can
tell the story of her usefulness. What days and nights they were at the
Governor's Mansion. No one will ever understand the heartiness and
generosity and warmth of Kentucky hospitality until he experiences it.

President Arthur was coming through Lexington on his way to open an
Exposition at Louisville. Governor Blackburn was to go to Lexington to
receive him and make a speech. The Governor read me the speech in the
State House before leaving Frankfort, and asked for my criticism. It was
an excellent speech about which I made only one criticism, and that
concerning a sentence in which he praised the beautiful women and the
fine horses of Kentucky. I suggested that he put the human and the
equine subjects of his admiration in different sentences, and this
suggestion he adopted.

We started for Lexington and arrived at the hotel. Soon the throngs in
the streets showed that the President of the United States was coming.
The President was escorted into the parlour to receive the address of
welcome, and seeing me in the throng, he exclaimed, "Dr. Talmage! Are
you here? It makes me feel at home to see you." The Governor put on his
spectacles and began to read his speech, but the light was poor, and he
halted once or twice for a word, when I was tempted to prompt him, for I
remembered his speech better than he did himself.

That day I bade good-bye to Governor Blackburn, and I saw him two or
three times after that, once in my church in Brooklyn and once in
Louisville lecture hall, where he stood at the door to welcome me as I
came in from New Orleans on a belated train at half-past nine o'clock at
night when I ought to have begun my lecture at 8 o'clock; and the last
time I saw him he was sick and in sad decadence and near the terminus of
an eventful life. One of my brightest anticipations of Heaven is that of
seeing my illustrious Kentucky friend.

That experience at Frankfort was one of the many courtesies I have
received from all the leading men of all the States. I have known many
of the Governors, and Legislatures, when I have looked in upon them,
have adjourned to give me reception, a speech has always been called
for, and then a general hand-shaking has followed. It was markedly so
with the Legislatures of Ohio and Missouri. At Jefferson City, the
capital of Missouri, both Houses of Legislature adjourned and met
together in the Assembly Room, which was the larger place, and then the
Governor introduced me for a