The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-12-21
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
BY THE REV. FRANK DE WITT rALMAog. D. D.

'E VIII ! TALMAGEs D. D.
! me the money and let me go to my tent
and tell my wife We are both ruined"
Hardly has the young man left when
King Solomon, for he is the listener, sees
the old Hebrew merchant begin to rub
together his hands in glee. A broad, sar-
donic smile overspreads his merciless
face. He calls to his partner and says:
Isaac come here and see these goods.
Did you ever see such beauties? Why
those shawls are worth at least $4,000
clean profit. I never struck better bar
gain. That young man simply gave them
away to me- Just look at them, Isaac.
l bought them for $4,000 at least $4,000
less than they cost. I must go and tell
Rebecea how much we have made this
morning. Forty thousand dollars clear
profit! Aha, who would have ever
thought that young man could be such
fool?' Is this not rational interpreta-
tlon of my text, 1T is naught. it is
naught sayeth the buyer, but when he Is
gone his way then he boasteth?''
The Meaning of Solomon.
While this conversation takes place be-
tween the deceitful old merchant and his
partner, methinks I can see q troubled
look come over the disguised king who is
standing near by. Methinks 1 can hear
him soliloquize: How contemplate and
despicable is this wholesale system of
swindling depreciations! How deceitful
and damning 1t was for that old mer-
chant to despoll that young merchant. I
must embody among my proverbs for the
benefit of all my people a warning
against this almost universal and sinful
habit" That night, while the great king
is sitting alone in his palace study, he
takes I'D his pen and adds another spark
ling gem to his casket of scintillating
jewels of wisdom. 1 would interpret the
lesson of this text not only In the mer-
chants parlance, but also in reference
to the wicked depreciations of every walk
in life, no matter where the sinful prac-
tice may be found.
Discouraging depreciations are found In
the home as well as In the street, by the
domestic fireside as we'll as In the Jeru-
salem stores, in the nursery as well as In
the public market place. In China 1t Is
never considered gentlemanly or polite
for a man to speak well of his relatives.
In America 1t Is also the custom of some
parents, brothers and sisters never to
speak eulogistically to any of their dear
ones, no matter how much they may be
proud of them They fear lest they should
give them conceited idea of themselves
and spoil them. Therefore their policy is
to peck at all the faults of their loved
ones but never commend them for their
virtues.
Now, my friends, as far as I can under
stand our social life, the greatest need of
the world today is not the need of a few
more gigantic factories to run night and
day for the manufacturing of scalping
knives and swords and daggers and iron
tipped clubs or for great kilns, where
brick bats can be hardened out of dirty
ola 10 Of orr hrnf ha
need of the world Is not for q few micro
scopes and x ray lenses for magnifying
and exposing our brothers faults and
reminding him of his own imperfections.
But the greatest need of the world Is for
at least 500,000 900 homes to be turned
into Christlike pharmaceutic establish
ments. In those homes every father and
mother, brother and sister, ought to be
busy all the time trying to compound old
fashioned, invigorating allopathic doses
of gospel encouragement. They should be
quick to recognize and praise one an
others good points as we'll as their
faults. They should encourage each other
with words of inspiring good cheer as
well as caution them with words of
trenchant warning against the quick
sands and the hidden snares of life.
The Giving of Praise.
encouragements he needs for lifes strug-
gle surely his enemies never will. God
knows an average man gets enough
knocks from his enemies-enough blows
upon his head and heart-to make 1t abb
solutely necessary for at least someone
to say something pleasant You do not
want your loved ones to start out in life
with a depressed idea of their own abil-
tiles and capacity for future work, as
my father had when he started, which
youthful depression he was never able
to entirely overcome. My grandfather and
grandmother were old fashioned folks,
who brought up their children In the old
fashioned way, never telling them any
thing cheering about themselves. The
nearest to a parental compliment my ia
Their ever received was when his mother
read his graduating speech in the little
village paper of Somerville. After she
had finished reading 1t she turned to my
grandfather and said, David, that
speech of De Wits must have sounded
quite well when he spoke it"
Then came the depressing influences of
his college and seminary life. With but
one exception all his professors tried to
instill into my fathers brain the idea
that he could never preach. He was so
discouraged that he determined to go to
a foreign field and be missionary. He
thought that perhaps the heather
Chinee" or the Fiji islanders might be
persuaded to listen to his preaching If he
were only able to get into a region
where no white man had ever been be-
FORE The most surprised being in the
seminary-and nearly all the students
were dumfounded-was young De Witt
Talmage when he received call to the
church and parsonage at Bellevilie, N
]. The solemn advice which the New
Brunswick professor gave, You will
have to change your style, Mr.. Talmage;
you will have to change your STYLE"