The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-04-23
PRINCE AMONG PREACHERS
The Remarkable Career of the
Late 7. Dewitt Ta11nage, DID.

D The Remarkable Career of the
Late 7. Dewitt Ta1mage, DID.
The Philadelphia Times gives tn,
following sketch of the noted preacher
DIR. Talmage, who died on the 12tl
inst. at his home in Washington, d.
, G. The immediate source of death
r was inflammation of the BRAIN:
, With, perhaps, the exception Of
Henry Ward Beecher, the Rev. Il. De.
Witt Talmage had moro widespread
reputation than any other American
, preacher of the gospel. For over
forty years he has been cOnspicu.
GUS figure in the religious life ot
America. Even during Beecher's life
he held with that eminent divine an al
most equal place as pulpit orator,
and since Beecher's death no other
preacher has had popularity with re-
ligious audiences comparable to his.
ca. He preached with great success
in England, and his sermons have
been translated into many languages.
During the greater part of his career
he added to the circle of his influence
by writing sermons especially for the
newspapers throughout the country,
and the last few years of his life have
been devoted exclusi vely to this work.
DIR. Talmago was born in Bound
Brook, N. j., January z, 1882. His
education was obtained at the Uni
versity of New York. On graduating
from this University in 1853 he read
law for some time, but concluding that
law was not his vocation he decided to
enter the ministry. He studied theol-
ogy at the New Brunswick Theologi-
cal Seminary. Completing his course
he preached for period in Belleville,
N. j., and Syracuse, N. Y. After two
year'sspastorate in Syracuse he went to
Philadelphia and became the pastor
of the Second Reformed Dutch Church
of that city, at 7th and Brown streets.
1t was while he was tile pastor of this
church that he lai,l the foundation of
his great reputation as an exhorter.
When he took charge of it the Sec
ond Reformed Dutch Church was an
institution of little influence. He put
new life into it and drew crowd al
most from the start. He attracted
general attention in the Quaker City
by his sensational methods. by many
he was declared pulpit clown and
mountebank, but despite detraction his
congregation continued to grow in size
until the church was inadequate for its
accommodation. Overtures soon came
TO HIM from congregations of greater
wealth and influence than that over
which he presided in Philadelphia,
and he was finally persuaded to accept
call rendered to him by the Cent al
Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn.
Apparently this offer did not hold
fol tn the promise Of offers which he
had received from Chicago and San
Francisco, for the reason that the Gen.
trail Presbyterian Church was at that
time rent with dissensions, but for
some reason it appealed to HIM with
greater force. In Brooklyn he con-
tinued the methods of preaching which
had attracted attention to him in Phil
adelphia, but with much larger sue
cess.
An illustration of these methods
which provoked criticism IN some
quarters which bordered on the vitu-
perative is found in the press reports
of the day. 1t is given as a fair sam
pie of his sensationallsm. One Sum
day morning when the time came for
HIM to deliver his sermon he walked
to the extreme edge on one side of his
fifty-foot platform, faced about and
suddenly started as fast as he could to
jump for the opposite side. Just as
everybody in the congregation, breath
less, expected to see him pitch head
long from the further side of the plat
form he leaped suddenly into the air
and came down with crash, shout
ing:
| "Young man, you are rushing to-
ward a precipice." And then he pro-
ceeded to deliver moving sermon
upon the temptations and sins of youth
in big city.
DIR. Talmage's preaching became
the religious sensation of the time.
A brief experience demonstrated the
necessity for larger edifice to accom-
modate the audiences which his re-
markable sermons attracted. To give
q greater opportunity TO hear him a
large tabernacle was built, the old
church edifice being used rs Sunday
school. Such was the enthusiasm
which his preaching aroused that this
tabernacle was rushed to completion
and was opened by DR.. Talmage three
months after it been begun. All seats
In 1t were free. 1t was of great capac.
ity; nevertheless hundreds of people
: were turned away every Sunday.
The burning of this tabernacle one
Sunday morning in December, 1872
as the people were on their way tt
church, ls one of the memorable fire
calamities of Brooklyn. A new ant
greater tabernacle was projected ant
was completed in 1874. DR.. Talmage'
, congregation In the meantime assem-
. bled in the Academy of Music.
: The new tabernacle was semi.circu
Q lar in form, the seats being 30 arrange,
d that all could see and hear the minis
ter, who preached from q platform
o DIR. Talmage preached In this ne,
Q tabernacle for years, with CONSTANT
o increasing success. Like the first tab
g ernacle, it was destroyed by fire.
oil Its fate impressed the congregatio
n with the belief that there was q fatal
ty about the location in Schermerhor
street and the third tabernacle bm