The Jennings daily record. [volume] (Jennings, La.) 1900-1903, 1902-02-03
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
THE BEAUTY OF CHRISTIAN COURT
ESY POINTED OUT.
Discourse Preached from the Words OF
Peter: BE Courteous'-The Value of
Praise-Giving Thoughtfulness for
Others q Spirit to Be Cultivated.

washington, Jan. I'm this dis
course DR.. Talmage urges thoughtful
ness for others and shows how such
a benignant spirit may be fostered;
text, l Peter ii, 8, BE courteous"
In an age when bluntness has been
canonized as virtue it may be use
full to extol one of the most beautiful
of all the royal family of graces-
courtesy. 1t is graciousness, Difference
to the wishes of others, good manners.
affability, Willingness to deny our
selves somewhat for the advantage of
others, urbanity. Mark you, it cam
not be put on or dramatized sue
cessfully for long while. We may
be full of bows and genufiections, and
smiles and complimentary phrase, and
have nothing of genuine courtesy
either in our makeup or in our de-
meanor. A backwoodsman who never
saw drawing room or dancing mas
ter or a caterer or fold of drapery
may with his big soul and hard hand
and awkward salutation exercise the
grace. while one born under richest
upholstery and educated in foreign
schools. and bothered to know which
of ten garments he will take from a
royal wardrobe, may be as barren of
the spirit of courtesy as the great Sa-
hara desert is of green meadows and
tossing fountains.
Christian courtesy is born IN the
heart by the power of the Holy Ghost,
who has transformed and illumined
and glorified ones nature. Mark you,
I am speaking of the highest kind of
courtesy. which is Christian courtesy.
Something like it-ordinary politeness
may grow mp with us under the di-
rection of intelligent and watchful
parentage, but l am not speaking OF
that which is merely agreea bleness of
conversation and behavior. | am
speaking of a principle of courtesy
so implanted in ones nature that
his suavity of conversation and man
ner shall be the outburst of what he
feels for the happiness and welfare of
others, a principle that will work in
the next world as well as in this and
will be as appropriate in the man
sions of heaven as in earthly dwelling
places.
Now. you know as well as I do that
some OF the most undesirable people
have been seeming lncarnations of
CouI ltSN- III early AiHSilSdl HIS
tory there arose a man of wonderful
talent, an representation of all that
can charm drawing rooms and Guilt
waited circles. He became vice presi-
dent of the United States and within
one vote of being president. Men
threw away their fortunes to help him
in his political aspirations and to
forward him in a conspiracy to over
throw the government of the United
States. he trying to do in America
what Napoleon at that very time was
trying to do in Europe-establish a
throne for himself. But he was i'm
moral and corrupt. He was the SER
pent that wound it's way into many a
domestic paradise. He shot to death
one Of the greatest Of Americans
Alexander Hamilton. The world found
out long before he left it that the Of
fender l speak of was an embodiment
of dissoluteness and base ambition. He
was the best illustration that /
know of of the fact that a man may
have the appearance of courtesy Vile
within he is all wrong.
Absalom, a Bible character, wac a
specimen of a man of polish outside
and of rottenness inside. He captur-
ed all who came near him. But, oh.
what heart he had, full of treachery
and unffiiai spirit and baseness! He
was as bad as he was alluring and
charming.
| like what John Wesley said to a
man when their carriages met on the
road. The ruffian, knowing Mr. Yves
ley and disliking him, did not turn out,
but kept the middle of the road. Mr..
Wesley cheerfully gave the man all
the road, himself riding into the ditch.
AS they passed each other the rutfian
said, Il never turn out for fools" and
Mr.. Wesley said, Il always do"
like the reproof which Chinaman in
San Francisco gave an American. The
American pushed him off the side
walk until he fell into the mud. The
Chinaman on rising began to brush off
the mud and said to the American:
You Christian; me heather. Good
by" A stranger entered a church in
one of the cities and was allowed to
stand a long while, although there
was plenty of room. No one offered a
seat. The stranger after awhile said
to one of the brethren, What church
is thfs?" The answer was, "Christ's
church, sir us he in?' said the
stranger. The officer of the church
understood what was meant and gave
him a seat We want more courtesy
in the churches, more courtesy in
places of business, more courtesy in
our homes.
Let us all cultivate this grace of
Christian courtesy by indulging in the
habit of praise instead of the habit of
blame. There are evils in the world
that we must denounce and there are
men and women who ought to be
chastised, but never let us allow the
of applauding good deeds
pass unimproved. The old theory was
that you must never praise people lest
we make them vain. No danger of
that. Before any of us get through
with life we will have enough mean
and ignoble and depreciating and ly-