Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-06-24
Calnase
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee, ID. ID.

Los Angeles, Cal, June 1o.--Not In
the literal but in the figurative sense
does the preacher deal with this I'M
usual text by drawing the broad dis
tinction between the life that is In
spired by a love OF ali that is noble and
pure and one that has become degraded
and brutal through the indulgence Of
selfish passions. The text is Revela-
ton xii, 10. without are dogs"
II never could sympathize with the
slur which the Bible casts upon my
canine friends" once said. an old man
to me. asst. John in that passage of
Scripture, Without are dogs seems TO
despise the dog as i despise the buz-
ture the Internal regions as the only
suitable place for their kennels. He
insinuates their companionship for
man to be humiliation and a degra-
dalton. Now, in contrast to that as
sertion. have far more respect for an
honest dog than have for dishonest,
deceitful man. | count among my dear
est friends some OF the representatives
of the canine race. Indeed ! 20 so far
I'm my respect for dogs that il In that
heavenly land L found one of the beau
tiful dogs have owned on earth Sleep
ing at my feet in that abode OF bliss
or looking up into my face with the
expression OF love and fidelity L have
seen so often / should not feel IL any
blight, but rather an enhancement OF
my happiness
could understand my friends feel
ing, and love dogs well enough to
sympathize with IL. There are no
grounds for believing in future life
for animals. but I confess that if in the
boundless love of God we should find
that even for the faithful dog there
was n paradise l for one should re-
joice. I have that affection that Sir
Walter Scott had for the canine race,
and ! always feel n sense Of compan-
ionship when a dog is doing in my
study. AS n boy l delighted to have
a canine companion in my rambles. and
10 this day l feel. as Bismarck used to
say. that no man should despise the
friendship OF dogs or need hesitate TO
confide I'm them some OF his innermost
thoughts and secrets. When we are
rambling over the hills or In our city
walks and my dog friends stop and
listen to what say am always sure
OF one fact-that they VIII not betrey
my confidence as l have known some
men TO do. ''Yes. yes" said TO my
aged friend. like you. have always
loved the dog; but. unlike you. do not
believe the Bible really depreciates the
faithfulness OF a good dog" This pas
sage OF Scripture. without are dogs"
Is not casting a slur upon the dog II
Is not sneerinG at the ancestors OF some
OF those noble beasts belonging 10 the
royal families OF dogs which We have
adopted into our homes as hOnored
habitues OF our firesideS. The seer Of
Patmos had never seen such DOGS as
ours. The dogs with which he was IA
miiiar were such homeless. carrion eat
ing dogs as those which 10 this day
roam the narrow streets OF Jeru-
salem and Damascus, degraded ours.
whose presence would have been de-
Hing TO that beautiful city which he
saw in vision. Therefore il is 10 the
eastern dog, homeless and frlendleSs.
which / have SO often seen in my
travels and by whose howlings l have
been awakened at night and have
watched while standing upon the ho-
fel porch OF the far east. when he saws
with evident qualification, Without
are dogs"
The Quarrelsome Were Excluded.
But believe the apostle had n fur
ther and deeper meaning than this.
mink he meant that the qualities
which the dog represented 10 his mind
were excluded from the heavenly city.
Selhshness. degradation. quarrelsome-
ness. all that rendered dogs hateful 10
the Jews OF the orient, whether in
beast or man, were outside those
heavenly walls. And, first, believe
he meant that in heaven there would
be neither physical nor mental mon
strosities. 1t is TO be a place where
there would be a perfect mind in har-
mony with perfect body and the per-
feet soul In every way shall have per-
feet externalitics. There are some men
so degraded with their vices that their
very forms and features have become
repulsive. They bear the same rela-
ton TO good living, intelligent men that
The oriental dogs bear 10 our house
hold pets.
We love TO look at the masterpieces
OF Sir Edwin Landseer, the painter of
dogs. There seems TO be something
even more than human in his High
land Shepherds CHER Mourner," some
thing more than mere brute ferocity in
his Stag at Bay" something more
than a sportsman's halloo in the RE
turn From Devastating" But the
flashing eyed, powerful chested, clean
limbed, glossy coated models OF Land
seer are entirely different physical
specimens from the outcast dogs of the
east. Have you ever stopped and look
cd win pity upon poor NANCY cur
crawling along the street? Have you
seen disease like porcupine quilts stick
ing out all over him? Have you seen
the people shy of as he came along
and heard the passersby say: Poor
dog! Why do not the dog catchers
come along and put him out of his |
miseryr Have you ever seen dogs
with their ears torn off and their tails |
by some carriage wheel or |
hopping upon three legs because the |
fourth has been cruelty broken by q |
stone? Well. there are lots of such |
dogs In the east There are hundreds
and thousands OF those poor, miserable.
physical mutilations that COVER in the
dark corners OF the Palestine cities or
sun themselves upon the hard stones
like the blind or the crippled beggars
who there seem to be everywhere. And
SO when st. John declares, without
are dogs" 1 believe he means that in
heaven we shall have no blinded eyes.
no diseased skins, no crippled limbs,
no dear ears and no physical dishgure-
ments. al, the hideous physical sights
which one sees in the wards of the
hospitals shall be forever done away.
Physical Intrmity Hard to Bear.
How much this transformation means
10 many sufferers none but they can
realize. 1t il very hard for Tho IL |