The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-06-18
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
BY THE REV. FRANK pH WITT rALMAoE. D q


responsibilities are not to be shirked'
but cheerfully shouldered Hnd that Dur
den bearing l. not an inhietioni Dat
blessing and essential TO the right de
vaiopment OF character, IL the lesson Of
this sermon. The preacher takes his
text from Galatians vi 8; Every mai
shall bear his own burden"
1.-THE Worlds Epoch Makers" Is the
theme of an extensive series Of books
upon the makers Of the worlds history
But as the biographies of great men
have made great books, I would tell
you that the reading Of those great
books has been the turning point In null
titudes of human lives. And I know OF
no single biographer who has exerted
greater influence upon the young men
of our age and generation than the late
Samuel Smiles. His brief Biographies
and Life of George Stephenson" and
self Help" with illustrations of Char
aeter and Conduct and Industrial Bio
graphy," and many other books and
pamphlets, have made it possible for his
readers to walk hand In hand with the
great ones of the earth, from their hum-
BILE beginnings to the time when they
stood upon the pinnacles of the noun
tains of fame.
OF all books which Samuel Smiles has
written l do not believe any of them
has Influenced the young men to a great
er extent than self Help" I remember
when. as a young sehoolboy, | found
1t in my fathers library. 1t had a dark
red cover with gilt letters. Though its
pages were printed in black ink, yet its
words We're to me emblazoned in letters
of gold That book, above all other
books which l read in boyhood days,
taught me that the greatest successes of
life have not been won under advan-
tageous circumstances, but by the hard
plodders who worked on year in and
year out They worked in obscurity.
They worked when others were unwill-
ing to extend helping hand. They
worked, and kept on working, even amid
SCOTS and sneers. But they worked on
with manly independence until at last
the world was willing to acknowledge
their greatness and to offer to these he
roes and heroines its tribute of praise.
II a young man sets out to achieve
success in life, he must be willing to
serve in the ranks and carry a rifle or
unsheath a sword Sofas on which to
lie down and easy chairs in which to
lounge are not stepping stones from
which men mount to illustrious thrones
Help Paul is enunciating in the words
of my text. In the second verse of this
chapter the apostle writes, Bear ye
one anothers burdens and so fulfill the
law of Christ" That means, as far as
in you lies, look around you and see
how many people you may be able to
help. If you see a feeble old woman
coming home from market give her
lfl with her basket IF you see a blind
man with his cane trying to feel his
way across a crowded thoroughfare go
and assist him. BE eyes for the blind,
we'll as crutches for the lame" AL
ways be ready to lend a helping hand
to people who are in need of help, and
for yourself make your own way de-
pending on no man for a free ride or a
push up the ladder of life. Broaden
your own shoulders, says Paul Tight
en- your own girdle for the race of life
Do not turn your swords scabbard into
a milk bottle. Do not seek pensions In
stead of field service. EVERY man shall
bear his own burden" Every man shall
try to lift his own pack. Manly indie
pendence in life is the theme. DO not
waste any more hours or minutes trying
to ind out how others can help you, but
set yourselves to help yourselves.
Train Your Body.
The physical burden you must bear
physical nature. In the same way that
the horse trainer makes study of his
horse and the dairyman his cows and
the farmer of his field of oats you must
look after the health of your body. You
must learn what foods it Is best for you
to eat what exercise 1t is best for you
to take what sunlight 1t is best for
you to battle in, what clothes are best
for you to wear and what amount OF
time you shall spend at your meals to
properly masticate the food which has
been cooked for your use. Mark this:
If you do not properly look after your
own health no other person is capable or
doing 1t for you. As you have to bear
the pains and the siclknesses and help
lessness for the most part II your health
is wrecked, so for the most part you
yourself must look after and guard your
own health Your mother may compel
you to put on your OyereOat and over
shoes when you go out into a storm, but
she cannot restrain you from sitting In
the dangerous drafts She cannot always
supervise your diet She cannot keep
you from chilling your stomach by
drinking ice water when oyerheated. She
cannot look after you and forbid you do
ing the five hundred little things you
are accustomed to do and which are
daily sapping away the foundation or
your physical existence. Now, God
comes TO MOST ol us III our yOuln anu
says. "YoHng man, here is good,
strong, slnewy body. That physical body
is to be the very foundation of your sue
cess In life. Make the most out of that
body. Look after 1t. Guard it. Develop
IT, Bear your own physical burden. If
you do not care for your body no one
else can or will do It for you"
But, though physical health offers the
foundation stones of the temples of
success and the temple of peace and
happiness" it is amazing how men and
women will deliberately go forth and
ruin their physical frames They would
not treat horse1esh as they treat their
own bodies Horsehesh they look upon
as valuable, and yet they do not seem
to think that their physical bodies are
valuable also. Some time ago l was
riding through the country on one of
the most famous stage routes of the
world, About every ten or twelve miles
the driver would rein in his team, and
then we would get a relay of horses. |
found that every little while he would
stop the horses and give them time to
catch their breath. Then | said: II
suppose II is a very easy matter to find
drivers for this stage line. The pay Is
good. The positions are absolutely as
sured to the men as long as they be-
have themselves Some of these drivers
have been in the employ Of this company
for ten. fifteen, even for twenty years"
"Oh, yes" was the answer. ITS easy
enough for the company to get drivers,
but very difficult TO get the right kind
of drivers A driver who Is careless can
ruin these horses in a few weeks He
will water them when they ought not TO
he watered He will push them hard