Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1902-04-19

his nrSt chance OF reaching the people
OF = great city. His success was in
stantaneous, and he finally received
three simultaneous calls from Brook
iyn. Chicago and San Francisco. AL.
though the church which had called
him to Brooklyn boasted only II mem.
bers he chose that city. and the result
OF his choice is well known. Within
q year II was necessary to erect
structure capable OF holding 5000 peo-
pie. Two years later this church was
burned to the ground.
An ediflee that would seat 5000 was
then built. but was inadequate to ac-
eommodats the thousands that fiocked
to hear the famous preacher. For Is
years the church had wonderful pros
perity, which was rudely broken by a
second Ere that laid II In ashes. I'm
disnRyed. third tabernacle was
built. II was completed In 1891, and
rs dedication Was q great public 90
sasion.
The tabernacle was grand and
beautiful place of worship, with a vast
seating capacity and perfect acoustic
properties, but It was not destined to
stAAd long. On Sunday, May 1S. 1884,
shortly after the close of the morning
services. fire broke out, and before 1t
was under control had left the mag
hihcent building q pile of smoking
ruins.
DR.. Talmage was beyond doubt the
most popular preacher America has
produced. When he had q church, his
congregations were as enormous as
those of Henry Ward Beecher. and he
at the same time addressed another
congregation of millions through the
newspapers. When he was preaching
in Brooklyn, there was no necessity Of
a stranger asking where DR.. Talmage's
church was; all he had to do was to
follow the crowd. For many years
his sermons were preached both from
the pulpit and through the newspa-
pers. but after he gave up his pulpit
in Washington the great divine spoke
to his flock wholly through the public
press. and there was hardly town
in the United States where his sermon
In tho daily or weekly newspaper was
not eagerly awaited by scores OF peo-
pie. 1t is probably no exaggeration to
state that his sermon was read each
week by several millions of people. 1t
appeared in at least six languages, and
the combined calculations of the news
papers printing his sermons were es-
timAted at $4,000, 900.
Few men were capable of doing as
much literary work in a day as the
famous preacher. When nearing three
score and ten, he often dictated as
many as 10000 words In a day, and
on many occasions he has worn out
two or three stenographers during
that time. His sermons were all first
preached to stenographer, and when
he was in the throes of composition
he walked tirefessly up and down
his study preaching and gesticulating
exactly as he did later in the pulpit
and almost with as great rapidity
Each week he read thoroughly be
tween 90 and 100 papers, wrote the
editorials for his religious weekly the
Christian Herald; dictated sermons
correspondence, letters and books, saw
scores OF friends, business callers, ad.
mirers, cranks and impostors, and
during his lecture season lectured al
least once q year in most of the large
and many of the small cities of the
i country.
He once tried debating his sermons
| to a phonograph; but as walking
about the room was practically ne
cessity and as he could not very well
carry the machine with him, he aban
doped the scheme. He often said thai
| In all his life he had never written q
line or spoken a word with the aid oi
1 stimulant At one time he was q
habitual smoker, but ceased one day
with a sudden resolution that was
+, typical Of his whole life.
DR.. Talmage was a voluminous
writer on religious subjects. He was
the author of a number of lectures
and his sermons have been published
In 80 volumes. Among the better
known Of his works were From Man
ger to Throne" Sparks From Ny
Anvil" Crumbs Swept Up" Sport.
That KILL" Might Sides Of City Life,
"The Poetry of Life" and "Old Wells
Dug Out" 1t is estimated that foI
many years his royalties netted hin
the princely income of $4,000 a year
Il