The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-12-11
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.


DE WITT TALMAeE. o. o.
all eosnel messengers could make their
sermons a cheerful message for tired |
men and women!
Yes the new song We sing ought TO /
have the keynote of cheerfulness. That |
is tbe first great essential. Why should |
If NOT he cheerful? II we believe in God |
If we believe IN what Cnrist has done I
for us. have not we belief which should |
uplift every heart into the highest |
realms of Christian joy2 Suppose l am T
an artist. Suppose [ send one of my |
pictures to the fair at st. Louis or to the |
salon of Paris. Suppose I today receive |
a letter from the authorities OF that art |
exhibit something like this;
Dear sir-We are glad to inform you |
that your picture has received first prize |
in the class of portrait painting. You |
will not only receive a medal for the |
same, but also a check for 5000, which is |
to 20 to the winner OF that prize. We |
congratulate you on your success, and we |
are glad that your state Will hereafter |
be known as the home of one Of the |
greatest artists of this generation"
What would I do if l received such a
letter as that? Would [ put that letter
away and say nothing? Would I walk |
around with sepulchral countenance and |
dolorous voice. saying, Il have won a
$1,000 prize and international fame?" No;
nv eyes would fash my cheeks would
flush, my nerves would tingle with glor-
ious excitement. l would go home at
once to nv wife and children and saw:
Loved ones, my artistic position is now
assured l will be able to earn for us all
the money we need" If the news that
we have won an earthly prize makes us
so happy, how ought we to feel when we
realize that a heavenly and eternal bless
ing has been conferred upon us? Shall
we not sing a cheerful song when we
realize all that Christ has done for us
and ours?
Coming Holiday Song.
Our coming holiday song should sing
the joy of our salvation. It must do
more than that It should sing about
the happiness of some one else. There
fore our new song should be a helpful
song. Jenny Lind, the great Swedish
nightingale" regarded her voice as a gift
from Cod bestowed that she might help
her fellow men. May we look upon our
new song to be sung to God as song to
help those who are in physical, mental
or spiritual distress.
Oh, that we in our coming holiday
song could have the beautiful purpose
which the human thrush Jenny Lind
had in her gentle, conseerated Christian
heart! She was always doing some kind
ness to others. Lablache, the great
Italian basso, when he first heard her
said, Her voice is so true that each note
is like a perfect pearl" Jenny Lind
heard what her great Italian
contemporary had said. When she met
him at their first rehearsal she smiling
~ stepped to his side and took his hat;
then placing her lips to its edge, she sang
a beautiful French romance. Then she
gave him back his hat, saying, There
M. Lablache, is your hat filled with my
pearls Of song" That was abeautiful
compliment by one great artist to another.
But Jenny did more than sing handfuls
of musical pearls into Lablache's hat;
she sang thousands of dollars out Of the
worlds pocketbooks. Then she scatter
ed thousands and hundreds of thousands
of dollars everywhere. She gave away
10000 forms when she made her tri-
umphant musical tour through Germany.
She gave to England's poor over 100000
when this queen of song sang in the king
dom of her great sister, Queen Victoria.
She gave 900 to Americas poor when
she Travelled through our states. AS
Jenny Lind sang to her fellow men and
women a helpful song, so should we
make our new song of the holiday season
q helpful song
Story of Paganlnl.
Your new holiday somehow is It to
be made helpful to your fellow men? Is
1t to be made so in a temporal sense?
One day Paganini, the greatest violnist
of the ages, was walking through the
streets of Vienna. He was then at the
height of his fame. He had kings and
queens and nations bending under the
scepter of his bow. A celebrated musical
composer who was accompanying him,
suddenly turned and pointed to a little
ragged urchin scraping away on an old
squeaky violin. "There, Paganini" said
he, lis one of your countrymen." With
that Paganini crossed the street and be-
gan to talk with the little beggar. On
hearing his tale of sorrow the great
Italian master snatched the squeaxy I'D
die from the boys hand and began to
play. Never did a public thoroughfare
Of Vienna hear such sublime music
After the piece was ended Paganini
passed his hat around the crowd and
then emptied into the boys pocket the
gold and the silver he had collected
saying. There. my lad, take that home
to your sick mother and buy her the
medicine she needs" During the coming
Christmas holidays Will our new song
be a helpful one. in a temporal sense, as
Paganinis was blessing to the Vienna
street arab? When you buy presents for
your father and mother, wife or husband
and child, brother and sister and friend,
will your new song inspire you also to
buy bread for the hungry and clothing
for the naked and medicine for the
sick?
When we sing our new song shall we
bring spiritual blessings to others? The
great hosts which shall enter heaven
may be augmented If we sing our new
song as we ought to sing 1t. Charles IL.
Sturgeon, the famous London preacher,
once had a wonderful dream. He saw
great throng passing through the gates
of the new Jerusalem. who are these,
and whence came they?" he asked
These" said his guide, are the apos-
ties and martyrs. l cannot walk with
that throng" Soon however he saw
another multitude, greater than the
first, crowding through the same celes-
tial gates. "who are these. and whence
came they?' he again asked. 'These are
the sinners. These are the Zacchaeuses
and the Mary Magdalenes and the wo-
men of Samaria. who came from the
lowest depths of sin" "Ah," said Mr..
Sturgeon, IF those are the great sim
ners, then I can go in among them. "
~ n
IA C4y,iEspn HHoron, IA