Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-12-10
TALMAGE
SERMON
BY Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE, DID,,
-, Pastor Of Jefferson Park Presby.
terrain Church, Chicago

preacher urges as fitting commem-
grafton of the Christmas time the heal
ing of family differences and the put
ting aside forever Of all discussions, in
accordance with the spirit and teach
ings of the sacred season. The text is
Luke II, H. "On earth peace, good will
toward men"
Christmas day has the manger for
its gem, with the home for setting.
From time immemoriaI the commemo-
ration of the birth Of Christ has had its
true and real celebration not SO much
in public fcstivity and church cere-
monial as in the family gathering
around the domestic fircside. Other
customs mGy change. new movements
may transform our social life, but the
Christmas family gathering maintains
convict was liberated from Sing Sing
penitentlary. He had been imprisoned
there for nearly thirty years He was
pardoned, a white haired old man of
siXty-touT years. He went In strong
limbed young man of thirty-fiv Up to
1903 he had never ridden on an electric
car; he had never seen the wonderful
development Of the telephone; he had
never seen all automobile or the mar
velous development of doing business
through the typewriter. He said that
he was coming into strange and a
but another he had never seen But
though many customs may change
within quarter of Il century the Gus
toms OF Christmas day neither change
IN generation or a century. Christ
mas day always has been and we hope
always will be n family day. 1t is
we'll that at least once a year the chill
dren and the grandchildren, the broth
ors and the sisters and the ncphews and
the nleces, as well as the fathers and
mothers and grandparents. should be
gathered within the four walls of the
old homestead. and it Is appropriate
that the season for such reunions should
be that at which we celebrate tie ad-
vent of our Lord
DtOOu BntcRer Jhun water.
But though God "setteth the solitary
in families" though on Christmas day.
above all other days, he would have
us worship him in communion with our
kith and kin, though we should delight
to prove that blood IS thicker than wa
ter, yet the startling fact remains I'M
controverted that the grinning skeleton.
hi ,l, ts,-
teeth almost every Christmas eve in
almost every family closet. &c the hid
eOus skeleton Of doncstic strife. l.y
/ this statement we do not mean that the
father and mother aud the little chill
! drer living within the four walls of a
house are necessarily unhappy or that
most homes are not peaceful and loving
! We do mean, however. that the fam
/ lily name. taken in its larger relation,
/ Is not always loving and harmonious
name. We do mean by this statement
/ that after the father and mother have
! been carried out to their last resting
/ place, 10 sleep the sleep of death under
coverlid OF snow. arrangements often
| arise between the married children
| We do mean by this statement that
many and many home has been split
/ from top to bottom on account of the
/ second marriag" Of IL father or moth
1 err We do mean that today all over
| the United States brothers can he
found AT variance with brothers, sisters
| with sisters and cousins with cousins.
This nation Is struck through and
/ through with family strife The Ap-
! palachian mountains, where Kentucky.
! Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia
meet have aptly been called the land
of the fcud.' There families have bat
tied with each other for genera tons.
There the McCoys and the Hattieds
nave well nigh exterminated each 9TH
| or. There the Towards and the Turn
ers have fought each other to the dea tn
There the wounded John Phlipotts
shot dead the four Grifiins, and he him
self was found unconscious among his
slain. But though the Appalachians
can be called the land Of the feud,"
the whole United States co truthfully
be termed "the land of family strife"
IF | We're to enter your family homes
and learn the inner secrets Of those
homes In all probability there would
be found not one family which among
Its larger connections Ia not cursed
with internal strife
Family Day.
Christmas day is essentially family
day. Would 1t not be possible in the
weeks before its dawn for you to ar
range your family differences so that
on that day the old quarrel may be set
tied and all the hard thoughts and hard
words 1t has eugendered may be for
given and forgotten? l would suggest
to You today some reasons why such
reconciliation may be and should be
effected. | would try. in the name OF
Jesus Christ, to have over the manger
brother clasp hands with brother, Sis
ter with sister, parent with child and
child with parent. I would try to do
this because when the Christmas bells
are ringing their carol no man, no wo-
man, can SO truly honor the newborn
child called the Christ as by doing his
or her part to fulfill the angel message
OF Peace on earth and good will to-
ward men"
Family dissensions should cease and
Immediately cease, Why? They have
nearly all-aye, practically all-been
caused by faults committed on both
sides They have been caused by the
pot calling the kettle black, the ket-