Dr. Talmage’s resignation from his church in Washington took place in March, 1899.  I quote his address to the Presbytery because it was a momentous event occurring in the gloaming of what seemed to us all, then, the prime of his life: 

    “March 3, 1899.

    “To the Session of the First Presbyterian Church of Washington.

    “Dear Friends—­

“The increasing demands made upon me by religious journalism, and the continuous calls for more general work in the cities, have of late years caused frequent interruption of my pastoral work.  It is not right that this condition of affairs should further continue.  Besides that, it is desirable that I have more opportunity to meet face to face, in religious assemblies, those in this country and in other countries to whom I have, through the kindness of the printing press, been permitted to preach week by week, and without the exception of a week, for about thirty years.  Therefore, though very reluctantly, I have concluded, after serving you nearly four years in the pastoral relation, to send this letter of resignation....

    “T.  DEWITT TALMAGE.”

I had rather expected that the Doctor’s release from his church would have had the desired effect of reducing his labours, but he never accomplished less than the allotment of his utmost strength.  Rest was a problem he never solved, and he did not know what it meant.  My life had not been idle by any means, but it seemed to me that the Doctor’s working hours were without end.  When I told him this, he would say:—­

“Why, Eleanor, I am not working hard at all now.  This is very tame compared to what I have done in the years gone by.”

His weekly sermon was always put in the mail on Saturday night, as also his weekly editorials.  Sunday the sermon was preached, and on Monday morning the syndicate of newspapers in this country printed it.  He made always two copies of his sermon.  One he sent to his editorial offices in New York, the other was delivered to the Washington Post.  I was told a little while ago that a prominent preacher called on the editor of this newspaper and asked him to publish one of his own sermons.  This was refused, even when the aforesaid preacher offered to pay for the privilege.

“But you print Talmage’s sermons!” said the preacher.

“We do,” replied the editor, “because we find that our readers demand them.  We tried to do without them, but we could not.”

Dr. Talmage’s acquaintance with men of national reputation was very wide, but he never seemed to consider their friendship greater than any others.  He was a great hero worshipper himself, always impressed by a man who had done something in the world.  There was a great deal of praise being bestowed about this time on Mr. Carnegie’s library gifts.  Dr. Talmage admired the Scottish-American immensely, having formed his acquaintance while crossing the ocean.  Five or six years later, during the winter of 1899, the Doctor met him in one of the rooms of the White House.  He tells this anecdote in his own words, as follows:—­