise Giving - Thoughtfulness for
Others n Spirit to lie Cultivated.

Copyright. 1902. by Louis Klopsch, N. "
Washington, Jan. 12.-In this dis
course DR.. Talmage urges thoughtful
cess Cor others and shows how such
beuiarant spirit may be fostered;
text, Peter Ii, s, BE courteous"
In an age when bluntness has been
canonized as a virtue 1t may be use
full to extol one of the most beautiful
Of all the royal family of graces-
courtesy. 1t is graciousness, Difference
to the wishes of others, good manners,
affability, willingness to deny our
selves somewhat for the advantage OF
others, urbahity Mark you, 1t can
not be put on or dramatized sue
cessfully for a long while. We may
be full Of bows and genuflections, and
amiles and complimentary phrase, and
have nothing of genuine courtesy
either in our makeup or in our de-
meanor. A backwoodsman who never
saw a drawing room or dancing mas
ter or a caterer or fold OF drapery
may with his big soul and hard hand
and awkward salutation exercise the
grace, while one born under richest
upholstery and educated in foreign
schools, and bothered to know which
of ten garments he will take from
royal wardrobe, may be as barren of
the spirit Of courtesy as the great Sa-
hara desert is of green meadows and
tossing fountains.
q 7 that
some of the most undesirable people
have been seeming incarnations of
courtesy. In our early American his
tory there arose a man of wonderful
talent, an impersonation of all that
can charm drawing rooms and Guilt
waited circles. He became vice presi-
dent of the United States and within
one vote of being president. Men
threw away their fortunes to help him
in his political aspirations and to
forward him in conspiracy to over
throw the government of the United
States, he trying to do in America
what Napoleon at that very time was
trying to do in Europe-establish a
throne for himself But he was i'm
moral and corrupt. He was the SER
pent that wound it's way into many
domestic paradise. He shot to death
one Of the greatest of Americans
Alexander Hamilton. The world found
out long before he left it that the Of
fender l speak of was an embodiment
of dissoluteness and base ambition. He
was the best illustration that
know of of the fact that man may
have the appearance of courtesy while
within he is all wrong.
Absalom, a Bible character, was
specimen of man of polish outside
and of rottenness inside. He captur-
ed all who came near him. But, oh,
what a heart he had, full of treachery
and unfilial spirit and baseness! He
was as bad as he was alluring and
charming
| like what John Wesley said to a
man when their carriages met on the
road The ruffian, knowing Mr.. Wes-
ley and disliking him, did not turn out,
but kept the middle of the road. Mr..
Wesley cheerfully gave the man all
the road, himself riding into the ditch.
AS they passed each other the ruffian
said, 81 never turn out for foo.s," and
Mr.. Wesley said, Il always do" !
like the reproof which a Chinaman in
San Francisco gave an American. The
American pushed him off the side
walk until he fell into the mud. The
Chinaman on rising began to brush off
the mud and said to the American:
"You. Christian; me heather. Coed
by" A stranger entered church in
one Of the cities and was allowed to
stand long while, although there
was plenty Of room. No one offered a
seat The stranger after awhile said
to one of the brethren, What church
is this?" The answer was, "Christ's
church, SIR "Is he in?" said the
stranger. The officer of the church
understood what was meant and gave
him seat. We want more courtesy
in the churches, more courtesy in
places of business, more courtesy in
our homes.
Let us all cultivate this grace of
Christian courtesy by INDUCING In the
habit of praise instead of the habit of
blame. There are evils in the world
that we must denounce, and there are
men and women who ought to be
chastised, but never let us allow the
opportunity Of applauding good deeds
pass unimproved. The old theory was
that you must never praise people lest
we make them vain. No danger of |
that. Before any of us get through |
with life we will have enough mean |
and ignoble and depreciating and ly- |
ing things said about us to keep us
humble. God approvingly recognizes
a system of rewards as we'll as of pun
ishments.
When you hear good sermon, stop
after the benediction and tell the pas
tor, though you never saw him before
that day. "Your sermon did me good"
When a mechanic does a good piece
OF work tell him 1t is we'll done. When
q physician brings you out Of per-