In the early part of September Dr. Talmage lectured in San Francisco on International Policies.  His admiration of the Czar’s manifesto for disarmament of the nations was unbounded, and he emphasised it whenever he appeared in public.  He prophesied the millennium as if he looked forward to personal experiences of it; this came from his remarkable confidence in the life forces nature had given him.  At Coronado Beach we determined upon a rest for two weeks; but the Doctor could in no wise be induced to forego his lecture at San Diego.  A pleasant visit to Los Angeles was followed by a delightful sojourn of a few days at Santa Barbara, the floral paradise of the Golden Coast; here the Doctor was met at the station by carriages, and we were literally smothered in flowers; even our rooms in the hotel were banked high with roses.  In the afternoon we accepted an invitation to drive through Santa Barbara, hoping against hope that we might do so inconspicuously.  But the same flower-laden carriages came for us, and we were driven through the city like a miniature flower parade.  Much to the Doctor’s regret he was followed about like a circus; but his courtesy never failed.

On our route East we again stopped in San Francisco.  An announcement had been made that Dr. Talmage would preach for the Sunday evening service at Calvary Presbyterian Church, on the corner of Powell and Geary Streets.  Never had I seen such a crowd before.  As we made our way to the church, we found the adjoining streets packed so solidly with people that we had to call a policeman to make an opening for us.  Once inside, we saw the church rapidly filling, till at last, as a means of protection, the doors were locked against the surging crowd.  But Dr. Talmage had scarcely begun his sermon when the doors were literally broken down by the crowd outside.  Quick to see the danger the Doctor sent out word to the people that he would speak in Union Square immediately after the church service.  This had the desired effect, and the great crowd waited patiently for him a block away till nine o’clock.  It was rather a raw evening because of a fog that had come up from the sea, and for this reason the Doctor asked permission to keep his hat on while he talked from the band stand.  It was the first time I ever heard him speak out of doors, and I was amazed to hear how clearly every word travelled, and with what precision his voice carried the exact effect.  It was a coincidence that the theme of his sermon should have been, “There is plenty of room in Heaven.”

The tremendous enthusiasm, the almost worshipful interest with which he was received, could easily have spoiled any man, but with Dr. Talmage such an ovation as we had witnessed seemed only to intensify the simplicity of his character.  He lost his identity in the elements of inspiration, and when he had finished preaching it was not to himself but to the power that had been given him, he gave all the credit of his influence.  He was always simple, direct, unpretentious.