TRUE RELIGION.
Dr. Talmage on Christianity
Ordinary Affair
In
Js'eceHy of Relljcloa In Bonlncji Dealing!
The True and Falee War of Carrying
It Into 1 tlljr Work l!leaiiiga In
Every Day Life.
In a late sermon at Brooklyn upon
tho application of religion to the affairs
of dallv life Kev. T. Do Witt Talmage
took hi text from 1. Corinthians x. SI:
'Whether, therefore, ye eat or drink,
-or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory
of (Sod." Dr. Talmage said:
When the apostle, in this text, sets
forth the idea that so common an action
;as the taking of food and drink is to be
conducted to the glory of God, he pro
claims the importance of religion in the
ordinary affairs of our life. In all ages
of the world there has been a tendency
to sot apart certain days, places and oc
casions for worship, and to think, those
were the chief realms in which
religion was to act. Now, holy
days and holy places have their
importance. They give opportunity
for especial performance of Christian
duty, and for regaling of the religious
appetite; but the' cannot take the
.place of continuous exerciso of faith
and prayer. In other words, a man
cannot be so much of a Christian on
.Sunday that he can afford to be a
worldling all the re-t of the week. If
A 6teamer put out for Southampton,
:and go one day in that direction and
the other six days in other directions,
.'how long before the steamer will get
to Southampton? It will never get
there. And though a mau may seem
to be voyaging heavenward during the
.Sabbath day, if, during the following
-air days of the week, he is going to
ward the world, and toward the flesh,
and toward the devil, he will never
ride up into the peaceful harbor of
Heaven.
You cannot eat so much at the Sab
bath banquet that you can afford relig
ious abstinence the other six days.
Heroism and princely behavior on
great occasions are no apology for lack
of right demeanor in circumstances in
: bignificantand inconspicuous. The gen
uine Christian life is not spasmodic;
docs not go by fits and starts. It toils
.on through heat and cold up steep
: mountains and along dangerous decliv
ities, its eye on the everlasting hills
-crowned with the castles of the blessed.
I propose, this morning, to plead for
,a religion for to-day.
Tn In first place, we want to bring
diereligion of Christ into our conver
sation. When a dam breaks, and two
or three villages are overwhelmed, or
tin earthquake in South America swal
lows a 'whole city, then people begin
to talk about the 'Uncertainty ot life,
and they imaglne'tbat they are engaged
;ln positively religious conversation.
Xo. You may talk about these things,
-and have no grace of God at all in your
heart We ought every day to be talk
ing ruligion. If there is anything glad
about it, anything beautiful about it,
anything important about it, we ought
to be continuously discussing it I
liavc notioed that men, just in propor
tion as their Christian experience is
shallow, talk about funerals, and
graveyards, and tombstones, and death
beds. The real, genuine Christian man
talks chiefly about this life, and the
great eternity beyond, and not so much
about the insignificant pass between
these two residences.
on a summer day, the forests arc"
'full a Hfai chatter and chirrup and
cardl a mighty chorus of bird
harmony, every tree branch an
orchestra if a hawk appear in the sky
every voice stops and the forests are
; still; just .so I have seen a lively re
IkMous circle silenced on the appearance
'of any thing like religious conversation.
My friends, the religion of Jesus Christ
Is something lo talk about with a glad
2icart It is brighter than the waters;
:h is more cheerful than the sun
'Sb'iae. Do not ?o around groan
.ing about your religion when
you oug ht to be in&1ng it
or talking it in cheerful tOLe eft voice.
' How often is it that we find m wkose
' lives are utterly inconsistent art-
tomnt tatalk religion, and alwavs
a failure of it! My friends, we moaf
Jir ml Mon.or we cannot talk it 1
Again I remark, we must bring the I
religion of Christ into our employments. I
?f" von sav. "that is very well If a
rah'bandles large sums of money or if
)hetaas an extensive traffic, but in my
thread and neeAle store, in my trim
ming .establishment in the humble
work ia life rthtt I am called to the
: sphere is too small for the action of
: such grand heavenly principles. " Who
told you ao? Do jouknow that God
watches the faded leaf on the brook's
: surface as certainly as he does the path
of a biasing snn? And the mosa that
-creeps up the side f the rock makes
ias much impression apon God's mind
:as the waving taps of Oregon
pine and Lebanon ceJar, and the
raider, crackling nader the cow's
ihoof, aonnds as flood in God's
ear as the Snap -of .a world's conflagra
tion. When you "have anything to do
In life, however humble it may seem to
be, God is always there to help you to
doit If your work is that of a fisher
man, then God will help yon as he
helpai Simon when he dragged Gen
nesarat If your work Is drawing
water, then ne will help you, as when
ne talked at the well curb to the
Samaritan woman. If yoa are engaged
in the custom bouse. Ha will lead yon
as He led Matthew sitting at the re
ceipt of customs. A religion that is not
good in one place is not worth anything
in another place.
A country merchant comes in to buy
spring or fall roods and he firsts into
the store of one of these professed
Christian men who hare really no grace
in their hearts and ho is completely
swindled. He is so overcomo that he
cannot get out of town during the
week. He stays in town over Sunday,
goes into some church to get Christian
consolation, when what is his amaze
ment to find that the very man who
hands him the poor box in the church
is the one who relieved him of bis
money. But never mind; the deacon
has his black coat on now. He looks
solemn and goes home talking about
"the blessed sermon." If the wheat in
the churches should be put into a hop
per the first turn of the crank would
make the chaff fly, I tell you. Some
of these men are great sticklers
for gospel preaching. They say:
"You stand there in bands and
surplico and gown, and preach
preach like an angel, and we will
stand out hero and attend to business.
Don't mix things. Don't get business
and religion in the same bucket You
attend to your matters, and we will at
tend to ours." They do not know that
God sees every cheat that they have
practiced in the last six years; that he
can look through the iron wall of his
fireproof safe; that he has counted
every dishonest dollar they have in
their pocket, and that a day of judg
ment will come.
I look upon the church of Christ and
the Sabbath day as only the place and
time where an J when we are to get
armed for Christian conflict; but the
battle field is on Mondav, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and
Saturday. "St Martin's" and "Lenox"
and "Old Hundred" do not amount to
anything unless they sing all the week.
A sermon is useless unless we can take
it with us behind the plow and the
counter. The Sabbath day is worthless
if it lasts only twenty-four hours.
There are many Christians who say:
'We are willing to serve God, but we
do not want to do It in these spheres
about which we are talking; and it
seems so insipid and monotonous. If
we had some great occasion, if wc had
lived in the time of Luther, if we had
been Paul's traveling companion, if we
could serve God on a great scale, we
would do it; but wo can't in this every
day life." I admit that a great deal of
the romance and knight errantry 01
life have disappeared before the ad
vance of this practical age. There is,
however, a field for endurance and
great achievement, but it is in every
day lite. There aro Alps to Bcaie, there
. . . , -i
are ueiiespoints to swim, mere are
fires to brave; but they are all around
us now. mis is tne naraest Kinu oi
martyrdom to bear. It took grace to
lead Latimer and Eidley through the
fire triumphantly when their armed
enemies and their friends were looking
on; but it requires more grace now to
bring men through persecution when
nobody is looking on.
Do not think that any work uoa
gives you to do in the world is on too
small a scale for you to da The whole
universe is not ashamed to take care of
one little flower. I say: "What are
you doing down here in the grass, you
poor little flower? Are you not airaia
nights? You will be neglected, you
will die of thirst you win not be fed.
Poor little flower!" "Xo," says a star,
I'll watch over it to-night" "No,"
says a cioua, -1 u give it a anas.
"No," says the sun, "I'll warm it in my
bosom." Th?n I see the pulleys going,
and toe clouds are drawing water, and
I say: "What are you doing there, 0,
clouds?" And they reply: "We are giv
ing drink to that flower." Then the
wind rises and comes bending down the
wheat and sounding its psalm through
the forest, and I cry: "Whiter away
on such swift wing, O, wind?" And it
replies: "We are going to cool the
cheek of that flower." And then I bow
down and say: "Will God take care of
the grass of the field!" And a flower
at my foot responds: "Yes; lie cloti es
the lilies of the field, and never yet nfls
forgotten me a poor little flower." OJ
when' I see two great nmvens bsndin?
themsclT'eY to what seems insignificant
ministration,' when I find out that God
does not icrgct any blossom of the
spring or any snow flake of the winter.
1 ctomc to the conclusion that we can
afford to attend to the minute things of
life, alfti that -what we do we ought to
ao wen, sraoe wereisus mucu pence
tion in the construction of a spider's
eye as in the conformation of flaming
galaxies.
Again, we need to bring the religion
of Christ into out commonest trials.
For severe losses, for bereavement for
trouble that Bhocks like an earthquake
and that blasts like a storm, we pre
scribe religious consolation, but busi
ness man, for the small annoyance of
last week, how much of the grace of
God did you apply? "Ohr you say,
"these trials are too small for such ap
plication." My brother, they are
shaping your character, tbey are sour
ing your temper, they are wearing out
your patience, and they are making you
less and less of a man.
I go into a sculptor's studio and see
him shaping a statue. He has a chisel
in one band and a mallet in the other,
and he gives a very gentle stroke
click, click, cllckl I aay, why don't
you strike harder?" '0.'" be repl es,
"that would shatter the stitue. I
cant do it that war; I must do it this
way." So be works on, and after a
while the features eome out, and every
body that enters the studio is abaraed
and fascinated. Well, God has rour tool
under process of development and it is
the little annoyances and vexations of
life that are chiseling out your immor
tal nature. It is click, click, click.
I wonder why some great providence
does not come, and with one stroke
prepare you for Heaven. Ah, no. God
says that is not the way. And so lie
keeps on by strokes of little annoy
ances, little sorrows, little vexations,
until at last you shall be a glad spec
tacle for angels and for men. It is the
little troubles of life that are having
more effect upon you than great ones.
Now, be careful to let none of those
annoyances go through your soul unar
raigned. Compel them to administer
to your spiritual wealth. The scratch
of a six -penny nail sometimes produces
lock-jaw, and the clip of a most in
finitesimal annovance may damage you
forever. Do not let any annoyance or
perplexity come across your soul with
out its making you better. Our nation
al government does not think it belit
tling to put a tax on pins, and a tax on
buckets, and a tax on shoes. The indi
vidual taxes do not amount to much,
but in the nggregats to millions and
millions of dollars. And I would have
you, O Christian man, put a high tariff
on every annoyance and vexation that
comes through your soul
This might nt amount to much In
single cases, but in tho aggregate it
would be a great revenue of spiritual
strength and satisfaction. A bee can
suck honey even out of a nettle and if
you have the grace of God in your heart
you can get sweetness out of that which
would otherwise irritate and annoy.
Tho only way to get prepared for the
great troubles of life is to conquer these
small troubles. What would you say
of a soldier who refused to load his
gun, or to go into the conflict because
it was only a skirmish, saying: "I am
not going to expend my ammunition
on a skirmish; wait until there comes a
general engagement and then you will
see how courageous I am, and what
battling I will do?" The general would
say to snch a man: "If you are not
faithful in a 6kirmish you would be
nothing in a general engagement."
And I have to tell you, 0, Christian men.
if you cannot apply the principles of
Christ's religion on a small scale you
will never be able to apply them on a
largo scale.
Again, we must bring the religion of
Christ into our commonest blessings.
When the autumn comes, and the har
vests are in, and the governors make
proclamations, we assemble in churches
and we aro very thankful. But every
day ought to be a thanksgiving day.
We do not recognize the common
mercies of life. We have to sec a blind
man led by his dog before we begin to
bethink ourselves of what a grand
thing it is to have eyesight. We have
to see some one afflicted with St Vitus'
dance before we are ready to thank
God for the control of onr physical
energies. We have to see some wounded
man hobbling on his crutch, or with
his empty coat sleeve pinned up, before
we learn to think what a grand thing
God did for us when he gave us healthy
use of our limbs.
We are so stupid that nothing but the
misfortunes of others can rouse us up
to our blessings. As the ox grazes in
the pasture up to bis eyes in clover, yet
never thinkinf who makes the clover,
and as the bird picks up the worm
from the furrow not knowing that it is
God who makes everything, from the
animalcula in the sod to the seraph on
the throne, so we go on eating, drink
ing and enjoying, but never thanking,
or 'seldom thanking; or, if thanking at
all, with only half a heart
I compared our indifference to the
brute, but perhaps I wronged the
brute. I do not know but that among
other instincts, it may have an instinct
by which it recognizes the Divine band
that feeds it I do not know but that
God is, through it holdiug communica
tion with what we call "irrational
creation." The cow that stands under
the willow by the water coursa chew
ing its cud looks very thankful; and
who cap tU h?w rjjneh a bird m;azs
by its gong? The aroma of the flower
smells like iucen??, and the mist aris-
iiii ttom the rive.- Iddks like the smoke
isf ttbi'hmg sacrifice.
t'a be,- my brother, that ao' have
lun ?J Wr (hb srife-d hand of Pod all
these tlaylVat ydu bare hadclodjr
and shelter a J? all beneficent surround
ings and yet have' rtever offered yottr
self to God? Oh, lei sense of the di
vine goodness shown yol in' the every
day blessings melt your )iirt, and if
you have never before utterftd one ear
rest note of thanksgiving let this be
the day which shall hear your sag.
What I say to one I say to aft of
the audience. Take this practical!
religion I have recommended1
into your every day life. Make
every day a Sabbath, and every meal a
sacrament and every room you enter a
holy of holies. We all have work to
do; let us be willing to do it We all
have sorrows to bear; let us cheerfully
bear them. We all have battles to
fight; let us courageously fight them.
If you want to die right you must live
right Negligence and indolence will
win the hiss of everlasting acorn, while
faithfulness will gather its garlands, and
wave its scepter, and alt upon Its
throne, long after this earth has put on
ashes and eternal ages have begun
their march. You go borne to-day and
attend to your little sphere of duties.
I will go home and attend to my little
sphere of dutiea Every one In his own
place. So our every step in life shall
be a. triumphal march, and the hum
blest footstool on which we are called
to alt will be conqueror's throne.
CHICAGO CHOSEN.
The Democratic National Conven
tion Goes to the Lake City. -
Fifteen Ballots Neoeaeary to Deelde the
Contest Tho Convention Called For
June tl The Conteet an Es
reading! Lively One.
Wasuixqtos, Jan. 21 The national
democratic committee met at noon yes
terday in the spacious banquet room of
the Arlington hotel which hod been
beautifully decorated by the demo
cratic coinmiitee of the District of Co
lumbia. Chairman Brlce presided and
at once Introduced Uoa John W. Boss,
the democratic member for the District
of Columbia who delivered the address
of welcome. ' ' .
The call of the roll showed the va
rious states and territories all repre
sented. On motion of Senator Vilas the com
mittee went into secret session for the
purpose of settling all questions of
proxies and contests, it being reported
that the right of G A. Broadwater to
represent the state of Montana might
be contested.
Chairman Brice suggested that as
the national committee was to be en
tertained at luncheon by the district
committee at 3 p. m. it might be well
to announce before going into secret
session that the delegations from the
competing cities would not bo heard
before 4 o'clock. A motion to that ef
feet was mode, but was finally with
drawn on the conclusion that this was
a matter of business which should
rather be settled in secret session.
The committee then went into secret
session, the general public and press
being excluded.
In the secret session Secretary Ear
rlty, of the Pennsylvania central com
mittee presented his credentials as
the national committeeman selected
by the central committee of that
state to fill the vacancy caused by
the death of Hon. W. L. Scott Chair
man Brice had at the time of Mr.
Scott's death appointed ex-Congress-James
Kerr to fill the vacancy from
Pennsylvania, but the state cen
tral committee ef Pennsylvania for
mally declared that Chairman Brlce
had no right permanently to fill
such a vacancy and thereupon
selected Secretary Harrlty as Mr. Scott's
successor, utterly ignoring Mr. Kerr's
clalma It was expected that this might
provoke discussion, bat Mr. Kerr an
nounced that he would solve the dis
pute. "It is my intention," said he as
he steppod out of the meeting for a
moment "to relieve the situation ol
embarrassment by dmply resigning
That will leave a vacancy and the com
mlttee can settle it without controvert
by accepting Mr. Harrlty's credentials
or otherwise as it may seem fit There
will be no unseemly contest"
The Montana contest was settled by
declaring C A. Broadwater tho regulai
committeeman from that state, but
Mr. Mitchell, bis contestant was al
lowed the privilege of sitting in the
room during the sessions of the com
mittee. The latter was alloired no
vote, the right of vote being accorded
to Mr. Lyman, proxy of Mr. Broad
water. When Pennsylvania was reached, Mr.
Kerr formally resigned whatever claims
he may have had to represent that
atate, and Mr. Harrlty, the new com
mitteeman, was declared the successor
of Mr. Scott
These two contests being settled the
committee proceeded to the selection of
the date of the national democratic
convention. After very little discus
sion Tuesday, June 91, was selected.
At the conclusion of the aeeret ses
sion the committee took a recess until
8:3 it being decided that the argu
ments for the cities should begin at 4
o'clock, each city to bs given twenty
minutes to present its claims, the argu
ments to be heard in the alphabet--
order pt tbe various cities,
At 4 o'clojj; lie Committee was
again cotfed to order by Chairman
Brice and the roll of cltlss Was ordered
to bf callod by the secretary tlti each
reV&entative advanced the claims of
iti' in- i 1 '
tut.civj ne represented.
TiiW balloting began in tbe evening
at 0 o'clock, and tho various surprising
4hage9 announced from time to time
as i proceeded caused intense excite
ment among the adherents of the cities
contending for the priza The crowd
grew impatient and anxious, and the
suspense was only relieved when Sena
tor Barbour, of Virginia, stepping out
of tbe ci invention hail, said quietly:
"Chicago is the place. She needs but
ene vote and she will get it"
On the first ballot New York received
ff rotes; Milwaukee, 8; San Francisco,
8; Cincinnati. S; Detroit, 8; St Paul, 7;
Indianapolis, S; Kansas City, 13; Chica
go, L 4 Be oauoung conunuea wiin
out rerrtts, and with various changes,
until the tenth when Chicago reached
13 votes and Kansas City dropped to
7. From tBret to tbe fifteenth ballot
Chicago ateacity gained. On the fif
teenth ballot tbe vote was: Detroit 1,
St Paul, 1; Kaasas City. S; Milwaukee,
18; Chicago, 71, and so Chicago waa de
clared the eboioe of the committee.
The raeeral ef OartflBal Maaolay.
Loxdox. Jan. SI The funeral oi
Cardinal Manning was held in Bromp
ton oratory to-day. Admission was by
ticket only, for it would have been ia
possible lor the structure to contain
a hundredth part ot the vast
crowd ccVirons of psying a last
token of respect to the dead prelata
A COLUMBUS BLAZE.
DMlre ntl" Klre at Ohio's Capllal-A I.om
of Ovt'r loar Hundred thousand Uul.
lure.
CoiXMlH"8. - Jan- 27. Tho moat
disastrous Uro that Columbus has ever
experienced occurred j-esterday in
the largo bloev of buildings at the
northwest cornet of Pilch and iligli
streets. A small blazo started about
7:40 in the large building at the corner
and before noon the entire block from
Rich street t Wall street and from
High to Wall had been gutted by tho
flamca The pressed brick building on
the corner was first burned out with
all its valuable contents. Tbe only part
of the building left standing was the
front wall. Tbe next to go was the
Metropolitan opera house building, the
fire catching in the fourth story and
working down rapidly.
The Are in tho opera house building
burned fiercely, and in a short time the
entire building, including the opera
house proper, was in ruins. There
was a number of thrilling and hair
breadth escapes, and, with the large
force of women employed about the
building, it is miraculous that the
death roll docs not mount up high.
The shoe factory of 1L C God man
employed 204 persons; of these
132 were girls, sixty men and twelve
boys. The factory occupied three
floors. The spectacle of girls going
down the fit e ladders and escapes with
aprons over their heads was one of the
thrilling episodes of the flre. These
victims were driven out of the building
by the flames and had not time even to
get any of their trappings, the fire
spread so rapidly.
Very soon after the fire began to
pour out from the fourth floor of tho
opera house block the great crowd of
spectators was horrified by the sight of
a woman with a babe in her arms step
ping out of a fourth story window to
the fire escape. She gesticulated wild
ly for a moment and then turned and
disappeared within, evidently giving
up in despair of saving herself in so
dangerous a manner. Two officers
rushed up the stairway through tho
blinding smoke and flames and in a few
moments were seen again with the
woman and child.
When the immense crowd saw that
they were saved, a mighty cheer went
up Another woman appeared at the
fourth story window aid started to
descend by the fire escape, but con
fused and blinded by the smoke, re
turned inside, to be seen no more.
The total loss is nearly $400,000.
ASKING STATEHOOD.
A BtU Looking- to the AdmlMloa of Okla
homa aa a State.
Washington, J an. 27. Delegate Har
vey, from Oklahoma has introduced a
bill in the house admitting Oklahoma
as a state of the Union on the sa-mo
footing as the original states. The bill
is drawn on the lines of those on which
other states have been admitted, differ
ing only in its application to local af
fairs with regard to the Indian The
bill embraces the area of tho old Lilian
territory, so that the new stato will bj
composed of Oklahoma and the present
Indian territory combined, but it fur
ther provides that the status of the In
dians in the eastern part shall not be
changed without their consent It also
leaves the tribal conditions and tha
lands of the Indians as they exist Tbe
area embraces 69,000 square miles, as
large as Ohio and Indiana together.
The census of 1890 gives the popula
tion of this area at 150,000, but since
the census was taken there has been a
rge increase in population, owing to
the opening of reservations last fai
and the population at this time is prob
ably 275,000 or 300,000 white citizens.
The census reports describe this region
as unsurpassed in the western coal belt
in the quality of its coaL Richardson,
in his book "Beyond the M issiBsippi,"
twenty-five years ago described tbe In
dian territory as pne of the richest in
resources of mineral wealth and agri
cultural productiveness in tho west and
spoke of it as "one of the stars in out
national emblem." m
The propC:. StUte is traversa oy
six railroads. The bill divides it into
two federal judicial districts, the east
ern cpw-prifiics n tbf lards c-cnr
by mo rive nawons, ma western uitt
trict all of (be present Oklahoma terri
tory. Provisi4tf is made to have tbe
United States courts now held at Paris,
Tex, and' Fort Smith, Ark., held with
in the tfftitory occupied by tbe Five
etfions;
0L WORKS DESTROYED.
StlU After Rtill Exploded aad the Plant
Seen a Hui of Flames.
EuzABrrn, N. J., Jan. 27. The ex
tensive plant of Borne, Scrymser & Co.
lubricating oil manufacturers at Eliza
beth port was almost entirely destroyed
by flre last night An explosion of one
of tbe stills occurred soon after the day
force had left their work, and although
the night men made use of the flre
apparatus on the premises, they were
unable to check tbe progress of tbe
flames, 8tlll after still exploded, and
in a short time much of the plant was.
a mass of flsmea
The Staten Island meadows were
fired and ignited the trestle of t ie
Baltimore St Ohio railroad bridge,
which spans the sound near this point
Tbe oil works covered ten acres wi'.h
450 foot frontage on the sound. 1 ho
wharves along the full length of thU
frontage was consumed, also the eooprr
shop and the barreling, filter and pump
houses, 43,000 new barrels, many thou
sands' of barrels of manufactured oil
and six immense stills wen destroyed
as well The loss aggregates t300,000,
partly insured, s