Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-09-08
Calnnase
Sermon
BY Rev.
frsnk De Witt Talmase. ID. ID.

Labor day sermon the preacher appro-
priately takes for his theme the great
army of humble everyday workers up
ON whose faithful use OF their single
talent In their particular sphere de-
pend the welfare and happiness OF a
nation. The text IL Matthew XIV, Is,
ITO another one"
1.-THE Driving OF the Last Spike" is
to me one OF the most suggestive pic
lures ever painted, not because IL IS
the work OF Thomas Hill. one OF
Americas famous artists, who In his
lifetime has been awarded thirty-two
first medals IN competition with other
painters; not because copies OF that
picture have been distributed broad
cast oyer the United States In thou
sands Of woodcuts. not because per-
sonaliy have seen the old artist In bis
last days, helpless as little child and
thsnefore, on account OF the personal
lty OF the man. have been unduly in
dueRced by the power OF the picture,
but that picture has thrilled me
through and through because 1t is an
epoch marking picture. 1t is picture
which shows n marriage altar, where
the far east and the far west-where
the Union railroad and the Central Pa
clnc railroad-were united by the we'd
ding ring OF Il steel rail. 1t illustrates
the dramatic moment when the great
work of Leland Stanford and G. z.
Huntington and Charles Croker and
Mark Hopkins was contaminated. In
the presence of some Of the most
prominent men. north. south, east and
west, the golden spike was driven
which forever made the east and the
west. the metropolis OF New York and
the metropolis OF California, next door
peighbors
Vast was the amount Of brain and
physical energy expended which made
the scene OF that picture possible. Over
the mountains, down into the valleys.
the leaplng rivers and the ravines, has
gone the shriek OF that locomotive we
see putting and painting behind Leland
Stanford as the first president OF tho
Central Pacific drives in the last spike.
Far, far away from any human resi-
dence went the workmen. Cannot you
see the deer ard the buffalo and the
prairie dogs look up in wonderment as
that strange looking creature called a
railroad train dashes by? "How could
a man have hundreds and thousands
and tens OF thousands OF men at work
for him, az did Leland Stanford, and
not have thousands OF financial leak
ages. which would sweep away his en-
tire fortune?' asked a great railroad
contractor when talking about the les
sons OF this picture. simply by per-
90 l..
man has his allotted work to DO. Each
tnar a. responsible for gang OF men
sog~for certain sections OF the work
until you get down TO the lowest boss
and the lowest workman digging in the
ditch The success OF Leland STAN
fcrds railroad enterprises, as well as
OF all great enterprises, depends as
much upon the men OF one talent doing
their work honestly as it does upon the
men OF I'VE or ten talents doing their
work honestly and we'll" Great lesson
Is that-great in temporal life, great
In spiritual. God has no insignificant
workmen in the purpose for which the
human race was created. The people
who are considered ordinary folks are
Just as essential in Gods great econ
omy as the men styled mental giants.
Ne Workmen Are Useless.
No workmen useless or unimportant
In Gods sight. oh, yes. we can prove
that by the value of the old Hebrew
talent rs well as by the conversation
or the great railroad contractor in ref
erence TO Thomas Hill's Driving of the
Last Spike" Was the Hebrew talent
a small capital with which to start
hfes battles? No. That talent repre-
scented about 5000 shekels OF silver or
about $L916 in American money. Then
when you furthermore estimate that
the laborer in Christ's day received
only penny day. which In our time
would be an equivalent OF about IS
cents, you can readily understand that
the good man OF the parable OF my text
gave 60 even the humblest OF his serv-
ants an equivalent OF about $1,000 In
our money. That is no small amount
or money to put out at interest. And
SO this Labor Sunday TO the clerk, the
servant. the laborers In the ditch. the
common soldier and the common church
member God gives "a powerful one
talent"e-My object Is to talk about
some or the one talented people. /
would show their vast influence upon
tne great wide world. would also
snow why all OF us ordinary folks
should employ well the talent God has
given US TO use.
In the first place. study the influence
or the one talented folks in the mer-
camille world. Your wife some dav
says 10 You: Come, my dear, let us
20 shopping. You have n day Off.
Inere is no reason for your not spend
ing the day with me-" In a moment
or mental weakness you go shopping.
why do say in moment of mental
Weaknessf do not believe any man
on earth can look more out OF place
ana feel more uncomfortable and mis-
cradle than In an average dry goods
store There the women push You
Hrom side to side. When You are not
stepping on your own feet you are nj
most sure 20 be stepping on some lady's
dress. Then before you have any time
10 say, EXCUSE me, madam" some
other woman knocks you In the back.
aho your head flies back until your
neck Ieeis as though it had spinal men,
ineitis.s And then If you are unrortu.
nate enough to get near to q city bar
gam counter You feel that every one IA
mere training for a college football
neid ana You are the center rush"
while every woman has right to push
you, and you are called mo gentle
man" II you dare to push back. Women
nave certain rights where no man has
any rights. One of their rights is 10
DC left In undisputed possession OF a
"oman's dry goods store.
One Talented People.
nut, though you may have many IN
fortunate experiences while shopping
WITH your wife in great city, there IL
one powerful lesson you win learn
mere. This is the lesson: When YOU
enter great dry goods emporium.
where millions OF dollars worth of
goods are sold every year, the floor
walker who greets you at the door, the
clerk who sells You the goods over the
counter, the delivery boy who hands
the parceis in at the door. are all one