Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-11-16
TALMAGE
SERMON
BY Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE. DID,.
Pastor Of Jefferson Rark Presby-
terrain Church. Chicago

preacher makes n plea for the observ-
ance and practice OF Christian courte-
sizes and Of the minor virtues that go
very far toward making up the sum Of
individual human character. The text
s. Zecharlah iv. 10. who hath despised
the day Of small thingsY
The worlds favorite monocle is the
telescope. We admire objects for many
different reasons. one of the chief is
their bigness Every tourist wants TO
see Niagara falls. IL is the biggest Of
all falls. And Mount Everest. 1t is
the highest Of all mountains. And
kilauea, because that volcano has the
largest crater in the world. We would
ascend the Eiffel tower. II is higher
than any other tower. And we would
circle the Ferris wheel because it is
larger than any of the other wheels.
The human race, conscious that it is
finite. aspires TO explore the infinite.
Its conception Of the sublime is not
the dwarf, but the giant
But though tremendous bulk or mag
nitude or hugeness or immensely has
Cor the human eye an awe inspiring
fascination. yet today I want to point
out some seeming insignificances which
are more essential for the worlds
peace and harmony than was the Co
lOssus OF Rhodes, or the hanging gar
dens Of Babylon, or the temple of Di-
ana at Ephesus, or the palace Of Cyrus,
cemented with gold, or any of the 9TH
or seven wonders of the world. l find
that, though my watch has its large
wheels and bars and regulating hand
and handspring and adamantine jew
els, yet 1t has also its little screws and
little wheels and little cogs and little
pegs, which the Jeweler has to study
under the clarifying eye of the magni-
flying glass. / also find that the alb
sence perhaps of one of these little
screws or cogs might stop the whole
machinery of my watch as surely as If
/ should snap the handspring.
vital Essentials.
Seeming insignificances may be vital
essentials. Some years ago, when cross
ing the Atlantic ocean, the companion
with whom l was travelling one day
suddenly flung open my stateroom door
and cried: Come on deck! Something
has happened to the shipr When l ar
rived on deck l found scores and hun
dreds of passengers excitedly watching
the strange movements of the ships
course. Instead of blowing ahead, we
were slowly moving around to the
right i'm a perfect circle. Just then an
officer passed me. and | asked: what
Is the matter, lieutenant? Is the rud-
der brokenT "Oh, no." said he. I'VE
are merely testing a new compass. In
order to find out whether ii is perfect
we had to wait until we were far away
from the magnetic effect of rocks and
land. Those influences may not seem
TO be much. but they may entirely de-
fleet the accuracy of the compass nee
die" Many years ago a large ship was
wrecked because n small piece of steel
from the point of knife was driven
into the wood near its compass box and
made the compass finger a false guide
Thus. my friends, | would take for
my theme today the Small Essentials
OF life. | would try to show you that
many OF the seeming insignifcances
and the despised monads are pregnant
with large broods OF influences, every
one of which will have large progenies
A cholera germ may be so small that II
Is not visible TO the naked eye. II. how
ever. IL is let alone in its work of devas
tation IL can soon crowd the wards OF
the county hospital with invalids anC
keep the undertakers' wagons busy by
~
night. ask the striking question
which Zechariah put in times of old
"Who hath despised the day Of small
thingsr
Personal Apparel.
Small essential the first: Appropri
ateness and neatness of personal ap
parel-appropriatene and neatness il
reference TO the coat q man wear
upon his back, and to the shoes on hi
feet. and especially in reference to tn
cleanliness of the linen he wears abou
his neck, and to the modesty wit
which he is attired in public. Co
would never have condemned tn
"cauls and the chains and the bracelet
and the ruffles and bonnets and the oil
naments of the legs and the headband
and the tablets and the earrings an
the nose jewels and the changeabl
suits Of apparel and the mantles an
the wimples and the crisping pins an
the glasses and the fine linen and tn
hoods and the wells" of the Taught
daughters Of Zion, who walk wit
stretched forth necks and wanton eye.
walking and mincing as they go, an
making a tinkling with their feet" III
less there was a direct connection b.
tween a mans inner character and b
"Sartor Resartus." or philosophy {
Clothes" Paul would never have con
handed the women OF the Corinthia
church TO veil themselves in public a
semblage IL he had not been convince
that a woman's disregard of the socii
customs OF the country and the tin