Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-10-02
TALMAGE
SERMON
BY Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMACE, DID,,
Pastor of Jefferson Park Presby-
terrain Church, Chicago

Chicago, Sept. 2S-In this discourse
the preacher summons all good people
to unite in a movement against the
great and growing national evil OF
strong drink. The text Is Proverbs
xiii, 80, AT the last 1t biteth like a
serpent and stingeth like an adder"
My father has now been dead about
six months. Since his demise I have
received scores Of letters from many
parts of this country asking me to de-
fine my position on the temperance
question. Only yesterday n strong,
earnest plea came from one of the
New England states which went some.
thing like this: "Your fathers voice
always rang true in his hatred for the
wine cup. VIII you not come to our
aid and help the thousands Of mothers
who have drunken sons and the wives
who have drunken husbands fight this
relentless enemy Of God and the
homer" 1t is in answer to these let
tiers that I shall state my belief and
position upon tho temperance question.
But l speak with broader purpose
than merely to crafty curiosity.
want every man, woman and child
who hates the saloon and who is con-
secratcd for n combined combat
against this arch fend of the centuries
to look upon me as a brother and a
comrade. | pledge myself is the col.
league OF every foe of the intoxicating
cup. At every opportunity, with voice
and pen. l will thrust at this serpen-
tine monster It shall be my aim. as
it should be the aim of every one Of
Gods ministers, to rally, with all the
influences at his command, the enc
mics of this hitherto invincible and un.
conquered foe of the human race. May
God grant us to live to see the day
when the fangs of this mighty monster
shall have been extracted and when
its head shall have been crushed and
it's vile carcass dismembered under the
of the gospel army.
The evil of intoxication is universal
curse. Its long Shiny, twisting coils
spread over every land and are visible
in every walk of life. There is hardly
man or woman sitting before me who
has not had at least one near relative
who has been cursed by the fatal bite
of this crawling, insidious enemy. Per-
haps that near relative was a father,
a mother. an uncle. an aunt a brother,
a sister. wife, husband or a child.
Alas, many OF us can say we have not
only had one, but many near relatives
and friends who have gone down into
drunkards grfves after they have lived
the hopeless and humanity helpless. de-
graded earthly existence Of the drunk
ard. Even as l am preparing this ser
mon news is published that a man who
has filed high places In the service OF
his country, who bore a name honored
in our history, has lost his life in a
brawl in which he would never have
been involved if he had not INDUCED in
intoxicating drink.
The Warning of Solomon.
Solomon compared the sin Of intoxi-
cation to the writings and twistings
of a serpent and to the singing OF an
adder because at that time poisonous
serpents were everywhere. Every
thicket was filled with a constellation
of their cleaning eyes. Every desert
was the home of the puff adder. lying
half buried in the sand Every swamp
was the retreat of the water viper. Ev-
cry hillside had for the traveller a
warning hiss or rattle. Even unto
this day many Of the countries of the
east are overrun with poisonous rep
tiles, In India alone over 10000 in.
habitants annually die from poisonous
snake bites.
The deadly serpents can multiply al.
most indefinitely in the wild, undevel.
oped region of virgin soil. Hum
boldt, the celebrated German scientist
gave this description of one of his
r travels "In the savaunas Of Esse-
quibo In Guiana, | saw the most Won
derful and terrible of spectacles. We
We're ten men on horseback, two of
whom took the lead in order to sound
the passages. while preferred to skirt
the green forest. One Of the black
men who formed the vanguard re-
turned at full gallop and said to me,
Come here. sir, and see serpents in q
r pile He pointed out to me something
elevated in the middle OF the savan-
mas which appeared like pile OF
arms One of my companions said
This must be one of those assem-
blages of serpents which heap them
selves on each other after violent
tempest. ! have heard of such, but
: have never seen any Let us be eau
tious and not go too near When we
: We're within twenty PAGES Of 1t. the
terror of our horses prevented our
4 nearer approach. to which, however
none Of us was inclined. suddenly
the pyramided mass became agitated
Frightful hissings issued from it. Thou
sands of serpents rolled spirally on
each other. They shot their hldeous
heads out of the circles. presenting
their fiery eyes at us. | then thought
what could be the design of this nu
merous assemblage, | concluded that
this species Of serpent dreaded some
, colossal enemy and they united them
selves, after having seen this enemy
in order TO attack or resist it in the
mass" So today the serpents of the