Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-07-24
TALMAGE
SERMON
By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE. DID,,
Pastor OF Jefferson Park Presby-
teri>n Church. Chicago



sails furnish n theme for the preacher
Mt this season. when the multitudes are
leaving the heated Icitles for seashore
and lake. The text is Psalm civ. 26,
There go the ships"
I always feel sorry for one who has
not been lullabied to sleep by the low
moaning song of the sea. Fenimore
Cooper loved to write about the noun
tains and woods and streams and wa
terfalls and rivers, to whose deer ticks
the fawns and the does came down to
drink. But there is n beauty, too, I'm
the sand dunes and the seabeach and
the broad expanse of the mighty deep
which we can love also.
Fascinating is the seashore on ac-
count OF it's endless variety. The
oceans beauty is never twice the same.
Sometimes It's colors are white foam
or a light green or a dark emerald or
blue or black. Sometimes its surface
is covered with broad highways of
gold, when the light of the rising sun
gilds 1T, or with that other highway of
silver, when, in the midnight hour, the
flush OF the moon is reflected upon it.
Sometimes the sea win do nothing but
smile. Like a golden haired baby, its
cheeks are dimpied and wrinkled, as
though it is trying hard to keep back
a hearty laugh. 1t will look as harm
less as some innocent lake cuddled up
In the huge lap OF a crooked backed
mountain. Then the sea gulls, as
white doves of peace. will hover over
1t. Then the fisherman's boat will be-
come the cradle in which the tired
merchant will have the many cares OF
the store gently rocked out of his oyer
burdened mind. as he anxiously
watches the line which catches the
golden prize OF health as well as the
hnny treasures.
Sometimes the sea becomes as wrath
full as the wild beasts in the Spanish
arena, stung with sharp darts, before
which the attendants wave the red gar
ments. 1t rears. 1t plunges. 1t lashes
itself into fury until ut last Ii Is GRIM
soned with fits own blood. The blazing
phoSphorescences make IL look like the
river Nile struck with the Mosaic rod
In the famous Egyptian plague. The
seashore monotonous place to pass
the summer? 1t is uninteresting only
60 those whose love OF nature is so I'M
developed that they cannot under
stand the language of the sea.
The Human ship.
But. after all. one of the most absorb
ing diversions OF the summer tourists
living by the seashore is TO watch the
passing OF the ships. For over quar-
ter OF n century my privilege was to
spend every summer by the Atlantic
coast. My fathers country home was
near the end OF Long Island, at n small
town called East Hampton. There.
upon the sand dunes. used to lie hour
after hour. watching the great steam
ers and the sailing craft heading to-
ward New York Narrows or starting
upon their long trips TO the distant har-
bors OF the world. / used TO watch
them just as the psalmlst did when he
cried out in the words OF my text,
There go the ships" How like those
voyages are, with their unknown Incl
dents. their calIns and their storms.
their successes and. alas. their wrecks,
TO human livcsl Who can tell as he
looks Mt an infant calmly sleeping I'm
its cradle whether the voyage OF its life
will be like the ship skillfully steered
safe into harbor or like the ship care
lessly navigated that strikes the suuken
rock or by collision with another ship
IS shattered and sunk into the depths
OF the sea? Let us see this morning
what those points OF resemblance are
what kind OF n ship each human being
ought 10 be, what kind OF a cargo he
Is carrying and toward what kind OF
port he should be heading. The ships!
The ships! There 80 the shipsi There
60 the ships,
Every human vessel should be dis
tinguished by some flag. Going down
20 New York harbor and examining the
shipping. you Will find the name OF
each vessel clearly marked upon the
stern. You will also find the name OF
the city in which that vessel is regis
tered. Such names as these can be
read: John Milton OF Glasgow. the
Aurania OF Liverpool. the Paris OF New
York. And If upon the high seas two
ships approach each other, one captain
will put the trumpet TO his lips and
call: "Ship ahoy! Ship ahoyi What
ship is thatf" Then the other captain
will call back: "The Eensington of
Antwerp. bound for New Yorkl What
ship is thatT' The meaning of all
this? Simply that when ship is reg
fstered in certain country that gov
eminent pledges itself to protect that
ship. British ship is under British
protection; French ship is under
French protection; n German ship is
under German protection; an American
ship is under American protection.
Therefore, IL nation dares TO modest
any foreign ship upon the high seas.
that nation must answer for the insult
to the flag which is flying above the
stern OF the outraged vessel
The Flag of Protection.
Many a war has been started because
the sacredness OF ships deck has
been violated. The war OF 1912 with
England really had its origin in the
English claim that she could stop any
American vessel and take off her decks
oil the English born sailors found
among the crews. The war with the
dey of Algiers was started In the
same way. The Mediterranean pirates
demanded money from our govern
<A~lts win Tic threat tlldl ollcTWlSe
they would modest our shipping. The
United States government finally not
only refused to pay, but sent over
armed vessels to maintain the honor
and power OF its flag by the mouths of
their cannon. Had not Abraham Lin
coin and William II. Seward been
brave enough to defy popular clamor
and surrender the Confederate COM
missioners, Messrs. Slidell and Mason,
who had been taken forcibly from an |
English ship by an American manor |
war, they would certainly have in |
volved this country in war with Eng |
land which would have destroyed the |
unity Of our government. A civilized |
nation always claims an imperial do |
main over the ships deck above which |
fiutters its flag.
Now, my brother as n human vessel. |