e records of the church
organisation from 1854 to 1873, a copy of the Bible, coins of 1873,
newspaper accounts of the dedication of the old Tabernacle, copies of
the Brooklyn and New York newspapers, photographs of the trustees, a
25-cent gold piece from the Philadelphia mint with the Lord's Prayer
engraved on one side, drawing and plans of the new Tabernacle, and some
Colonial money dated 1759, 1771, 1773, 1774. During my trip in the Holy
Land I had secured two stones, one from Mount Calvary and one from Mount
Sinai, which were to be placed in the Tabernacle later.

The "Tabernacle Rabble," as the Philistines of Clinton Avenue called us,
continued to meet in the Academy of Music with renewed vigour. My own
duties became more exacting because of the additional work I had
undertaken, of an editorial nature, on two periodicals.

Of course my critics were always with me. What man or thing on earth is
without these stimulants of one's energy. They were fair and unfair. I
did not care so much for my serious critics as my humorous ones.
Solemnity when sustained by malice or bigotry is a bore. Some call it
hypocrisy, but that is too clever for the tiresome critic. Frequently,
in my scrap book, I kept the funny comments about myself.

Here is one from the "Chicago American," published in 1890:--

When Talmage the terrible shouts his "God-speed"
To illit'rate (and worse) immigration,
Who knows but his far-seeing mind feels a need
Of recruits for his mix'd congregation?
And when he, self-made gateman of Heaven, says he's glad
To rake in, on his free invitation,
The fit and the unfit, the good and the bad,
Put it down to his tall-'mag-ination.--_Pan._

My critics were particularly wrought up again on my return from
Palestine over my finances. What a crime it was, they said, for a
minister to be a millionaire! Had I really been one how much more I
could have helped some of them along. Finally the subject became most
wearisome, and I gave out some actual facts. From this data it was
revealed that I was worth about $200,000, considerably short of one
million. In actual cash it was finally declared that I was only worth
$100,000. My house in Brooklyn, which I bought shortly after my
pastorate began there, cost $35,000. I paid $5,000 cash, and obtained
easy terms on a mortgage for the balance. It was worth $60,000 in 1890.
My country residence at East Hampton was estimated to be worth $20,0