Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-11-13

series OF popular concerts HnueT tue HldhdSc-
ment of the Peoples club was given in Mechan-
les ball, last evening. The inclement weather
had the effect to keep many people at home, AID
in consequence the attendance was very small.
The audience seemed very sympathetic, how
ever, aud were frequent and hearty with their
applause Mr.. Rudolphsen'S rendering of the
bulfo aria, from Il Barbiere, was finely executed,
and sung, as were all his numbers, with ar
tistic expression and taste Mrs. H. +. H. Car
ter exhibited a clear and sweet voice, which,
under more favorable circumstances as to an
dience and hall, would have been far better APP
preciated. One of her encore pieces was
"Majorie's Almanac, which she sang in pleas
ing and expressive style.
Mrs. A. G. Spring and Mr., A. T. Hills were
well received, aud acquitted themselves with
credit. Mr.. J. A. Howard was the accompanist
He is fine player, but the echo produced by the
tones of the grand piano, reyerberating through
the almost empty hall, was such as to sadly in
tcrlcre with the effect of tue music. Last eve
nng's programme was as follows:
PART FIRST.
!. Quartette- Come, Dorothy Come.
Mrs Carter, Mrs Spring, Messrs Hills and Ru-
dOlphsen.
>. Romance ouldst thou but know. ....... Ralfe
Mr.. Rudolphsen
O. '''i'e " A'i'" Mrs Carter iO'''y
4. Song-Beating of my own heart. 80. Macfarren
Mrs. Spring
.. Song-My Queen. ..,....... ...,..... Blumenthal
6. -Cheerfulness. ...................G umbert
Mrs Carter and Mrs. Spring.
PART SECOND,
l. TriO-rhis magic wOve scarf ......... Barnett.
Mrs Carter and Messrs. Hills and Rudophsen.
2. Butio Aria-LargO al FactOtum from Il Barbere
Rossini.
Mr. Rudolphscn.
B. Song-O Bay OF Dublin. ,............,. Duferin
Mrs Spring.
4. SOng-ShadeS of Evening. clay,
5. Song -Balias Daqghtgr
Mrs. Carter.
6. Quartette-The Sea hath its Pearls go, Pnsuti
Mrs, Carter, Mrs Spring, MessrS. Hills and Ru-
dOlphsen.
The next concert of the series will be given
Tuesday evening, Nov 26th.
REV. GEORGE W. PHILLIPS ON THE BosToN
FIRE.-On Sunday evening the pastor of Ply.
mouth church spoke in Mechanics hail upon
"The moral condition of our cities" Selling
upon the Boston calamity as the one impressive
thought of the hour he announced as his text
'Wherofore should this city be laid waste?'
Jeremiah q, ~ He said Jerusalem had been
a city OF disasters. 1t was at one of the severest
of these-the conquest by Nebuchadnazzar, $50
b. C.-that an inspired prophet and patriotic
citizen uttered the exclamation of the text
There is fitness in asking this mournful ques
ton concerning fre-smitten Boston There is
perinency in it to our own moral condition. Nc
invading army is laundering at our doors; no
enginery of death frownsHupon our peaceful
homes; no secret mine is laid beneath thest
streets, ready at any moment to explode auC
carry down your stores and factories in one
great RUM no condagration is raging here like
that which has made of the most stately anC
substantial part OF Boston mass of hot, Crum
bling debris. But there are enemies more
deadly than armed soldiers, fires more destruc
tive than those which have bhghted so recently
two OF our great commercial cities. There are
dames OF passion, avariCe, appetite, that faster
and feed upon souls Men aud society are
burned by these to moral cinderS. Influences
are at work secretly by which the true founda
tion of cittes-viz., character-is being honey
combed, and the spaces filed with deadly mate
rial.
Our cities are morally and religiously lait
waste. But am told that your city is prosper
Gus. In proof of this Won show me your pub
elegance. You say that railroads are increas
Ing and capital is being invited here for invest
ment.
Are these the wealth and certain veal o
cities? No. The acreage intelligence, morality
religion of the people, determine our pros
perlty. Enlightened faith in the Bible, imita
ton Of the Christ it reveals reverence for God,
day and Gods house, make communities truly
great and strong.
Among the specifications which the speaker
made of moral calamitieS to our cities, were:
l. The weakening of the home-te and the
gradual extinction OF homelfe. One of the
causes of this evil is the expense of maintaining
home. Practical Christianity would prompt
capitalists to build homes of moderate expense
with studous regard for health and comfort anC
maze conveyance to places of business cheap
Such provision would keep our laboring peoplt
out OF cellars where health and virtue are i'm,
possible, aud from lofts where fires may any
hour make escape impossible. Public resorts
Tor dissipation and amusement would in many
cases die for want of support if such measures
were practically carried out.
another fruitful cause OF moral and material
injury to our city is: 2. The unrebuked and mn
hlndered drinking OF all sorts OF intoxicat
lng liquors, Avarice and depraved ap
petite for stimulation lie at the bot
tom OF this business. Soma portions Of
tue streets of our city are one almost unbroFen
row of dram shops. have access to no Stats.
here dram shop for every fifty voters. Over
their counters 30 the earnings of our mechanics
Here Young men spend their evenings and sell
out their manhood too cheaply. Philanthro
plSts! Christians! how long shall this scourge
be allowed TO lay waste the city2 1t is a bust
ness You have the power to stop. 1t goes on by
the sanction of the votes of our citizens.
- Auot1er wasting influence among us is: g.
The increase of religious skepticism Our me.
chanical population are, in the main, good citi-
zenS But there is among them soil in which
religious fanaticism and doubt alike seem TO
thrive. They neglect the places Of worship on
Sunday; they tend 10 loose faith in God and
goodness. They are morally and regiously at
sea- And the Romanists are going in shoals
into iniidelity by a law as sure as that OF
grayltation. When a Romanist does his own
thinking he is lost to his church. And when
lost to his church he is pretty surely lost to all
religion. And what can be done to stay the
wreck and ruin Of our cities? Can the churches
40 nothing' BY what means shall the widen
lug breach between the churches and the peo-
pie be stopped? This is the problem of the
hour. Christians, brothers, will you not help
us answer this question: The churches are not
hlled; why? If the people wished to attend pub
lie worship not more than one.thrd of them
could be convened in the existing churches
think we need chiefly a revival of living
christianity Our religion is worthless if il
lalls to set us doing the same kind of work that
GhrlSt did, He lived and died for the lost
Every Christian ought 10 be in some sense as
preacher, fruitful disciple maker. If this were
so, our children would be in the Sunday schools
and Sabbath congregations. Our churches
would be thronged. Vice would hide its head
The city would he evangelical o, Christian!
The solid real estate of Boston is proving unreal
after all. Granite stores and costly merchan-
disc are not real. But the soul is real; virtue,
truth, love, Christ and heaven are real. "Seeli
we first the kingdom of God and His righteous.
ness"
COUNTY NEWS.