Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-02-01
II MILESTONES OF LIFE
=. TaImage Tells OF the Duties and
Trials Which Belong TO the
Different Decades.
Advice 10 the Twenties-The Waiting Age
The Last Haven.

standpoint DIR. Talmage in this discourse
looks at the duties and trials which be-
long 10 the different decades of human
life; text, Psalms xc, 10, The days OF our
years are threescore years and ten"
The SEVENTEEN milestone of life is here
Fpianted as at the end OF the journey. y
few 60 beyond it. Mnltitades never reaci,
1t. The oldest person of modern tir.ee ex.
pred ct 100 years. A Greek OF the n:.:.',
OF Stravarlde lived to l32 years. An Eng
lishman OF the name of Thomas Parr lived
io2 years. Before the time of Moses peo-
pie lived $50 years, and If YOU go far
enough back they lived 900 years. Well.
that was necessary, because the story OF
the world mast come down by tradition.
and 1t needed long life safely 10 transmit
the news OF the past. II the generations
had been short lived the story would so
often have changed hips that it might have
got all astray. But after Moses began to
write 1t down and parchment tod it from
century TO century il was not necessary
that people live so long in order to au-
thenticate the events the past. Ii in
our time people lived only twenty five
rears, that would not affect history. since
Is put IN print and Is no longer depend.
mt en- tradition. Whatever your age.
will to-day directly address Won. and |
shall speak 10 those who are in the TWEEN
ties, the thirties. the iorties. the iiftics.
the skies, and to those who are in the
SEVENTIES ana pcyOnu.
First, then, ! aecost those OF YOU who
are in the iwenties. You are fun OF ex-
pectation. NoI are ambitiors-ihat Is.
II you amount to anythirg-for some kind
OF success. commercial or mechanical or
! professional or literary or agricultural or
social or moral. Ii find some one in the
Juveniles without any sort of ambition. |
feel like saying. MY friend. You have got
on the wrong planet. This is not the
world for YOU. You are going to be in
the way. Have You made your choice OF
poorhouscs: You VIII never be able to
pay TO- your cradle. Vino IS going To set
tie for your board? There is a mistake
about the fact tina. you were born at all.
But supposing YOU have ambition. let
me say to all the twenties. expect every
thing through divine manipulation, and
then YOU viii get all you want and some
thing better. Arc Won looking for wealth!
Well. remember that God controls the
money markets. the harvests, the droughts,
the caterpillars. the locusts, the sunshine.
the storm. the land the sea. and you will
get wealth. Perhaps not that which is
stored up in the banks. in safe deposits.
in United States securities in houses and
lands. but your clothing and board and
shelter. and that is about all YOU can APP
propriate ANYHOW. You cost the Lord
great deal. To feed and clothe and shelter
you for lifetime requires a big sum of
the absolute necessities You get an enor-
nous amount OF supply. Expect as much
as Won will OF aug kind OF success. If YOU
expect ii from the Lord You are safe. De-
pend on any other resource. and YOU may
be badly charriaed, but depend on God
and all will be well. II is a good thing in
the crisis OF life to have man OF large
means back you up. 1t is 4 great thing
TO have a moaeyed institution stand be-
hind you in your undertaking. But 1t Is a
migh;ier thing to have the God of heaven
and earth your coadjutor. and you may
have Him. / am so glad that | met you
while you are in the twenties. You are
laying out your plans. and all Your life
in this world and the next for 500 million
years of your existence viii be affected by
those plans IL is about o'clock in the
morning OF Your life. and you are Just
starting out. Which way are you going
TO start: Oh. the twenties.
Twenty" is a great word in the Bible
Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of sill
yer; Samson judged Israel twenty years;
Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities: the
flying roll that ZechsTiah saw was twenty
cubits; when the sailors of the ship on
which Paul sailed sounded the Mediterra-
mean Sea, IL was twenty fathoms. What
mighty things have been done in the
twenties, Romulus founded Rome when
he was twenty: Keats finished life at
twenty-five. Lafayette was n world re-
nowned soldier at twenty-three; Oberlin
accomplished his chief work at twenty
seven; Bonaparte was victor over Italy at
twenty-siX: Pitt WAS prime minister OF
England at twenty-five; Calvin had COM
p,esed his immortal Institutes by the
time he was tweaty-six: Grotius was al.
torney general ii twenty-iour Some OF
the mightiest things for God and eternity
sSe ! cen done in the twenties. As long
. Won can put the figure . before the
hat halr 10 l
ave high hopes about him. Look out for
hat figure . Watch its continuance with
IS much earnestness as YOU ever watched
anything that promised you salvation or
threatened you demolition. What a criti-
al time-the twenties.
While they continue you decide your
occupation and the principles by which
'ou will be guided; you make your most
hiding friendships; you arrange your home
ife: YOU fix your habits Lord God Al
mighty. FOR Jesus Christ's sake, have
mercy on all the men and women in the
wenI,es.
Next / accost those in the thrties. You
ne At an age when YOU find what tough
aing it is to get recognized and estab-
shed in your occupation or profession.
On years ago you thought all that was
ecessary for success was to put on Your
hutter the sign OF physician or dentist or
ttorney or broker or agent and YOU would
oil sat and waited for business, and
waited in vain. three persons only know
;od. YOUR wife and yourself. In CONNER
ial life yon have not had the promotion
nd the increase in salary YOU anticipated.
the Place You expected TO occupy in the
RIM has not been vacated. The produce
the farm with which you expected to
apport yourself and those depending on
IN aud to pay the interest on the mort
&c has been far less than you anticipated.
the prices were down. or special e.
,nses for sickness made drafts on your re-
lu-ces that YOU could not have expected.
some respects the hardest decade OF
&c is the thirries, because the results are
eneraliy 50 far behind the anticipations.
is very rare indeed that Young man
oes IS did the young man one SUNDAY
ight when he came to me and said. II
I'VE been so magvelously prosDered since
came to this country that feel as mat
r of gratitude that ] ought TO dedicate
self to Cod
ine-tenths OF the poetry OF life has
1 knocked out OF YOU since you came
the thirties. Men in the different
essions and occupations saw that you
rising, and they mast put an estop-
on you or You might somehow stand
he way. They think you must be sup
scd.
ON thirty 20 forty is an especially
time for young doctors, young law