Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1905-12-02

Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt TalmaGe. d. ID.

Los Angeles, Cal, Nov. 26.-FOr the
countless material blessings peculiar
to this progressive age, as well as for
the many spiritual blessings of our day,
the preacher in this sermon gives ex-
preston to the nations thankfulness.
The text is Ecclesiastes VII, 20, They
have sought out many inventions"
A new star has arisen in the artistic
armament. Meteorlike Il new star has
flashed its light over the western horl-
zon. A new star has come to lead us
down to the manger of Bethlehem or
Judaea. What General Lew Wallace
has done with the nOvelists pen young
Byam Shaw is doing with the painters
brush. The Indiana author and the
young English artist, the latter born
in Madras and educated in European
studios, have both been bold, strong,
powerful and independent interpreters
of religious themes. Lew Wallace's
Ben Hur," The Prince Of India" and
"The Boyhood of Christ teach lessons
similar to those of Byam Shaw's THE
Comforter" The Outcast' and "Nei'
ther Hath He Power In the Day OF
Death" With the touch Of true mas
ters the inspired novelist and the in
spired artist both teach that the only
true comforter in times Of earthly trou-
bic is that Saviour whom we lovingly
call Jesus, the Prince Of Peace"
But. though Byam Shaw has painted
many pictures, there is one, based upon
the book of Ecclesiastes, which has
specially impressed me. 1t is one IL
lustratlng the theme Of my text. The
Young artist in his original way seems
TO open for us one Of the rooms OF the
British museum. In the foreground or
his picture he places Londoner,
British arlstocrat. dressed in the height
OF fashion of the time of Disraeh.
Then he seems to surround this man,
clothed In kid gloves, silk hat and Inn
maculate linen, with the mighty Brit
tsh library Of over 100000 volumes,
in which are recorded the scientific and
social triumphs Of past ages. AS you
gaze on that picture, in Imagination
Won seem to hear the whistle Of fac
tory. the click of trowel, the signal OF
the railroad engine, and the hoarse
voice of the great Cunarder's fog horn
sending her warning call among the
mists of Newfoundland, and the ring
ing of the telephone bell, and we seem
70 see the flash of the electric spark.
Then. under this powerful picture with
ifs I'D to date Bible application, the
Young English artist has written the
words Of my text, $50 this only have l
found that God hath made men up
right. but they have sought out many
inventions" Never did these Solomon
ic words burn themselves into my mind
and heart more deeply than when saw
them in the brilliant colors Of Byam
Shaw's strange and yet powerful and
startling picture.
Modern InveRtions.
But when studying that picture
asked myself these questions: do all
modern inventions truly make men
wretched and miserable, as King SOLO
mon implies? Did King Solomon him
self mean that all modern inventions
were bad? OF course the greater op'
nortunities Of life, which come through
the revolving wheels of machinery and
the concentration of capital, DO nat
urally offer greater opportunities toI
wicked men to do evil, but are all
great inventions agents Of evil! NO.
l answered. "As greater opportunities
Of life offer greater evils for wicked
men. so greater opportunities OF ma
chinerv and inventions afford greater
opportunities of good for good men.
Thus on this Sabbath preceding ouI
national Thanksgiving day l will cata
logue some of the blessings which, IL
q good sense, come to good men IRON
the sewing machine, the railroad, the
factory. the telephone, the typewriter
the printing press and from all th'
other inventions that have made th'
mast century the most remarkable, IN q
scientific sense, Of all the ages.
Most blessed of inventions, in the
first place, those that deal with health
among which we class the sewerage
pipes. by which a great city Is KEEP
pure and clean, and the great aque
ducts through which it is supplied VIII
life giving water to drink. What Vip
sanius Agrlppa tried to do when h'
built the famous aqueduet OF Mines
which brought the water of the Foun
tain D'Eure, twenty miles away, to th'
baths of Diana; what the Emperor
Claudus did when he carried the wate
from the Alban hills down to the cap
ital of the Caesars, which aqueduc
still bears his name; what King SOLO
mon did when he built his three IA
nous pools. from which reservoirs ID
carried the water by subterranean pas
saees TO the city of jerusalem; VIVA
Tarouinius Priscus did 600 years be
fore Christ when he built the famou
canal Cloaca Maxima, the Oldest ant
the most famous drainage canal in IN
world and which is still used to carr.
the refuse out Of the city Of Rome L
the Tiber. the great engineers on al
enlarged scale are doing for our owl
cities. These engineers may not hav
the title IN. D." affixed to their names
but they are the greatest Of all prevent
ers of disease Truly they have don
their work we'll
Underground Works.
If you do not realize how well tne
have succeeded, then study under
ground New York or Chicago or PM
adelphia or st. Louis or Boston Mai
velous. staggering, wonderful and a
most inconceivable are the sights 20
there can witness. Some years ago
was my privilege to see undergroun