Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-09-14
CalnaSe
Sermon
~ Rev.
Frank De Witt Talrnage, d. d.


sermon the preacher makes novel sug-
gestions showing how we as communi-
ties and as individuals may help to i'm
pyove the lot of the unfortunate. The
text is Deuteronomy Nv. IL. "The poor
shall never cease out Of the land"
Turning to that valuable and sugges-
tive edition Of the Bible called the Red
Letter Bible, I notice that this passage
In Deuteronomy is printed In red. indi-
eating that it was quoted by our Lord.
il Is astonishing how many Of such
passages there are. showing how close
a student OF the Scriptures Christ-was
Guided by this reference In the Red
Letter Bible. find the circumstances
under which Christ quoted the passage.
1t was at that feast when Mary broke
the alabaster box OF spikenard over
Christ's feet. Judas said 1t was waste
ful as the ointment might have been
sold and the money given to the poor
but Jesus said there were other oppor-
tunities OF giving to the poor. for, said
he. The poor We have always with
you"
There Were poor people during the
Mosaic era. There were poor people
during all the wealth and the splendor
OF the Solomonic reign. There were
bowels and rags covered by the shad-
ows of the magnificent Grecian tenn
pies. Poverty and gaunt want went
begging for bread during the Roman
triumphs, when Christ lived. There
are poverty and rags and hunger now,
and there will be poverty and want
upon this old suffering world until the
miliennial dawn. when the glory OF the
Lord shalt oover the earth rs the wa
tiers cover the seas. Poverty, haunting
poverty. Is everywhere.
We have today our poor in Europe,
Asia. Africa, South America ana In
North America. We have them upon
every island OF the seas. In every town,
village and city and farming country.
We have an omnipresent poor. During
all the centuries from the beginning
this burden of poverty has been upon
the shoulders Of q large proportion OF
the race. calling for our sympathy and
our help. How long will 1t be before
the wisdom OF our social philosophers
and the commiseratiou of Christ's
church take up the problem and,
searching for the causes of the affsic-
ton. ana out how to remove them and
remedy the misery. I know OF no duty
more Urgent, and IL We End out I'm
Studying the problem that in some
cases poverty is the result Of social
evils let US 60 forward In Gods name
to eradicate them. May the Holy
Spirit hep uato preach an appropriate
sermon on TINS Sabbath, following our
annual Labor Day.
First among these evils place the
prenatal Influences which help crowd
our cities with the omlnpresent poor.
In This matter let us be brave and
truthful. Let us not seal our lips and
be silent on account OF a mock modesty.
1T Is better TO have an Inflammation
opened and the wound drained. no
matter how repulslve the odor, than to
allow the disease to so on fostering and
eating its way into the vitals.. There is
many n danger more horrible than the
surgeons knife. Nr-
L was, nightly impressed with this
fact some time ago. had always a
horror OF the surgeons knife. felt
that man had better resort to every
thing and anything rather than lie
down upon an operating table. But
some time ago the. wife Of one OF NV
dearest church members telsphoned me
to come down to the, hospital at once.
as her husband was about TO be oper-
ated on. Jumped 90 the car and went
down'hnd arrived just three minutes
after Ne work had been begun. They
had eaFssd Che patient Toto tho oper-
atinS rosm ana were then sising sblm
the anassthetic. I paced ND and down
the haR wendeeina what I should do.
felt that It was q criticapdnd might I
be fatal operation. ehould L 60 I'm Or
should notf ! had always shunneds
the sight gof tAs oparattAg fxnas hes
cause I feared <Ae <spAsAesletssfs th,b|
lowing Mood ButaeIwalksd MP ana
Town that hal9z eaSd eOnyyseIf am MI /
<his Operation wiHsbe fatal
My friend WIN die withinsas few. hours
litter be GENES cut Of the anaesthetic.
WIN 1t net comfort him to know that I
stood ~ Ais- side during his time OF
.rfaif" Sol Said 90 one of the nurses.
Tell the doctor. I should ike to come
n" he sent out word, "Come In" I
iaye THANKED God since that went In.
When that ulcer was opened. I saw
hen rs never realized before that a
nan should not fear a surgeons knife |
Which opened up q dangerous abscess
ieariy as much as he should fear the
lbscess which Is not opened. Our
riend's life was saved BY the narrow
st OF margins because he, daily re-
used to be operated upon until death
vas literally ciutching him by the
hroat. , .s.-.,,l,,;. =, J,
A Deadly Ulcer. tsa1 /
Now, as there was a deadly disease
ating into the vItals OF my friends
'ody. SO there is deadly disease eat
ne into the very heart of our social
lie. Thousands upon thousands OF our
radies are infected By prenatal weak.
lesses and the evil results OF ancestral
ms We must remember that the I
resens generation is net respcnsibya
or all Its poor. For. as most of us +
ave Inherited the physical bcoks OF /
atner ana mother. a grandfather or
grandmother. SO thersA are hosts OF
nfortunate children born slnto che
Torid VINO from the cradle 60 deemed
. ME OF physical ineoupstsnex be
auss mentally and physically tainted
rom Dirth- But though the law OF
eredify Is memorable, ana though our
oornsuses and hospitals are crowded
.'tn iot or miserable creatures who
re dragging out a. suffering. an an
existence because they were
~ Ge OFFSPRING of healthy parents.
aa tnoogn thousands OF men and wo-
en VINO are not inmates Of public In
,su'ions OF charity are social para.
yes oe dependents upon others for