The Topeka state journal., 1911-08-07
FIVE MINUTE TALKS.
Rev. Robert Gordon starts Innovation
at Sunday School.

! An innovation at the First Baptist
church is a five minute sermon in the
opening exercises of the regular Sunday
morning service by the Rev Robert
to interest the members of the Sunday
school. Said Mr.. Gordon Sunday in
| speaking to the children:
In a store window on Kansas ave-
nnue the other day saw a sign which
read, "A fiVe-rainute talk with US may
mean a fortune to you That grips
attention for a five minute talk has Of
ten meant a fortune. A poor carpen-
ter of bingham, Mass, was out of
/ work and IN poverty. His wife drove
him out of doors. Sitting by the shore
he Whitfield a soaked single into a
wooden chain. That night his children
quarreled ever it and while he was
whiting a SecOnu one. - neighbOr came
along and said, Why don't you whittle
toys if you can carve like that?' He
said, I don't know what to make.
Ask your children said his neighbor.
Next morning he asked his boy what
kind of toy he wanted and Sam said
lie wanted WheelbarroW. He asked his
little girl and she said / want a little
dolls washstand, a little dolls car
riage, a little doll's umbrella. 1t would
have taken his lifetime to supply her
wants fer that day. With his jackknife
he began to make those unpainted
bingham toys. Today he is 5a1G to
be the richest man in all the New Eng
land states. A five minute talk made
his fortune
ID L. Moody was a shoe clerk in
Chicago store. One day his Sunday
school teacher went in and had a five
minute talk with him. You know the
result; he became a Christian and then
the means of making a great many
other people Christians. Some years
ago a young man was going out Of
service in the First Baptist church, Mil
waukee. An usher in word or TWO
expressed his real desire that this
young man should bee. me a Christian
That was all that was needed. Today
he is preaching the gospel in western
city.
about the only thing remember
regarding the old minister who was
pastor of the church l attended as
bny over in Scotland is short talk
he gave to children. l can see I'm
now and hear him as he solemnly said,
The deacors and Sunday school teach
ers and officers, and the ministers are
all psssing away. Soon those who are
now doing this work will be gone for
ever. Who shall take their places VIII
you?'
"A five minute talk may be very
harmful. Recently I conducted the
funeral service of a young man VINO
had allowed a chum in Kansas City tc
persuade him that 1t would be hne
thing to beat their way to Seattle in
stead of paying railroad fare. He was
killed on the Rock Island 20 mules from
TOpeka That talk proved his undo1ng-
How often it has happened that
words spoken in a few minutes have
caused lifelong regret. Let US, as the
Scriptures say, put a guard upon our
lips and try so to speak that our brief
conversations shall really make others
happier.
"A young man out of work went into
the Office of an employment bureau in
Chicago tie told me the contrast be-
tween the appearance of the men and
women as they went into the inner
office and as they came out %as very
ren1arlza BILE. They went in looking dis
couraged and detected; they came out
looking I'D and with new life in every
line of face and form. Many had nor
been given work but the man in the Of
fee had inspired all of them with hope
and coura ge. Boys and girls tell your
Young friel ds about these five minute
talks. Ren. .ember, "a five minute talk
with us may mean fortune to you.