The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1905-03-03
WEAPONS AND ARM0R
Rev. Dr.. Talmage Tells How to
Make Right Choice of Them.
Follow DaVid's Example and Cast
Aside Useless WeRpons-Hnve
the Right Arms For LIES
Battles.
Copyright. 1906. by Louis Klopsch.l

be applied by every one who desires sue
cess in the battle Of life, is that which
the preacher outlines in this sermon,
taking bis text from | Samuel xvii, 30,
Il cannot go with these, for have not
proved them"
| A weapouless soldier is a defenseless
and helpless soldier Neither person
al strength nor heroic valor can avail
| him without effective weapons I'm a
conflict against an armed foe. The mil
/ itary chiefs have learned that the IS
sue Of q campaign depends as much
on the perfection and precision Of the
weapons Us on the vigOr and prOwess
OF the soldier. In the Austro- Prussian
war IL was not so much the valor Of the
soldier or the strategic skill Of the gen
erals that gave Prussia the victory as
the fact that the Prussian army had
the needle gun while the Austrians
carried the old fashioned muzzle load
er. Nor can moral qualities take the
place OF modern equipment. Thrice
armed" says the dramatist, 'is lie who
hath his quarrel just" but neither JUS
lice nor righteousness can save cause
II the champions OF it neglect the ma
terlal appliances Of military science.
No general ever had more implicit
faith In divine power than had Oliver
Cromwell, but even he did not ignore
the necessity for human precautions.
Trust In Cod" he said TO his valiant
Ironsides. "and keep your powder dry
Fortitude and courage are needed now
as ever in an army. but the soldier
without effective arms is mere food for
powder.
Bunker Hill had to be evacuated by
the American troops not because they
would not fight. The Reyolutionists'
supply Of ammunition ran out. Twice
did William Prescott give the order to
fire. Twice did the charging British
lines break and fall back before the
withering tornado Of shot pouring into
their ranks, but at the third charge the
American soldiers had to turn and fee
Their powder was gone. They were
helpless then before the attacks OF the
advancing enemy. IL has been said that
Custer and his brave band were over
powered at Little Big Horn river, Mon
tana, by the Sioux Indians because
~. a. fad
fall Of Khartum under Chinese" Cor
don was largely due to the same lack
Of powder and bullets. A soldier with
out effective weapons in his hand is as
helpless before the attack Of his enc
niles as is the lamb in the slaughter
house when the butcher is about to cut |
open the animals throat with the keen |
edge of the knife.
This fact was recognized I'm ancient |
times. Before the discovery Of gunpow-
der had made hand to hand conflicts so |
rare as they are now soldiers were clad /
from head to foot in armor to protect /
them from the blow Of the sword or |
battleaK or the thrust Of the spear. /
Thus when David, the shepherd boy, /
went out TO fight the Phillstine giant it /
seemed q matter of ordinary precaution /
that he be covered with such armor as /
was then in use. 1t seemed the rashest /
temerity for him TO go into the fight |
wearing his ordinary shepherd dress.
King Saul said Il will let him 90 forth /
and fight In my armOr. My helmet \
shall protect his forehead. My coat OF |
mail shall cover his chest. My sword,
keen as Damascus blade. with It's
jeweled hilt, shall be in his hand.
Come. armor bearer. place my armor
upon the champion"
This offer Of Saurs was an embar-
rassment. The young shepherd boy
was unaccustomed to the cumbrous
armor. But the kings offer must not
be rejected by a loyal subject. so he
submitted to be girded with the coat
Of mail and the helmet to protect his
head. He must have looked as ridicu-
lous as the pale. thin, consumptlve
Alexander II. Stephens, that giant OF
mental power and great heart, appear
ed in his multtudlnous wrappings Of
outer garments. When Lincoln saw
him at Hampton Roads he said to his
secretary e state. Seward. did you
ever see IN your life such a pile Of corn
huskings wrapped about one thin carr
Why" said David, Il cannot fight
In this armor. Saul may use these
weapons. but ! am not Saul. Give me
my sling, with which am accustomed
10 protect my sheep. Let me choose
my own stones out OF the brook for
ammunition. Let me fight for Israel
with the talent God has given 10 me to
use" Ny text says: And David said
unto Saul, cannot go with these, for
l have not proved them. And David
put them Off him.
David did right. The man who fights
the great battle Of life with the natural
weapons God has given to him will
win. The man who tries to fight the
battle Of life in some other mans armor
will fail every time. The purpose Of
this sermon is to point out some Of the
useless weapons with which men 90
forth 10 battle-not useless weapons
perhaps for others. but useless for our
selves. because they belong to another's
armory and not to ours.
A young man, in the first place.
makes q great mistake In trying to fit
his fathers helmet upon his head and
oo,.o~ Ifc ohoet with his fathers coot
OF mail and unsheathe his fathers
sword for the battle Of life merely be-
cause they once belonged to his father.
When man has made big success
as q minister or lawyer or doctor or
artist or musician or merchant or me-
chanic. that does not necessarily prove
that his boy is fitted by mental and
physical temperament TO walk in his
q.