Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-11-19
TALMAGE
SERMON
By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE, DID,,
Pastor Of jefferson Park Presby.
terrain Church, Chicago

Chicago. Nov. 15.--In this sermon the
preacher makes n plea for the observ-
ancc 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
is Zechariah ~. 10, "Who hath despised
the day of small things
The worlds favorte monocle Is the
telescope. We admire objects for many
different reasons. One of tho chief is
their bigncss Every tourist wants to
sec Niagara falls. 1t 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. 1t is higher
than any other tower. And we would
circle the Ferris wheel because It Is
larger than any of tho other wheels.
The human race, conscious that it is
finite, aspircs to explore the infinite.
Its conception of the sublime is not
the dwarf but the giant.
But, though tremendous bulk or mag.
nitude or hugcncss or immensely has
for the human eye an awe inspiring
fascination, yet today | want to point
out some seeming insigniiicanccs 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
er seven wonders of the world. | find
that though my watch has its large
wheels and bars and regulating hand
and handspring and adamantinc jew
ols. yet it has also its little screws and
little wheels and little cogs and little
pegs. which the jcwelcr has TO study
under the clarifying eye of the magn-
flying glass. | also find that the alb
sencc perhaps of one of these little
screws ~ COgs might stop the whole
machinery of my watch as surely as if
| should snap the handspring.
Vital Essentials.
Seeming insigniticances may he vital
essentials. Some years ago when cross
ing the Atlantic ocean, the companion
with whom | was travelling one day
suddenly flung open my stateroom door
and cried: Come on deck, Something
has happened to the ship When | ar
rived on deck 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 in perfect circle. Just then an
officer passed me, and | asked What
is the matter, lieutenant? Is the rud-
der brokcnT "Oh, no. said he. 1--WE
are merely testing a new compass. In
order to find out whether il Is perfect
we had 10 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 large ship was
wrecked because small piece of steel
from the point of knife was driven
into the wood near its compass box and
made the compass finger 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 insigniticances
and the despised monads are pregnant
with large broods of influences every
one of which will have large progenies.
\ cholera germ may be so small that it
is not visible to the naked eye. IF, how
ever. it is let alone In its work of devas-
n r1c Of
the county hospital with invalds and
keep the undertakers' wagons busy by
day as we'll as the nurses busy by
night. | ask the striking question
which Zechariah put in times of old,
who hath despised the day Of small
things?'
Personal Apparel.
Small essential the first: Appropri
ateness and neatness Of personal APP
appropriateness and neatness in
reference to the coat man wears
upon his back. and to the shoes on his
feet, and especially in reference to the
cleanliness of the linen he wears about
his neck, aud to the mOdesty with
which he is attired in public. God
"cauls and the chains and the bracelets
and the rutiles and bonnets and the or
naments of the legs and the hcadbands
and the tablets and the earrings and
the nose Jewels and the changeable
suits of apparel and the nantes and
the winples and the crispng pins and
the glasses and the fine linen and the
hoods and the wells" of the naughty
daughters Of Zion, "who walk with
stretched forth necks and wanton eyes,
walking and mincing as they go, and
making a tinkling with their feet" UNI
less there was direct connection be-
tween mans inner character and his
"Sartor Resartus,' or PHILOSOPHY of
Clothes" Paul would never have com
manded the women of the Corinthian
church to veil themselves in public as
semblagc if he had not been convinced
that a woman's disregard of the social
customs of the country and the time