Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1905-07-15
Calnnase
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee, d. d.

ieai courage uoeS NOT r;iSlly court uun-
ger. either moral or physical but rath.
err avoids IT, The text is .Ecclesiastes
xii. B. They shall he afraid OF that
which is high"
What is the Biblical picture OF my
text: Mere physical decadence and
as dear friend Of mine some time ago
tried to prove to me. simply half
blind. deaf. tOothless. stiff jointed.
rheumatic. palsied. helpless old man,
being wheeled around In an invalid
chair or hobbling about on crutch or
grunting and grooming on a bed of
chronic invalidism? Is he nervous
wreck. a white haired. timorous old
patriarch. afraid of his own shadow
Is he a cowardly person. who. realizing
his own physical infirmities with dis
eased mind. is conjuring up a lot of
imaginative dangers II there are no
real dangers ut hand? think not.
believe that the writer Is here pictur-
ing old age. but II Is the noble. brave
and self reliant old age which your
father and mine had when they drew
near the end of their earthly career.
1t is not the pitiable old age OF senile
cowardliness. 1t is the farsighted in
spring old age Of caretaking cautious
ness which generally comes from the
bitter experience of misfortunes. To
be cautious Is not necessarily to be
cowardly. To be reckless is not nee
essarily to be brave. The reason some
young folks are reckless IL because
they do not realize the dangers at
hand. against which as sensible men
and women they should carefully pro-
tect themselves.
Let me illustrate. You call me up on
the telephone: say: Hello. Is that you?
Will you take a drive this afternoon?
All right. | will be up with the car
rage in twenty minutes" When you
drive up with the carriage l see that
you have a beautiful. high stepping.
mettlesome thoroughbred. When l en-
ter the runabout | see you hold the
reins tight. You speak gently and
soothingly to your horse. BY the tone
Of your voice and by the way you han
die the lines | know you are n good
driver. and l feel perfectly safe. But
supposing | enter your carriage and
see you jerk the lines. Then you let
them lie loose: then you halloo at the
horse or cut him with the whip. What
do do? Why. simply get out of that
carriage and walk home. not because
am a coward. but because l know that
N hnt IN 1riU 10
some horse know what that'means.
l once rode behind n fractions colt.
with just such an inexperienced driver
as you are, and l was nearly killed.
/ have more respect for my neck and
my life than to trust them in such
incompetent hands again. When I
was a young man l did not care what
kind of horse l rode behind or what
kind Of driver had hold of the lines,
but from bitter experience now ! know
about such dangers and give them a
very wide berth. Such. I think. is the
distinction Of my text. We see the
old man not cowardly. but cautious:
we see him afraid of that which is high
because past experience has written
over such places "Beware" This is a
danger sign. Beware
BE Cautious.
But do we have to wait until old age
before we become wisely cautious! Not
only is 1t the duty of all men to be
careful and run no needless risks. but
1t is certainly the duty of young men
to learn from old men the lesson of
loving cautiousness." There is so
much-aye. so very much-depending
on most of us younger men. Many of
us have families Of little children who
are looking to us for their daily bread.
We are also responsible for our useful
ness which can bless all mankind
about US. Thus, instead of telling my
hearers to be needlessly reckless, /
would tell those in youth and those In
the prime OF strong. middle life to be
lovingly cautious" Be cautious for
your own sakes. Especially be eau
tious for your dear ones and for the
good which you may do for Christ and
for the great outside world. No man
has right to run any useless risks
whereby his physical life might quick
ly be ended. II duty calls you as a
nurse or u surgeon to enter the conta-
gious ward of hospital. then there
you should go. II duty bids you Shout
der rifle and charge the enemy upon
bloody battlefield for your country's
preservation. then there you should go
and fight. But. IL duty does not com
mand you to endanger your physical
life. then you have no right to run any
reckless risks.
Useless recklessness is not the sign
OF sublime bravery. but of arrogant
and insipid stupidity. General VIII
liam T. Sherman on his famous march
from Atlanta to the sea powerfully
taught this truth. For days and weeks
and weary months Joseph +. John
ston and he had been playing hide and
seek behind their opposing breast
works. First would come the brilliant
thanking movement. then the brave
charge. then the quick retreat and the
readjustment of the Confederate lines
and the building up OF new breast
a. n