Milford chronicle., 1902-04-18

them 10 come IN" but it seemed an in
aptitude. for the people came in such
numbers that many were compelled to
j., stay ont.
FRED WINGS OF FIRE."
Two years afterward. on a 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
Undl;mayed 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 Gil the
building, and their number was aug
mented by hundreds from New York,
by many from other states and even by
uansat antic 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. 10, 1889, by the
complete destruction Of the second tab
! ernacle by fire. A third tabernacle was
built st II larger than its predecessors.
1t was finished in 1901. and its dedica-
ton was great public occasion. Large
/ III Il
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. Il never could sing a 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 ALPS silver eornet, was the
finest Imaginable. Three years later,
when d series of meetings were
held to celebrate the twenty-ffth an
niversary of his passionate in Brooklyn,
the state, the city and the clergy of the
neighbolhood united in recognition of
the emilence DR.. Talmage had achiev-
ed. He was overwhelmed with verbal
congratU lations and good wishes, and
kilograms. letters and cable dispatches
came from illustrious personages here
and beyond the seas. 1t was. however.
the closin g 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 morri ing service, and the fine build
ing in 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.. Talnlage for a time ceased active
pastoral work and went abroad on a
tour of the globe. He preached to large
audiences in Australia. New Zealand,
India ard Great Britain and on his
return published an account of his
journeyings in a volume entitled '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 1878, becoming editor in chief in
1890 Dr.. Louis Klopsch. the proprie-
tor of that journal. had been his init.
mate friend and business associate fol-
many years. He had syndicated DR.
Talmage s sermons since 1885, furnish
ing them regularly every week to over
5000 newspapers. 1t is estimated that
the total number of weekly readers
reached by the syndicate and through
other chs nnels was not less than 20,
100000, an audience far more vast thar
has ever been addressed by any othel
writer or preacher in the world, ancien
, or modern.
) "a MISS ON OF BREAD"
During the next two years he varied
his literary work by frequent preach
| ing and lecture tours and an occasiona
visit abroad. He had a big. warn
2 heart an6 generous impulses. and b.
4 was Interested in various philanthropy
: movements, some Of them of wild
. ]
tered by his experience in 1892 whe
he visited Russia with DR.. Klopsch o
"a mission of bread" first sending 0
ahead the steamship Leo, laden wit
$4,000 sacks of flour, the gift of gene
. Gus Americans to the starving Russia
. peasants. While in st. Petersburg til
. Americans were summoned to Pete
hof. the imperial summer residenc
= where they were presented to the CzG
Alexander, the empress, CzarOwit
Nicholas, the present emperor, and oil
er royalties. That the stalwart Amer
can preacher made an impression wS
"a evident from the fact that the empert
C. sent to the visitors handsome gifts
Is gold and silver. The enthusiastic M
n inequalities of St Petersburg and Mo
m COW gave them public fetes, and in Il
Of former city the astonished divine WI
v carried on the shoulders of a cheeriI
le Russian crowd in front of the dohm
ne or town hall. DR.. Talmage often refe
or red with lSindling eye to this Russi;
I'd welcome, and he spoke many a kind
lp word for the young czaf. In lat
Il years, With voice and pen. he great
le helped the cause of Armenian, Cub;
it and Porto Rican relief. in the great l
,er dia famine and few years ago in CT
nd nese relief Altogether. with his sple
mir did talent for reaching the popul
his heart, $2.CO0,O00 was raised in the
pr. various worldwide charities. He was
,le member and active worker in a nul
he Der of charitable organizations. but
ed these. as in all others of the same chs
acter he Invariably kept in the bac
= ground. He is one of the Incorporate
|. of the BOwery mission Of New Yol
IN the pioneer Of American rescue m
of siOns.
HIS WORK IN WASHINGTON.
le. In 1895 DR.. Taimage accepted for
re- time a pastoral call from the FIJI
20 Presbyterian church in Washingt,
cir which is known as the church of I
ef- presidents" many incumbents Of I
ed White House having worshiped the
all in former years, Among his parish,
If ers were President Cleveland, ma
ev. cabinet members and other high o
lev cials. He was the most popular mir
vvs ter at the national capital, and
It church waa crowded to the doors. {
the urgent calls from other quarters W,
In multiplying and he finally decid
;er. though not without reluctance. to e
hat up local pa stOral work and devote b
" self exelusiyelY TO answering these