The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-03-29
TALMAGE"S SERMON


n EW YORK, March 22-That each of
M us in his own sphere owes to the
world the duty of carrying out the
great plans and purposes of the noble
llinds that are gone is the theme of this
sermon, the text for which is ii Kings
II, IA, '' And he took up the mantle of
1clijah.''
We naturally grieve whea a young man
of brilliant promise dies There are SO
few men capable of filling the places of
the great men who are passing away
we can Ill afford to spare any of them.
When that most brilliant young minister
Of the Brick church of New York, Malt
bic Babcock, during an attack of delirium
resulted from Roman fever committed sui
eide in the capital of the Caesars the
Presbyterian general assembly was in ses-
sion in Philadelphia. The moderator an
nounced the sad news A hush fell over
that great assembly. 1t was almost con-
s:ernation. Gray haired ministers looked
ct one another in sorrowful amazement
They had expected this young pulpit
genius to take up the work and lead
their church when their hands became too
feeble to hold the standard. That ne
should be taken before them caused q
sense of desolation more acute than would
have been caused by the death of an
older man. Maltbie Babcock went as Ar
thur Henry Hallam went and the young
Ephraim Ellsworth went and the young
poet Richard Kirk White went and Jean
Regnault, the brilliant young artist went.
SO the sharp scythe of death is continl-
a'ly moving down some of the brightest
end the most promising lawyers and min
listers. We cannot explain their prema-
lure departures. We shall understand the
reason in the next world.
One generation passes away and an
other comes. 1t is difficult to realize that
in another go years at most the work now
being done In the world of religion, of
letters, Of medicine and of art will be in
the hands of new men. There will be
new men not only among the leaders, but
among the ordinary workers, and it is
just as essential to the worlds progress
that these humble men should be found
faithful as that the leaders should be
men of genius. Our concern is not only
that the conspicuous pulpits of the church
should be ably filled, but with the char
acter of the men who will be called to tine
thousands Of ordinary pulpits scattered
over the broad land In which valiant ser
vice for the Masters kingdom is now be-
ing done. Where there is one chief JUS
tice's seat in the supreme court of the
United States that will need an occupant
there are thousands and tens of thousands
of ordinary lawyers and justices who are
true to their profession and are seeing
that might is not triumphing over right.
And where there have been in this gener-
alton DR.. Rush and a DR.. Sayre and
a Marion Sims and Pasteur and Lo-
REM, who, as great surgeons and physi-
clans, have been honoreG all around the
world for their brilliant work in the medi-
cal profession, there have been thousands
and hundreds of thousands of ordinary.
little known physicians who as humble
family doctors have cared for the sick and
have come to our bedsides to alleviate our
pains. Aye these ordinary men OF the
past generations have been just as essen
tial to the progress OF the world and OF
civilization as have been the great men,
want to direct your thoughts today to
the falling NANTES not only Of the great