The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1905-03-07

Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee, d. d.

Los Angeles. Cal, March 5.-The Sc
cret so long sought by the ancient al
chemists is the topic discussed by the
preacher In this sermon, In which he
shows how, though the body may grow
old, the spirit may retain its youth and
freshness. The text Is Job xxx, 5.
when my children were about me-"
Misfortunes are generally gregarious.
They are not recluses. They live not
hermit's existence. Like the beasts of
the fields or the birds Of the air or the
fish Of the sea, they browse In herds or
fly in hocks or swim In schools. II one
appears upon the edge Of our horizon
others often follow 1t with great rapid
ity, as do the April showers when
"the clouds return after the rain"
They pile themselves upon each other
In great drifts, as do the snowflakes.
They toll their death knells in chorus.
AS nothing succeeds like success" so
nothing destroys like misfortune"
Where there Is one emissary Of destruc-
ton roaming there are, as rule, many
emissaries treading closely upon it's
heels. Even when they are small and
insignificant they cripple us by the per-
sistency OF their attack. NaturaIists
tell us that the small, insignificant
humming bird sometimes alights upon
the head Of mighty eagle. There he
sits and pecks and pecks, no matter
how fast or how high his huge winged
carrier may fly. There he sits and
pecks and pecks until after awhile he
buries his small beak in the brain OF
his gigantic foe who could crush him
as easily as hawk might kill spar
row, II the eagle could only get ut him.
Trouble is like unto the humming bird.
When trouble struck the grand old
patriarch Job, it hit him again and
again. First came financial trouble,
then domestic trouble, then physical
trouble. It was pain in the head, pain
In the heart, pain In the limbs, pain In
the back and pain everywhere. Then
what happened? Job tried to gain
comfort from his "reminiscences. job
looked back upon the scene Of the hap
piest time Of his life He pictured him
self when lie was a young husband
planning and working for his future.
He thought Of himself when his young
wife was by his side and his little boys
and girls We're playing around In bis
nursery. Then Job breaks forth In the
lamentation Of my text, which has
come to most fathers and mothers aft
err they have reached their twoscore
years and ten, "Oh. that We're as III
months past, when my children
were all about me-" 1t is a pathetic
longing not only that time be halted IL
its onward sweep, but be compelled to
+ retrace the steps 1t has already taken.
Not Sinful Desire.
IL Jobs longing sinful desire? l.
It wrong for us to want to become
young again or at least to stay young
just as long as we canP l trow not.
Therefore the purpose Of this sermon
Ia to show how we can turn back the
shadow on the dial of Ahaz not only
ten, fifteen, but even twenty and thirty
years for some of us. There Is an old
proverh which says, "A man Is not a
old as he looks, but as old as he feels.
I am going to prove that a man can
always feel about thirty or thirty fsc
years Of age, even though his hair IL
white, his nose Is bridged with a pair
Of glasses and he has to walk about
with staff.
How shall we renew the days Of our
strong, young manhood? First. by as
sociating with young People. and CT
pecially with children; by making tn,
intimate companions of our mature
years and of our old age those who ars
ON the threshold of life or playing l..
the nursery; by stealing Or rather con
tinually borrowing FROM our married
children their babies; by making OIL
grandchildren come home and live Wit
NJ. or. II we have no married chilt.fe:
of our own, by borrowing tie eliiitifet
OF some neighbosIy grandfather az
loving them us we would our own; b:
firmly and deliberately making yos#.
with ourselves and with God, "Thoaf5
may live to be sixty, seventy, eighty
ninety or hundred years old, vii.
never allow myself to outgrow my
f0ndness for little children. aud my
sympathy for their joys and sorrows.
and my unceasing desire for their daily
companionship."
Daily association with young people.
especially with children, IL essential In
many ways for mans development.
II keeps his heart young. Yes, It does
more than that. It teaches him what
should be his attitude toward Christ
and toward his fellow men. Some PEG
pie cannot understand what this edu-
eating power Of child's life ID upon
ma tured man. Why7 Like some OF us,
they have not placed themselves under
the tutelage of children. Some months
ago hired a big wagon. / put into this
wagon not only my own children, but !
went around and raided the neighbors
houses and piled In some Of theirs. I
was the only grown person among
them. We took long drive OF about
fifteen mites. Then, at the head OF my
cohort Of little ones. proudly marched
Into d restaurant to give them Ice
cream before We stared back. As we
went in gentleman standing upon the
sidewalk said. My, man, pity you!
What have you got there IAN orphan
asylum r. .No.. answered; = have