Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-10-23
TALMAGE
SERMON
BY Rev.
FRANK DE WITT rAiMACE. DID,,
Pastor OF Jefferson Park Presby-
tcrian Church. Chicago

cling, which has spread 10 all classes
and conditions of men, He utters a
wholesome and timely protest against
those forms OF the mania which are
corrupting our social and business life.
HE text is Genesis ill, 10, I'm the
sweat OF thy face shalt thou eat
bread"
Some years ago 1 was walking in
beautiful Paramount park. Philadel-
phia. with my father. He suddenly
turned and said to me: Frank, next
week am going to write n sermon
upon the question is life worth livingr
am going TO show that the solution
OF that question is conditional. Wheth-
er life Is or is not worth living de-
pends upon how you live it. IL man
lives In this world with the idea that
he Is only to receive and not to give,
IL he is cursed with the enervating
conviction that he must be carried
saround on q litter and IL he does not
want to be worker, n laborer, n doer
Tor mankind, then life is not worth
living. The sooner that man Is dead
the better. But IL II man goes through
this world realizing the glorious op-
poreunitfes OF Christian usefulness aud
II he Is willing to spend and be spent
for others, then life Is worth living.
Then the longer we live on earth the
happier we shall be and the more we
shnll make others happy"
But, though at the Etenic expulsion
the divine command was given. by
the sweat OF thy face shalt thou eat
bread" yet from time immemorial
hnU
sands OF men and women who have
tried to shirk the obligations of labor
which God has placed at every hearth
stone. They have been seeking q means
whereby through the opened door of
the Roman temple erected to Fortuna.
the goddess or chance, they "oulo pos
sess fortune without working for IL or
without contributing anything to the
world In return for ii. They would be
wreckers pure and simple. They
would become vampires upon the social
organism, sucking out the life's blood
or others. as the Australian bats fasten
themselves upon the backs OF the
horses. cattle and sheep until they have
drunk their fill. or as the European
cuckoo lays her eggs in the nests of
ctner birds. or like n parasiticnl plant.
winch absorbs the nourishment OF
other plants. They would drink. vet
never themselves become fountains OF
water at whose sparkling springs 9TH
ers might Quench their parching thirst.
Worshipers OF Blind Goddess.
In every age there have been thou
sands upon thousands of devotees ut
Fortuna's shrine. They are blind wor
Of
cient Romans showed their wisdom in
picturing her with eyes shut and large
wings on her feet. She sees nothing
OF the sacrifices OF her worshipers. aud
she cares nothing for the heartbreak of
tnose who have given her their all.
She cares not whose fortune she
snatches away. When she gathers up
the gold in her arms those wings on
her feet can make her and her treas
ured burden disappear ms quickly as n
roulette wheel can whirl. as quickly n,
q mans deed for his house can change
hands ut the turning OF n card as
quickly as race horse can travel
about the track OF n derby. The god
uess or chance can fly away so quickly
tnat In an instant man can be ruined
for time and for eternity.
Ny theme is defiant gambling. De-
nant. yen! The gambler defies God
hnd In utter recklessness stakes his
fortune In this world and his hopes OF
the next. This accursed evil is n vio-
lation OF Gods laws as wei! rs mans.
sOehant because when the winn,nps
and losings OF gamblers lifetime are
balanced IL will Inevitably be found
dQmnn
victim both ot HIS soul and his rocket
DOCK. The smile OF this evil genius Is
more TO be dreaded than her frown
Hhe smile ailures. but IL hides the
scowi which might warn the devotee
OF The ruthlessness with which she in.
TENDS completely and externally TO de-
etroy him. The hangman's suavities
90 NOT make the ropes grip less fatal:
neither did the politeness and Difference
with which the Partisan executioner
welcomed Louis XVI. to the cuiliotine
Diunt the keen edge OF the descendino |
Gambling Ia Robbery
Gambling Is robbery. lttakcs wealth |
and gives nothing in return. IL nuts
not enc copper into the worlds treas.
ory. 1t plants no seed. II digs no gold |
from the mine. 1t grows no wool upon |
the sheep's back. 1t builds no steam
snip lines IL manufactures no goods.
ana II retai!s no finished products. II
Goes nothing for national or social de-
-seiopment. had no more TO do with |
she marvellous development of the
twentieth century than the vast riches
OF the piratical buccaneers OF old had TO
DO with creating the wealth of the four
teenth and the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries. Its mission is always ruin.
Gus. Ever does 1t raise black flag of
death and never the white flag which
should always be carried by the che
roes OF peace"
Gambling cannot even lay claim to
the ihoirect advantages which n legiti.
mate business provides for the COM
munity. Every legitimate business IS
O benefit to mankind. When a man
IKE OLD Commodore Vanderbilt started
OUT TO make n success I'm this world
not even his most intimate friends
sould charge him with being an inten-
iional phi!anthropist. Any one who
had any financial dealings with old
cornelius always knew that he was
looking out first and last for himself.
ana Tor himself alone. But when Cor
nelius Vanderbilt in the legitimate role
or railroad developer served himself he
was also serving mankind. His rail-
ROADS gave employment 10 thousands
ana tens or thousands of men and sup
ported those mems families. His iron
roaos developed whole regions in the
west which would never have been
opened by any other pioneer than the
lyciopean eye of the locomotives head
light. When old Cornelius Vanderbilt
MADE millions of dollars for himself
DC also made millions for his employees
ana hundreds OF millions for his coun-
Try But what Increase of capital did
me world receive when, in 1861. a man
% the name OF Garcia at the Homburg
resort won I'm ms n,aht