TALMAGE, John Van Nest, missionary, born in Somerville, New Jersey, 18
August, 1819. He was graduated at Rutgers in 1842 and at New Brunswick seminary
m 1845, in which year he was licensed by the classis of Philadelphia. Since 1846
he has been a missionary of the Reformed church in China. Rutgers gave him the
degree of D.D. in 1867. He has translated several books of the Bible into the
Amoy colloquial dialect, and is the author of a " Chinese-English Dictionary"
(1885).
Thomas De Witt Talmage
--His brother, Thomas De Witt Talmage, clergyman, born in Bound Brook, New
Jersey, 7 January, 1832, was educated at the University of the city of New York
in the class of 1853, but was not graduated. After graduation at New Brunswick
theological seminary m 1856, he was ordained pastor of the Reformed Dutch church
in Belleville, New Jersey He had charge of the church ill Syracuse, New York,
from 1859 till 1862, and of one in Philadelphia in 1862-'9. During the civil war
he was chaplain of a Pennsylvania regiment, and he is now chaplain of the 13th
New York regiment. In 1869 he was made pastor of the Central Presbyterian church
in Brooklyn, New York, which post he still holds. In 1870 his congregation
erected a new semicircular church of wood and iron capable of seating 3,400
persons. This building, known as the Brooklyn Tabernacle, was enlarged in 1871
so as to seat 500 more, but it was destroyed by fire on 22 December, 1872. On 22
February, 1874, a new Tabernacle was dedicated. It is in the Gothic style, with
seats for 5,000 persons, and is the largest Protestant church in this country.
In 1872 he organized in the building that was formerly occupied by his
congregation a lay college for religious training. He is a popular lecturer, and
appears once a week in this capacity. He attracts large audiences and his
sermons are published weekly in nearly 600 religious and secular journals in
this country and in Europe, being translated into various languages. The
University of the city of New York gave him the degree of A. M. in 1~862, and he
received that of D. D. from the University of Tennessee in 1884. In addition to
numerous lectures and addresses and sketches and light essays on moral subjects,
which have been printed in magazines and weekly papers, he has edited "The
Christian at Work" (New York, 1873-'6); "The Advance," of Chicago (1877-'8); and
he now conducts" Frank Leslie's Sunday Magazine. ' Dr. Talmage has published
"The Almond-Tree in Blossom" (Philadelphia, 1870); "Crumbs swept Up" (1870) :
"Sermons" (4 vols., New York. 1872-'5) ; "Abominations of Modern Society" (New
York, 1872; 2d ed., 1876); " One Thousand Gems, or Brilliant Passages and
Anecdotes" (1873) ; "Old Wells dug Out" (1874) ; "Around the Tea-Table"
(Philadelphia, 1874); "Sports that Kill" (New York, 1875) ; "Every-Day Religion"
(1875) ; "Night Sides of City Life" (1878); "Masque torn Off" (1879); " The
Brooklyn Tabernacle, a Collection of 104 Sermons" (1884) ; and "The Marriage
Ring " (1886). Two other brothers are ministers--the Reverend Dr. JAMES R. of
the Congregational, and the Reverend Goyn of the Reformed Dutch church.
