The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-09-27
The President breaches Ser
mon in the Tabernacle
OF the Norman Church at Salt
Lake City.
TAKES FOR HIS TEXT
The Proverb, "A Soft Answer
Turneth Away WRATH" Etc.
introduced 10 Els congregation
by Senator Reed Smoot.

Salt Lake City, Otan, Sept Ill SAi0
pulpit of the famous Mormon TAPER
nacle in this city, where four years ago
Theodore Roosevelt, then the chief ex-
ecutive of the nation, preached a long
sermon on right living and the duties
of good citizenship, President Ialt
faced an audience which he said IN
spired him to try to follow in the FOOT
steps of his predecessor and denver
preachment Mr.. Taft did preach
sermon-text and all. The immense
audience in the flag-draped ed1hce, the
splendid musical program OF operdlic
and patriotic selections, the enthusl-
astic cheering as President Taft ap-
peared and the quick response OF the
audience to points he endeavored to I'M
press upon his hearers, inspired him,
the president declared, with hlener
thoughts of country and patriotism.
The presidents sermon was an ap-
peal for amity between people for at
tributing the best rather than the
worst motives to the action of others,
when possible to do so and not to mar
Dor hatred or animoSity.
"a soft answer turneth away wrath,
but grievous words stir up anger, was
the text selected by the chief magls-
trate from the book of Proverbs the
sermon was a homely utterance, large
ly made up of a relation or stories 10
give emphasis to the points the presi-
dent desired to make.
From the tabernacle the president
was driven in review of some twenty
along the line a thousand or more OF
the tots were arranged in living nag,
red white and blue capeS and Gays
serving to outline the national emblem
Thence the president proceeded to the
Y. M. c. A. where he made a brief adj
dress to an audience composed entirely
of men. Lastly the president attended
services specially arranged for him at
L I'll 10 HI
usually busy Sunday morning he left
Salt Lake at noon for Ogden, where he
enjoyed an 1S-mile ride through Ogden
sanyon and made his third address of
the day at Lester park there.
Introduced by SmoOt.
When Senator Smoot introduced the
president in the tabernacle here the
cheering was so great that Mr.. Taft
could not begin his address for several
minutes.
heart he said at last, for this ex-
preston of welcome and good will
have been impressed since coming to
this magnificent structure with the
thought that you have gathered here in
part to hear me and that had nothing
to address to you worth such a mag
nificent presence.
IT am told that my distinguished
predecessor, under the inspiration of an
audience like this, delivered an address
in the nature of a sermon upward of
four hours in length. Now, he had the
capacity he had the spirit, and he had
the mission to make such a preachment
of moral force and inspiration. He
knew how to appeal to the best that is
in a man and woman and arouse
them to lift themselves to higher stand
ards and higher ideals.
But it has not been given to me to
exercise that great influence which was
his and which shone forth from him as
he stood before men upon a platform.
And yet have felt that on this Sunday
1t was necessary for me to make some
effort that may sound a bit like a ser
mon and as sermons are begun with a
quotation of text in more or less rela-
ton to what follows, 1 am going to give
you the answer from Proverbs:
"A soft answer turneth away
wrath, but grievous words stir up
anger
cit Is a text that has forced itself
upon my mind during these last ten
years with especial vigor, because L
have come into contact with oriental
from the Latin races of Europe and
1 have had a chance to compare their
views of life and their methods of
speech and their social convention
and amenities with those of the
Anglo-Saxons are. we admit, q great
race. We have accomplished won
ders in hammering out against odds
that seem insurmountable the prin-
ciples of liberty and popular govern
ment and making them practical and
showing to the world their benefits
But in so doing and in the course of
our life. it seems to me, we have
ignored some things that our fellows
of southern chimes have studied and
made much of; and that is the forms
of speech and methods of every day
treatment between themselves and
others. At first that seems superficial
to us, who prefer mo- and yes and
- 1, A.
in the shortest and curtest sentences,
but, my friends. we have much to
learn from people of that kind of
courtesy and Doliteness.
Life Not Grand Stand Play.
t"The truth is that a mans life in
his family, with his wife. with his
children, with his mother. with his
neighbor, is not made up of grand
stand plays and all that sort of
thing. 1t is made up by a series of
little acts and those little acts and
those little self-restraints are what go
to make up the mans character. I
agree that there are many men, and
great many of them I hope, who
are better than they seem to their
families, to their wives and to their
children and to their ne1ghbors and
that when the exigencies arise they
do better and show forth elements of
strength of character that ought to
commend them to their fellow citi-
zens and to their families.
"But it does seem as if they were
depriving their families and their
neighbors and something in their not
living up to that standard in little
things as well as in big things; and
the truth is that if the yield to
negligence in the little things, if we
yield to the momentary desire to- be
lazy and not attentive and not
courteous to everyone so as to make
everyone feel as comfortable as pos
sible during the day, we are going
to cut down that higher character
that we assume to have under
greater exigencies and we are show
ing forth its strength. And so say