Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1902-04-19

decided to erect q new edifice capable
Of seating 1900. DR.. Talmage's first
sermon was from the text Compel
them to come in," but it seemed an in.
aptitude, for the people came In such
numbers that many were compelled tC
stay out
RED WINGS OF FIRE"
Two years afterward, on Sunday
morning in December. 1872, DR.. Tai.
mage looked from the window Of his
house and saw his beloved church put
ting on red wings of fire" until it swept
the heavens, a lurid mass Of cOnfagra'
ton.
Undismayed by the destruction OF
their church. the congregation soon be-
gan to build a still larger structure
which would seat 5000 Although the
completed edifce was the largest
church of its denomination in America,
it was never large enough to hold the
crowds who came to listen to the now
famous preacher The regular hearers
alone were nearly sufficient to fill the
building, and their number was aug
mented by hundreds from New York,
by many from other states and even by
transatlantic visitors. who had read his
sermons printed in their home journals.
For fully fifteen years the church had
uninterrupted prosperity, which was
rudely broken on Oct. 13, 1889. by the
complete destruction Of the second tab
ernacle by fire. A third tabernacle was
built still larger than its predecessors.
1t was finished in 1891, and its dedica-
ton was a great public occasion. Large
delegations, drawn from every section
of the Union, came. bringing congratu-
latiOns.
1t was a grand and beautiful temple
of worship, rich In ornamentation. vast
in seating capacity and perfect in
acoustics. 81 never could sing q note
or raise a tune" DR.. Talmage would
often say. Yet the music. the strains
Of the great. deep toned thirty
thousand dollar organ, mingling with
the mighty swell Of voices, led by
Peter Ali's silver cornet was the
finest imaginable. Three years later,
when a series Of meetings were
held to celebrate the twenty-hfth an
niversary Of his passionate In Brooklyn,
the state, the city and the clergy OF the
neighborhood united in recognition OF
the eminence DR.. Talmage had achiey-
ed. He was overwhelmed with verbal
CONGRATULATIONS and good wishes, and
kilograms, letters and cable dispatches
came from illustrious personages here
and beyond the seas. 1t was, however.
the closing scene in his long succession
Of Brooklyn triumphs, for on the fol-
lowing Sunday. May Is. 1894. fire
broke out in the church at the close OF
the morning service, and the fine build
ing in a few hours became a pile Of
smoking ruins.
HIS TOUR OF THE GLOBE.
Saddened by the destruction Of his
third and most beautiful tabernacle,
DR.. Talmage for time ceased active
pastoral work and went abroad on a
tour OF the globe. He preached to large
audiences In Australia, New Zealand,
India and Great Britain and on his
return published an account OF his
iourneyings in a volume entitled 1.-THE
Earth Girdled," which was widely cir
culated. He now devoted himself al
most exclusively to his editorial duties
on The Christian Herald, to which he
had been a regular weekly contributor
since 1873, becoming editor in chief IL
1890. DR.. Louis Klopsch, the proprie-
tor OF that journal. had been his init.
mate friend and business associate for
many years. He had syndicated Dr.
Talmage's sermons since 1885, furnish
ing them regularly every week to over
1900 newspapers. 1t is estimated that
the total number Of weekly readers
reached by the syndicate and through
other channels was not less than 90,
1000. an audience far more vast than
has ever been addressed by any other
writer or preacher in the world, ancient
or modern.
"A MISSION OF BREAD"
During the next two years he varied
his literary work by frequent preach
ing and lecture tours and an occasional
visit abroad He had big. warm
heart and generous impulses, and he
was interested in various philanthroplc
movements, some Of them of wide
scope His love Of such work was fOs-
tered by his experience in 1892 when
he visited Russia with DR.. Klopsch on
"a mission of bread" first sending on
ahead the steamship Leo, laden with
$4,000 sacks Of flour, the gift Of gener-
Gus Americans to the starving Russian
peasants. While in st. Petersburg the
Americans were summoned to Peter
where they were presented to the Car
Alexander, the empress, Czarowitz
Nicholas, the present emperor, and 9th
er royalties. That the stalwart Ameri.
can preacher made an impression was
evident from the fact that the emperor
sent to the visitors handsome gifts Of
gold and silver. The enthusiastic mu-
inequalities Of St Petersburg and Mos
COW gave them public fetes, and in the
former city the astonished divine was
carried on the shoulders Of a cheering
Russian crowd in front of the donna,
or town hail. DR.. Talmage often refer
red with kindling eye to this Russian
welcome, and he spoke many a kindly
word for the young car. In later
years, with voice and pen. he greatly
helped the cause Of Armenian, Cuban
and Porto Rican relief, in the great In
dia famine and a few years ago in Chi
nese relief. Altogether, with his splen-
did talent for reaching the popular
heart. 100000 was raised in these
various worldwide charities. He was a
member and active worker in num-
Der Of charitable organizations, but in
these, as in all others Of the same char
acter, he invariably kept in the back