TALMAGE
A Timely and Eloquent Discourse
on Safety for Young Men.
The Death of Absalom and David's
lirief Safeguard Surrounding
Youtli are Love of Home, Kepeet
for the Sabbath and High Idea of
Life.
WaBhiDgton, D. C, Not. 24 In
Lis aerinou to day llev. Dr. Talmage,
preaching to the usual crowded audi
ence, took up a subject of universal
interest to young men. Ilia text
was selected from II. Samuel, xriii.,
2,2: "la the young man Absalom safe?'
The heart of David, the father,
was wrapped up in bis boy AbBalom.
He was a splendid boy, judged by
the rules of worldly criticism. From
the crown of his head to the sole of
his foot there was not a single blem
ish. The Bible says he had such a
luxurious shock of hair that when
once a year it was shorn, what was
cut off weighed over three pounds.
But, notwithstanding all of his bril
liancy of appearance, he was a bad
boy, and broke his father's heart. He
was plotting to get the throne of
Israel. He had maishaled an army
to overthrow his father's govern
ment. The day of battle had come.
The conflict was begun, David, the
father, sat between the gates of the
palace waiting for the tidings of the
conflict. Oh, how rapidly his heart
beat with emotion. Two great ques
tions were to be decided; the safety
of his boy, and the continuance of
the throne of Israel. After awhile,
a servant, standing on the top of the
house, looks off, and sees some one
running. He is coming wih great
speed, and the man on top of the
house announces the coming of the
messenger, and the father watches
and waits, and as soon as the mes
senger from the field of battle comes
within hailing distance, the father
cries out. Is it a question in regard
to the establishment of his throne?
Does he say: "Have the armies of
Israel been victorious? Am I to con
tinue in my imperial authority!
Have I oyerthrown my enemies?''
Ohl no. There is one question that
springs from his heart to his lip,
and from the lip into the ear of the
besweated and bedusted messenger
flying from the battlefield the
question, "Is the young man Absa
lom safe?" When it was told to Da
rid, the King, that, though his
armies had been victorious, his son
had been slain, the father turned his
back upon the congratulations of
the nation, and went up the stairs
to his palace, his heart breaking as
he went, wringing his hands some
times, and then again pressing them
gainst his temples as though he
weuld press them in, trying: "Oh,
Absalom! my son! my son! Would
God I had died for thee, Oh, Absa
lom! my son! my son!"
My friends, the question which
David, the King, asked in regard to
his son is the question that resounds
to-day in the hearts of hundreds of
parents. Yea, there are a great mul
titude of young men who know that
the question of the text is appropri
ate when asked in regard to them.
They know the temptations by which
they are surrounded; they see so
many who started with as good res
olutions as they have who have fall
en in the path, and they are ready
to hear me ask the question of my
text: "Is the young man Absalom
safe? The tact is that this life is
full of peril. He who undertakes it
without the grace of God and a
proper understanding of the conflict
into which he is going, must certain
ly be defeated. Just lock off upon
society to day. Look at the ship
wreck of men for whom fair things
were promised, and who started life
with every advantage. Look at
those who have dropped from high
social position, and from great for
tune, disgraced for eternity. All
who sacrifice their integrity come
to overthrow. Take a dishonest
dollar and bury it in the center of
the earth, and keep all the rocks of
the mountain on top of it; then cov
er these rocks with all the diamonds
of Golconda, and all the silver of
Nevada, and all the gold of Califor
nia and Australia, and put on the
top of these all banking and money
ed institutions, and they can net
keep down that one dishonest dol
lar. That one dishonest dollar in I
the center of the earth will begin to
heave and rock and upturn itself
until it comes to the resurrection of
damnation. "As the partridge sitteth
on eSSa aD hatcheth them not, so
he that getteth riches and not by
right shall leave them in the midst
of his days, and at his end 6ball be
a fool."' "
Now, what are the safeguards of
young men? The first safeguard of
which I want to speak is the love of
home. There are those who have
no idea of the pleasures that con
centrate around that word "home."
Perhaps your early abode was shad
owed with vice or poverty. Harsh
words, and petulance, and scowling
may have destroyed all the sanctity
of that spot. Love, kindness and
self sacrifice, which have built their
altars in bo many abodes, were stran
gers in your father's house. God
pity you, young man; yon never had
a home. But a multitude in this
audience can look back to a spot
that they can never forget. It may
have been a lowly roof, but you can
not think of it now without a dash
of emotion. You have seen nothing
on earth that so stirred your soul.
A stranger passing along that place
might see nothing remarkable about
it; but, oh! how much it means to
you. Fresco on palace wall does
not mean so much to you as those
rough-hewn rafters. I'arks and
bowers and trees on fashionable
watering-place or country seat do
not mean so much to you as that
brook that ran in front of the plain
farm house, and swinging under the
weeping willows. The barred gate
way swung open by porter in full
dress, docs not mean as much to
you as that swing gate, your sister
on one side of it, and you on the
other; she gone fifteen years into
glory. That scene coming back to
you to-day, as you swept backward
and forward on the gate, singing
the songs of your childhood.
But there are those here who have
their second dwelling place. It is
your adopted home. That also is
sacred forever. There you estab
lish the first family altar. There
your children were born. In that
room flapped the wings of the death
angel. Under that roof, when your
work is done, you expect to lie down
and die. There is only one word in
all the language that can convey
your idea of that place, and that
word is "home." Now let me say I
never knew a man who was faithful
to his early and adopted home who
was given over at the same time to
any gross form of wickedness. If
you find more enjoyment in the club
room, in the literary Bociety, in the
art salon, than you do in these un
pretending home pleasures, you are
on the road to ruin. Though you
may be cut off from your early as
sociates, and though you may be
separated from all your kindred,
young man, is there not a room
somewhere that you can call your
own? Though it be the fourth
story of a third class boarding house
into that room gather books, pic
tures, and a harp. Hang your moth
er's picture over the mantle. Bid
unholy mirth stand back from that
threshold. Consecrate some spot
in that room with the knee of prayer.
By the memory of other days, a
father's counsel, a mother's loye,
and a sister's confidence, call it
home.
Another safeguard for these young
men is industrious habit. There are
a great many people trying to make
their way through the world by their
wits instead of by honest toil. There
is a young man who comes from the
country to the city. He fails twice
before be is as old as his father was
when he first saw the spires of ihe
great town. He is seated in his
room at a rent $1,000 a year, wait
ing for the banks to declare their
dividends and the stocks to run up.
After awhile he gets impatient. He
tries to improve his penmanship by
making copy-plates of other merch
ants' signatures! Never rnimd all
is right in business. After awhile
he has his estate. Now is the time
for him to retire to the country,
amid the flocks and the herds, to
culture the domestic virtues.
Now the young men who were his
schoolmates in boyhood will come,
and with their ox teams draw him
logs, and with their hard hands will
help to heave up the castle. That
is not fancy sketch; it is everyday
life. I should not wonder if there
were a rotten beam in that palace. I
should not wonder if God should
smite him with dire sickness, and
pour into his cup a bitter draught
that will thrill him with unbearable
agony. I should not wonder if that
men's children grew up to be to him
a disgrace, and to make Lis life a
shame. I should not wonder if that
man died a dishonorable death, and
were tumbled into a dishonorable
grave, and then went into the gnash
ing of teeth. The way of the un
godly 6hall perish.
Oh! young man, you must have
industry of head, or hand, or foot,
or perish. Do not have the idea
that you can get along in the world
by genius. The curse of this coun
try to day is geniuses men with
large, self conceit and nothing else.
The man who proposes to make his
living by his wits probably has not
any. I should rather be an ox, plain
and plodding and useful, than be an
eagle, high flying and good-for-nothing
but to pick out the eyes of car
casses. Even in the Garden of Eden
it was not safe for Adam to be idle,
so God reade him a horticultdrist;
and if the married pair had kept
busy dressing the vines, they would
not have been sauntering under the
trees, hankering after fruit that ruin
ed them and their posterity! Proof
positive of the fact that when peo
ple dont attend to their business they
get into mischief. "Go to the ant,
thou sluggard; consider her ways
and be wise; which, having no over
seer or guide, provideth her food in
the summer and gathered her meat
in the harvest." Satan is a roaring
lion, and you can never destroy him
by gun or pistol or sword. The
weapo'.s with which you are to beat
him back are pen, type and hammer
and adze, and saw, and pickaxe, and
yardstick, and the weapon of honest
toil. Work, work or die.
Another safeguard that I want to
present to young men is a high ideal
of life. Sometimes soldiers going
into battle shoot into the ground in
stead of into the hearts of their ene
mies. They are apt to take aim too
low, and it is very often that the cap
tain, going into conflict with his
men, will cry out, "Now, men, aim
high!" The fact is that in life a great
many men take no aim at all. The
artist plans out his entire thought
before he puts it upon canvas, be
fore he takes up the crayon or the
chisel. An architect thinks out the
entire building before the workmen
begin. Although everything may
seem to be unorganized, that archi
tect has in his mind every Corinthian
column, every Gothic arch, every
Byzantine capital. A poet thinks
out the entire plot of his poem be
fore he begins to chime the cantos
of tinkling rbythems- And yet there
are a great many men who start the
important structure of life without
knowing whether it is going to be a
rude Tartar's hut, or a St. Mark's
Cathedral, and begin to write out
intricate peom of their life without
knowing whether it is to be a Ho
mer's "Odyssey" cr a rhymester's
botch. Out of one thousand, ninety-nine
have no life-plot. Booted
and spurred and caparisoned, they
hasten along, and run out and say:
"Hallo, mac! Whither away?" "No
where!" they-say. Oh! young man,
make every day's duty a filling- up
of the great life-plot. Alas! that
there should be on this sea of life so
many ships that seem bound for no
port. They are swept every whither
by wind and wave, up by the moun
tains and down by the valleys. They
sail with no chart. They gaze on
no star. They long for no harbor.
Oh! young man, have a high ideal
and press for it, and it will be a
mighty safeguard. There never
were grander opportunities opening
before young men than are opening
now. Young men of the strong arm,
and of the stout heart, and of the
bounding step, I marshal you to-day
for a great achievement.
Another safeguard is a respect for
the Sabbath. Tell me how a young
man spends his Sabbaths, and I will
tell you what are his prospects in
business, and I will tell you what
are his prospects for the eternal
world. God has thrust into our
busy life a sacred day when we are
to look after our souls. Is it exor
bitant, after giving six days to the
feeding and clothing of these perish
Deacon Bros. & Co.
Heavy nl Shelf Hardware. Cutlery and Gnns
Tinware and Moves. Field and tianlea
Seils, Buepies, Wagons, and Farm
Machinery, wajron, wood-work. Iron,
steel, Nails, Salt. Uarb Wire,
Bajrgy Paints, Machine 'oil.
Groceries and Farm Produce
GRINDING A TOOL
Depends more upon the tool than it does upon
the grindstone. This may be new to you, oat
It's true enough to mike it worth your while
to bay gojd tool and coming to us will make
that easy. Tools have always been one of our
specialties and good tools onr hobby: we also
sell first class locks and door and window fast
enings. In fact, there is no branch of hard
ware we are not Interested in Bought a store
yet? Come and see oar Round Oak ; best made .
ENTERPRISE MEAT CUTTEKS.
We have them In all sizes. They are the best
goods manufacture i, we like to sell any goods
made by the Enterprise people, all goods made
by them are first class and sure to please you.
CHRISTMAS
Is nearly here, and please remember that we
have the largest line of pocket knives, table
knlres and forks, Rogers tripple plated goods,
scissors, razors, straps, carving knives, deco
Tated tea and coffee pots, all copper, nickle
plated tea and coffee pots , boys' express wag
ons, Barney and Berry's New York club skates
Wapacut butcher knives, call bells, loaded
shells, candies, fruits and nuts.
Cbase and 8anborn'g Fine Boston Coffees.
DEACON BROS. & CO.
Low Price Hardware and Grocery House.
able bodies, that God should demand
one day for the feeding and clothing
of the immortal soul?
Our bodies are eeven day clocks,
and they need to be wound up, and
if they are not wound up they run
down into the grave. No man can
continuously break the Sabbath and
keep his physical and mental health.
Ask those aged men and they will
tell you they never knew men who
continuously broke the Sabbath who
did not fail in mind, body or moral
principle. A manufacturer gave his
experience. He said: "I owned a
factory on the Lehigh. Everything
prospered. I kept the Sabbath, and
everything went on well. But one
Sabbath morning I bethought my
self of a new shuttle, and I thought
I would invent that shuttle before
sunset; and I refused all food and
drink until I had completed that
shuttle. By eundown I had com
pleted it. The text day, Monday, I
showed to my workmen and friends
this new shuttle. They all congrat
ulated me on my success. I put
that shuttle into play. I'etlarged
my businesf; but sir, that Sunday's
work co?t me $30,000. From that
day everything went wrong. I fail,
ed in businesf, and I lost my mill.'
Oh, my friends, keep the Lord's day.
You may think it oil fogy advic?,
but I give it to you now: "Remem
ber the Sabbath day and keep it
holy. Six days shalt thou labor and
do thy work; but the seventh is the
Sabbath of the Lord, thy God; in it
thou shalt not do any work." A
man said that he would prove that
all this was a fallacy, and eo he said,
'I shall raise a Sunday crop." And
he plowed the field on the Sabbath,
and then he put in the seed on the
Sabbath and he cultivated the
ground on the Sabbath. When the
harvest was ripe he reaped it on the
! Sabbath, and he carried it into the
mow on the Sabbath, and then he
stood out defiant to his Christian
neigbors and said, "There, that is
my Sunday crcand it is all gar
nered." After awhile a storm came
up, and a great darkness, and the
lightnings of the heaven struck the
barn and away went his Sunday
crop.
There is another safeguard that I
want to present. I have saved it
until the last because I want it to
be the more emphatic. The great
safeguard for every young man is
the Chnstiau religion. Nothing can
take the place of it. You may have
gracefulness enough to put to the
blush Lord Chesterfield, you may
have foreign languages dropping
from your tongue, you may discuss
laws and literature, you may have a
pen of unequaled polish and power,
you may have so much business tact
that you can get the largest salary
in a banking house, you may be as
sharp as Heroin and as strong as
long locks as those which hung Ab
salom, and yet you have no safety
against temptation. Some of you
look forward to life with great de
spondency. I know it. I see it in
your faces from time to time. You
say: "All the occupations and pro
fessions are full, and there's no
chance for me." Oh! young man,
cheer up. I will tell you how you
can make your fortune. Seek
first the kingdom of God and
his righteousness, and all other
things will be added. I know you
do not want to be mean in this mat
ter. You will not drink the brim
ming cup of life, and then pour the
dregs on God's altar. To a gener
ous Savior you will not act like that
you have not the heart to act like
that. That is not manly. That is
not honorable. That is not brave.
Your great want is a new heart, and
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
I tell you so to day, nd the blessed
Spirit presses through the solemni
ties of this hour to put the cup of
life to your thirsty lips. Oh! thrust
it not back. Mercy presents it
bleeding mercy, long suffering mei
cy. Despise all other friendships,
prove recreant to all other bargaine,
but despise God's love for your
dying soul do not do that.
There comes a crisis in a man's
life, and the trouble is he does not
know it is the crisis. I got a letter
in which a man says to me.
"I start out now to preach the
Gospel of righteousness and tem
perance to the people. Do you rc
member me? I am the man who
appeared at the close of the service
when you were worshiping in the
ehapel after you came from Philadel
phia. Do you remember at the
close of the service a man coming
up to you all a tremble with convic
tion, and crying out for mercy, and
telling you he had a very bad busi
ness, and he thought he ' would
change it? That was the turning
point in my history. I gave my
heart to God, and the desire to serve
him has crown upon me all these
years, until now woe is unto me if I
aon i preacn me uospei. '
That Sunday night was the turn
ing point of that young man's his
tory. This very Sabbath hour will
be the turning point in the histnrv
of a hundred young men in this
house, ijroa help us. I once stood
on an anniversary rjlatform with a.
clergyman who told this marvelous
story. He said:
"Thirty years ago two young men
started out to attend Park theatre,
New York, to see a play which made
religiou look ridiculous and hypo
critical. They had been brought up
iu Christian families. They started
for the theatre to gee that vile play,
and their early convictions came
back upon them. They felt it was
not right to go, but still they went.
They came to the door cf the thea
ter. One of the young men stopped
and started for home, but returned
and came up to the door, but had
not the courage to go in. He again
started for home, and went home
The other young man went in. He
went from one degree of temptation
to another. Caught in the whirl of
frivolity and Bin, he sank lower and
lower. He lost his business posi
tion. He lo3t his nsora's. He lost
his soul He died a dreadful death,
not one star of mercy 6hining on it.
I stand before you to-day," said the
minister, "to thank God that for
twenty years I have been permitted
to preach the Gospel. I am the
other young man."
Oh! you see that was the turning
point the one went back, the other
went on. The great roaring world
of business life will sooa break in
upon you, young men. Will the
wild wave dash out the impressions
of this day as an ocean billow dashes
letters out of the sand on th
You need something better than this
world can give you. I beat on your
heart and it sounds hollow. You
want something great and grand and
glorious to fill it, and here is the re
ligion that can do it, God save you.
THE
Bates County Bant
BUTLER, MO.
Miceessor to-
Eates Co. National Bank.
Established iu 1S70.
Paid up capital $125,000
A general banking business trans
acted. F. J. TYGARD, - - - President.
HON. J. B. NEWBEKrVi ,3 Vlce-Prei.
J.C.CLARK - - Cashier
T. J. Smith.
A. VT. Titritiua
SMITH THURMAN.
LAWYERS,
Office overrates Countv Natn'l Hank.
Butler, Missouri,
QRAVES & CLARK,
ATTORNEYS AT LAW.
Office over the Missouri State Bank.
North side square.
Silvers & Denton
Anosxm m mmu at law
BUTLER, MO.
Office over the Farmers Bank.
TC. BOULWARE, Physician and
Surgeon. Office north side ko u are-
Butler, Mo. Diseases of women and chll
en a specialty.
DR. J. M, CHRISTY,
HOMOEOPATHIC
PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON,
Office, front room over McKibhens
store. All callanswered at office day oi
night.
Special attention given to female dli
eases.
DR. J. 'T. HULL
LDENT1ST.
Newly Fitted up Rooms, Over
Jeter's Jewelry Store.
Entrance, tame that leada to Hsgednrn't
Studio, north side square, Butler, Mo.
W. R. WOODS
Real Estate and Life In-
surance Agent.
ADRIAN - - MISSOURI
I have a large number of farms for
sale, ranging from 40 acres up. Thin
land is located in Bates county and
is choice real estate. Call and see me
before buying.
WANTED: Several trustworthy gentlemen
to travel In Missouri for established, re
liable house. Salary 7dO and expenses.
Steady position, enclose reference and self
addressed stamped envelope. The Dominion
Company, Third Floor, Omaha Bldg.,Chlcao.
44-IUt
Bath 15cts at O. K. Barber Shop. hot or cold,
clean linen and right treatment GUe us
a call. Five doors Bouth oi post office.
29tf J. T. BROOKS
JJtfSsftJJJSa
Poor
Health
means so much more than i
you imagine serious and
latai diseases result from
trifling ailments neglected.
Don't play with Nature's
greatest gift health.
If you art feeling
Browns
out ox sorts, weak
and generally ex.
hajmed, nervous,
have tin autxrtile
and can't work, j
begin at onceiak- "
inj the nusi relia-
b!e trenMh-TMriir i
Iron
medirme.which is J
ij i. .
Bitters
tcrs. A few bot
t!es cure benefit
biun i iron rai-
comes lrom the
4
very first dose it
tuem't Atain van j
t,,tU - .. . ; , . - 1
pleasant to Uke
It Cures
i
4
Dvsrpnc!" f ! -1 . . i
liver
I Neuralgia, Troubles.
Constipation, Bad DIood
Malari.i.
,
Nervous ailments
Wj-vk. . , . . . I
4
vuuicii fcunrpiainis.
I .. m-J tnc Keimsne H lias rro-.v'S red w
. N i j iceipi oi to 2C. stamp we
f B30WH CHEMICAL CO. ElUTIMOSE, 13.
In