Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-11-26
Caln,age
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmade, d. d.


Los Angeles, Cal, Nov. 20.-In reply
TO the pessimists, the preacher In this
sermon turns the brighter side of the
picture Of our national life and shows
us that we ought to be thankful that
we are living in times that have under
gone vast Improvement since the good
old days" Of our grandfathers. The
text is Psalm iv, 6, There be many
that say, Who will show us any good|
The depreciators, the carpers, the
fault finders, the calamity howlers. the
pessimists, who, like the blind tsh OF
Kentucky's Mammoth cave, cannot
see the light of day. have an ancestral
record as old as the human race. They
belong especially to no one century or
generation. Their family come ltions
are not limited to the Caucasian race,
or to the Ethiopian, or to the Malay,
or to the red skinned American Indian,
or to the Mongolian, or to the 1aun-
diced faced Chinaman. They are found
alike in the poor mans hut and the
rich mans palace, among the sailors
on shipboard and the citizens on land.
Like the Eskimos, they live among
the arctic icebergs. They thrive well
in the temperate zone. They bask In
the boiling heat Of the tropics. They
are found among all social classes OF
ali nations Of all times.
Mythology placed representative or
the class among the Greek gods on
Mount Olympus. His name was MO
mus. the god of fault finding and
mockery. He took pleasure in finding
fault with men. He found fault with
the gods themselves. He criticised
Vulcan because after he had made
man he did not place window in his
4 breast. 60 that mans thoughts could
be seen by the passersby. He de-
nounced Minerva after she had built
a house because she did not make the
house movable. He found fault with
Neptune because he did not place the
horns Of the beast he had created
farther forward in his forehead, so
that he could hght better. He kept on
finding fault with everybody and
everything until at last the gods be-
came disgusted and drove Momus out
Of heaven, because, said they, heaven
can be no heaven with a chronic fault
finder around"
What tke Grecian NEUROLOGICAL gods
said In reference to heaven with a
Momus in 1t IL literally true. No soci-
ETY. on earth can be happy or content
ed with a chronic grumbler around
And yet, coming up to the glorious cell
ebration Of our autumnal ThanksgiV-
ing day Of 1904, we fnd our pessimistic
Momuses everywhere. This Is the
time when we ought to be making an
inventory Of all our blessings, instead
Of which these modern calamity howl
ers are making a false collection OF
misanthropic statements. They are
also making their pessimistic prophe-
cies. Not only are they saying that the
world is going to the dogs, but they
Furthermore assert that It has already
gone to the dogs why" they say
I'VE have nothing to be thankful for
this Thanksgiving day. IT'S true there
is more money in the world, more than
ever before, but we do not have II
Our social, civic and spiritual condi'
tons for the great mass Of folks were
never at as low ebb as they are today
Who will show US any goodT' they cry
as the calamity howlers OF my tex
cried in David's time, thousands Of
years ago.
Modern Tfmes Versus Ancient.
Some of these modern fault finders
are trying to make our times out to be
much worse than were the ancient
times. will pick up their challenge
They ask, "Who will show us any
goodf" answer, II will" And VII
show that the church Of Jesus Chrls'
is better today spiritually than the an
cient church. I will show that modern
governments are better and the homes
are better and people in the mass are
higher toned morally and better. Th'
fact that a lot Of chronic croakers a
this Thanksgiving time are goint
around finding fault with things does
not in the least prove that most peo
pie are poorly clad, poorly fed, poorly
boused and under the merciless heeli
Of despotic tyrants. AS a rule, yot
will and that those people who grum
Bile the most have the least to grumol'
about.
The Momus Of political life declares
that there is nothing in our nationa
life to warrant Thanksgiving. He says
"Modern rulers and legislators are SELF
ish oppressors. They do not govern BY
Gods Golden Rule, but by force. INT
code of civilized nations Is immoral
merciless and unjust. 1t conniyes a
the crimes of government and con
dones the thefts of province. Strong
governments trample upon the right'
of the weaker governments. Within
those governments one social class
places the yoke Of tyranny upon th'
other social class. Within those gov
ernments laws are not equitable an(
Just. We find that the poor man wh'
steals a loaf Of bread to avert starya
ton is hustled Off to Jail, as Jean Val
lean was sent to the galleys with
twenty years sentence for stealing TIVE
loaves of bread to feed the gaunt ant
haggard and starving children OF hi
widowed sister. On the other hand,
man like James Fisk, II he Is a bii
enough scoundrel to steal railroad
can defy justice, while a millionaire
like Edward Stokes, who shoots
James Fisk, has no more to fear from
the gallows than leopard has VIII
3 slays q helpless fawn." NO" say tn
: living pessimists, "our modern govern
ments and their internal laws are al
corrupt There are none that doet
|. good-no, not one, not one."