Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-04-20
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Sermon
by Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee. D. D.

Los Angeles. Call April 16.--From
the story Of an Ubiquitous bargain and
the use to which the tainted money
earned by it was put the preacher IN
this sermon draws lessons of the evils
that come from avarice and cupidity.
The text Is Matthew xvii, 8, "Whcre-
fore that field was called the field Of
blood"
A grewsome fascination hovers about
the bricks, and the stones, and the
boards, and the grounds where lived
and wrought some of the worlds evil
workers. Island Of Dlennerhasset!
Wonderful name, rich In historical as
sociations. l see the boats every spring
and summer and fall filed with sight
sccrs almost daily pushing out upon
the Ohio river to seek this little island
near Marietta. Why? Is It summer
playground? Is it an Isle OF Wight? Is
It's center mansion? Are its bank 3
tcrraced? Are It's trees filed with
sweetest Of songsters as they were once
in the halycon days when its owner,
Hartman Blennerhasset. took his bride
there and changed this island into an
Edcnic garden, rs Observation-Disclosures,
who had courted Princess Amytis
among the hills Of Ecbatana, to humor
the wbms of his queen, had lifted high
for the wondcrment of the world the
famous hanging gardens of Babylon!'
oh. no. Bicnnerhnsset island today Is
% tint ri, ro. l.
trees, few rocks. perhaps few how
els such as can be seen in scores of Is
lands in the middle of this Ohio river,
are all the aesthetic beauties ii has TO
offer to the landscape artist. But to the
historian BlenDerhasset has the same
fascination as have the broken walls
of Wentworth castle. Blennerhasset Is
immortal on account of the Infamous
history of Aaron Burr. That Is where
the eX-vice president stopped on his
way to establish n monarchy in the
great southwest. Ii has an evil fame
as the rendezvous OF the traitorous con-
splrators of that day. just as Is that
house in side street Of Washington
in which Mary T.. Surratt welcomed
the thugs of the later time who were
plotting the assassination of Abraham
Lincoln.
The people in swarlns used to go to
an Old fashioned New England house
whore was kept bloody shirt. the
relic of d dastnrdly decd of the Revolu-
tionary war. AS remember the story.
an American officer was surrounded
by the enemy while eating dinner In
this very house. When called upon to
surrender he handed over his sword.
hilt first, to one Of his captors. In
stead Of the British soldier receiving 1t
he took the sword and plunged It
through the heart Of his helpless vic
tim. The rent In the shirt showed
where the sword had pierced its way
into the bleeding flesh. or course such
a cowardly act as this was condemned
by the British army as we'll as by the
American. But the condemnation of
the murderer has not anything to do
with my thought. The one fact I want
to impress upon you Is this: Scores and
hundreds Of people naturally seek in
fascinated awo the places where a
great crime has been committed. The
star In the floor of the PENNSYLVANIA
depot, where Garfield was shot. for
years had its thousands Of sightsccrs.
The scene of the Chicago Haymarket
riot, the place where Edward Stokes
shot James Fisk, the sausage vat
where Loutgert disintcgratod the BODY
OF his murdered wife, all have had
their morbid slghtsoors even as the
room in which George Washington
brcathed bis last has It's daily visitors.
"The Field Of blood"
crowds of sightseers- in Jerusalem
for years after the clucihxion went to
the scene of my text out of morbid
curiosity. as the multitude seek the
island of Blcnnerhasset. Indeed, had
they not gone out of morbid curios-
lily they never would have gone at al.
''Aceldama--that is to say, the field Of
Dloou is not, as some people might
suppose. an Esdraelon plain where a
mighty battle was fought. IT was an
old potter's field. filled with clay. II
was too poor ground to be used for
agricultural purposes. 1t had been
turned into paupcrs' cemetery. Yet
this paupcrs' burial ground Ind for
years hosts of sightsccrs. Why? Per-
haps the best way 10 answer You is to
tell you what some OF The sightseers
are now saying. yes, this is ground"
says some one chat was bought by
the priests with the thirty pieces of
silver judas received for betraying
Christ" "Aceldama-that is. the field
Of blood"-says another; at is well
Could we have better sub
ject to preach upon on the Sabbath
preceding Good Friday than this pot
ter's field, which became paupers'
burying ground, bought with tho money
Judas received for betraying Christ.
Aceldama. in the first place, teaches
us that there Is no honor among thieves.
When a man becomes q Satanic hire
ling he Is not likely to be true to his
partners in infamy. A murderer in
order to save his own neck, rs a rule,
will turn states evidence against his
in crime. A pickpocket
will he Just as willing to empty the
purse of an associate as he is to snatch
the watch OF bank president. 1t Is
often vaunted that there is honor
among thieves. but experience proves
hat 1t is q vain BOAST. The thief has