The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-08
o-o.te.0 3 DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON ] 
 DEWITT D. D.

Los Angeles. Cala September 1.-In ths , sermon for Labor day the preacher shows t to be the duty of those who have pros- pered to make generous and consider ate use of their wealth, instead of fe- garding 1t as a means to minister to their own selfshnesa, The text Is Luke xii, H. What shall I do, because l have no rom where to hestow my fruitsN'
 The chief character of my text Is an old miser IIe Is Just like thousands ot men and women we gee in daily life or read about in the newspapers, He was evidently one of the agricultural leaders of tho east. Perhaps he started as poor boy. He may have been one of the immigrants who came to Jerusalem dur ing Herod's administration, He may have boen born in Italy and have gone 10 Syria to seek his fortune In this fsr-on province of the east he hires himself out as a farm hand. He saves his wages and works hard. But he has a keen mind as well as a willing hand, He buys a little farm. There Is a period of prosperity, The crops grow larger and larger. He begins to have money to Invest, and he places mortgages upon his neighoors' farms and mercilessly forecloses them. His landed estate widens. He Is one of those fortunate or unfortunate beings who, having an absorbing passion for gold, find everything turn to gold that they touch, He builds great granarieS and they are always full. His sheep and cattle are browsing everywhere. His horsesJare the finest His soil Is the rich est Though he has many barns, the in- creasing crop Is so great that he does not know what to do with 1t. He has more than he can use. In other words. he Is embarrassed with the abundance Of his riches. What shall l do with all this crop?" he asks himself, "I must build larger barns. Then I will store away so much that will never have to work any more and just live to enjoy my wealth.
 Folly of Surplus Wealth.
 Let me read you the story: And he said, This will dol will pull down my barns and build greater, and there Will bestow all my fruits and my goods
 Though he had more than he could use, he still kept gathering in. He doubtless thought himself most successful man, and his neighoors, if they were such peo- pie ss live in our times, envied him ana looked up to him with reverence. But Christ tells us that there was another opinion of his life and character, and that, too, by one who held life and death in his hands God said he was afool.
 Now, 1t Is a terrible thing for God to say that of any one, for his Judgment IS true. None of us would like him to say that of us. Then we must be careful to avoid these faults. for God judges now by the same standard as he did in the time of this rich farmer Now, as his fault related to his surplus wealth, 1t IS an appropriate subject for consideration on this Sunday preceding Labor day.
 Thoughts on Labor Day.
 I would say to successful man: You know you are in affluence. YOU Rno" you have more than you can eat up or wear out. You know you are hoarding rsp more money than will ever be gooo for your children to inherit. If you are a wise father you will compel them to work for their living, as you worked for yours It will be better for you. instead of developing your perniciousness, 10 learn the gospel law of giving and or helping. And today I want to tell you whom you ought to help with your sur plus wealth.
 First. when you begin to prosper Tn life you should be willing to. aid those who have been directly or indirectly the means of making it possible for you to achieve the success which is yours. You should extend the hand of gratitude to those who helped develop you Tn your babShood and boyhood and youth ana manhood You should think of your la ther and mother in the old homestead or your old teachers and of your old en- plovers They have a claim on you, for they devoted their lives to your interest, and you should now recognize the ooli- gation to help such of them as need your help.
 Then, too, there are your employees. NO man ever wins his success alone. al ways like to compare life to great bat tie A general has a campaign to nSht' What does he do? Does he take gun and sword and go forth and fight that battle single handed? No. He first col lects an army made up Of many solulsrs and drills them. He drafts those soldlefs from the best homes all over the lanu. He gathers them from the stores ana the factories Then he sets his army in mo- tion and hurls 1t against the Hanks of the enemy and the lines are broken, and the battle is won. Now, what would you think of a general who should come home from a war and say: T did 1t all. Inc credit is all mine" Would you not con sder such man a selfish man ana an ingrate? Who were the soldiers who ula tne weary sentinel duty and stormed the breastworks and rislSed their lives to make victory possible? Are not the sol diers to have any part in the triumph and in the reward of the nation?
 A Word to Employers.
 Al, no, The true general and the soi- diers of his army are one. when hls SUI diers are defeated he shares the blame. And sometimes a general will take upon
 
 rms Robert E. Lee, after the battleJot cettvshurg, said Ut was my fault. II pas all my fault" And one of the last acts of brave Carl Schurz's He was tp write A defense of his own tleVchen corns which was defeated by Stone"ai Jacl.son at Charlottesville. while on the other hand. one of the first acts or Shet man or Lee or Jackson or Grant or We'll i,gton or Napoleon after a victory was to announce a long list of promotions TOT tbe men who had specially distingulshed tbcroselves in the fight and for the so'- diars whose sacrifices had made the VIC ta,.,, nossible My soldiers did it! IS ai- wave inc cry of the true, successful gen ara1 "NJv soldiers. Praise me not any wore than you praise the men who hshe ,,rdar me If you reward me, then re- ward my soldiers, too.
 Now should you not act on the same nrincinle? Have there been no other hands besides yours building your pal ace of success?'' What about your 1athei and mothers and brothers and sisters anu Inc teachers and friends of your youth Have they had nothing to do with molp- inc, vour character and developing your +aIertso Did not your parents give up .-tba hest part of their lives to your lh- tarests2 Did not your sisters and broth ors ,,a,xe sacrifices for your education? what about the little old village churcn ,,,t,ere vou used to be taken as boy and y,-here. to a great extent, your splrltual oharacter was formed? Have you ever 1ano anything for that church? Have vou helped to pay off it's mortgage? Have 1NRw