The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-04-03
DIR. TALMACE'S SERMON.
BY THE REV. FRANK DE WITT TALmAeE. D. D.


 | the service American history would have had one of it's brightest lights snuffed out before 1t had had any opportunity to shine John Milton. in some respects, Is the greatest name in English literature Yet old, blind and neglected by his peo- pie he had to write for posterity because the men of his own times and generation would not listen to his poetic song. Ed mund Burke. one of the greatest of the English statesmen of his time, most of his life was practically a stateman without an office, or if in office, one who held a very subordinate place. So little was he honored by his parliamentary col- leagues that it was once said, No man could embpty the house of commons so quickly as when Edmund Burke arose to speak" Jonathan Edwards, the greatest of New England theologians, was driven out of his Northampton pulpit In 175O and for eight long years the ablest of Ameri- can metaphysicians. lived in the village of Stockbridge because no first class | church wanted to hear him preach Hen " David Thoreau. after publishing his pastoral masterpiece. "A Week on the Concord and the Merrimac Rivers" could find so few buyers that the publishers | threw back seven-tenths of the first edi- ton upon his hands. It was at this time that Thoreau bitterly wrote. T have now I wrote myself" Oh, yesi We have seen many and many human birds with music al threats who could sing if any one wanted to hear them sing But the trou- | be is that thousands of men can sing who have no opportunity to sing. Thank God. my brother, if you have not only talents, but present opportunities for using those talents, in your Masters service.
 Our Opportunities.
 In all probability there are few of us here who have not our opportunities When the American fleet was about to enter Manila harbor some one proposed to the American commodore that the coal barges be sent ahead. If there were any hidden mines in the harbor it was better to have pieces of coal blown skyward than human bodies. To that advice Com modore Dewey said: No; the Olympia shall go in first. For two reasons do I make this decision. First, We need the coal. If defeated and the coal ships are destroyed we are lost Second reason, I have waited thirty years for this oppor- tunity. and no man shalll take it away from me" Commodore Dewey may have had to wait thirty years for his oppor- tunity, but we do not have to wait one month, one week or one day or one hour to serve Christ. Today our opportunity is here. Like the song birds we have mu- sical threats with which to sing, and we also have the open heaven under which to sing. We have the talent and also the opportunity to use the talent.
 Like the song birds, we have a mag nifcent subject for our songs Every truly great sculptor is inspired by his theme. Artists have their models Mere portrait painters strive to reproduce face, but an immortal artist studies more than a mere face. He tries by the aid of m dol tn AArfp 1,Nt~. peace, fame or disgrace. the creation or the nativity. The grander the theme the greater the opportunities of the picture.
 Choose Mighty Theme.
 What is true of painting and sculpture IS also true of music Beethoven and Wagner and Mendelssohn and Handel did not employ their genius in a street ditty. They trained their ears to catch the voices of the winds. which can only be heard upon the heights of Mount Olym- pus. They called their oratorios by the mighty names of 'The Messiah" "The Deluge, The Prodigal Son" "The Light ther," Joshua" Elijah" and "Paul,' ''Jephthah.' Israel In Egypt" "The Creation" ''The Woman of Samaria." So our singing birds in their oratoros have glorious themes to sing about Their song IS the resurrection. They sing of the bursting seeds and the incense of swing ing flowers They sing of the winter which is gone and the harvests which are to come They sing of the sheep which are growing the wool that the little chill dren may have warm clothing to defy the December blasts and of the sap giving life to the trees that the great logs may he rolled Into the old fashioned fireplaces around which the families can gather about Its glow and learn the lessons of 1nx.n H1aatr rf.
 the kings ships going to Tarshish to come back laden with gold and silver and worries and the wealth of foreign cimes They sing of our earth's resurrection which Is embematic of a heavenly glory Oh my friends like the songbirds in the springtime will you not choose a mighty theme 10 inspire and uplift your life's music?
 The themel The theme! What Is the inspiring theme of your life's song? Are you ready to surrender your life to the noble work of the a1leviation of physical pain? As Cyrus w. Field when a young man consecrated his mental energies to compel the mermaids of electric science with lightning rapidity to carry mems messages under the seas, and clung to that purpose for years and years against obloquy and taunts and sneers, will you in the same persistent. enthusiastic way. fight to alleviate physical suffering? will you attiine your life to the upliftment of mankind. as John Howard sang his sweet song In convicts' cells or Florence Night ingale sang her song among the booming guns of the Crimean war? VIII you be- come Christs apostle to the gentiles down in the slums, as John Eliot was called the Apostle to the Massachusetts Indians?' Tn the old country village meeting house the leader of the choir, before the age of organ or piano. would arise and with little bar of steel strike the keynote of the song. Every human being has a note by which to start his song. Upon what keynote, o man. are you today starting the music of your lifes song? The theme The themel What is the inspiring upllft- ing theme of your llfe's music?
 The Chorus of the Woods.
 Again, God bids us like the song birds sing because He does not expect us to be great life's chorus The true beauty of the song birds singing is that he carries a part and not a whole days solitary mu- sica recitation. Like the piceolo. or the clarinet, his voice may be shrill, or like the flute. soft and sweet. or like the bass viol. loud and deep; but whether soft or loud. his voice has part, an essential part, in the chorus of the woods
 If you would know how essential the birds voices are for the musical sweet ness of the woods just go with me some day up among the forest covered hills. As we tramp on and the twigs snap under our feet and our voices are tossed in echo from tree to tree the birds scurry away or silently hide behind their curtain of leaves. They act a good deal as do the