The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-01-04
TALMAGE'S TABERNACLE.

the forenoon and evening services yesterday
ArbucEle played the cornet and Professor Morgan
presided at the organ. Mr.. TalmagA who has Just
returned from trip to Charleston. 8. e., resumed
his position At the reading desk and preached,
continuing his sermons on public iniquities. The
text read was as iollows:-"Many OF them also
which used curious arts brought their books to-
gether and burned them before oil men; and they
counted the price OF them and found IL 900
pieces of silver."-tne Acts, XIX, ia Paul was
stirring up Ephesus with some lively sermons
about the sins OF that place. Among the more
important results was the fact that the people
brought out their bad books and In
public place made bonfire OF Thorn. see the
people coming out with their arms ul OF Ephesan
literature and tossing in into the flames. l hear
an economist standing by saying, "Stop this
waste. Here are $500 worth OF books, DO you
propose to burn them all up' II You don't want
to read them yourselves, sell them anu let some.
body else read them.n no." sad the people; III
these books are not good for us they are not good
for anybody else, and we shall stand and watch
until the last leaf has burned into ashes. They
have done US q world Of harm, and they shall
never do anybody else any harm. Hear the
names roar and crackle" Well, my friends, one
Of the wants OF the cities OF this country is
GREAT BONFIRE OF BAD BOOKS AND NEWSPAPERS.
We have enough lueI 70 make blaze 200 feet high
dump into the blaze their entire stock OF goods
and q great many Of the newspaper establish.
ments would do well to roll into the flames all
their next issue Of 1000 100 600 copies Bring
forth the insufferable trash and put It into the
Are, and let 1t be known In the presence OF God
and angels and men that you are going to rid your
houses OF the overtoppng and underlying curse OF
. pronlgate literature. The printing press Is the
mightiest agency on earth for good and for evil.
The minister OF the gospel, standing IN pulpit,
has responsible position. but do not think 1t is
as responsible as the position OF IN editor or
publisher. At what distant point OF time, at what
far out cycle OF eternity viii cease the influence
OF Henry J. Raymond, or Horace Greeley, or .
James Gordon Bennetts Take the simple statistic
that our New YORK dailies now have
A CIRCULATION OF THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY
THOUSAND FER DAY,
and add TO 1t the fac that three OF our weekly
periodicals have an aggregate circulation OF about
1000, 900, and then cipher II you can how far up
and how far down and how far out reaches the
influence OF the American printing press. Eternal
God what Is to be the issue OF all tins believe
GCd intends the printing press to be
the means, the chief means, for the worlds
rescue and eyangellzation; and I think
that tho great battle, tho great
last battle Of the world, will not be fought with
swords or guns but with types and presses-a
purified and gospel litera ure triumphng over,
trampng down and crushing out forever that
which Is depraved. The only way to fight bad
books Is by printing good Ole. The only way to
overcome unclean newspaper literature Is by
scattering abroad that which is healtnful. May
God speed the cylinders of an honest, intelligent,
aggressive, Christian printing PRESS have to
tell you this morning that believe that the
N0liOn has been that OF unclean journalism. 1t
has It's victims in all occupations and depart
| hog hall nod RI ulnpo
penltsntlaries. and almsnouses and dcDs OF
shame The bodies o. This injection Ss, n Lie in the
| ing tossed over into last eternity.
| AN AVALANCHE OF HORROR AND DESPAIR.
the LG ,t plague x was not nt 70 Iast
pest has already swallowed Its millions into the
charnel house Of the morally dead. Anthony Com
stock has done a glorious work against an In q.
NOUS literature Let the people al do him honor
Tney tried the other night to kill him IN Newark.
| II they had SLAIN bun IN MS battle against bad
literature. 1t would have klnded fire OF ndigna-
ton that all the waters OF the Hudson and
man has already literally gathered up whole tons
OF lniqutous literature and consigned 1t to tne
flames. But the longest raj! tram mat ever ran
and the putreiact.on which have gathered up IN
the pad books ana newspapers OF this land in tue
II is amid such circumstances that ! put to you
this morning o question OF Overmasterin9 i'm
portAnce TO you aud your famiies-that IS. what
books and newspapers shall We readf You see
group them together.
A NEWSPAPER rs ONLY BOOK,
IN swilter and more portable shape. and the
same rules which VIII Apply to book reading VIII
Snalt our minds be the receptacle Of every thing
that an author has mind to writer Shall there
be no distinction between the tree OF lie aud the
tree Of deatns Shall we stOop down and drink out
OF the trough which the wickeaness Of men ms
nea Win pOiutS os ana snameS snail we mre IN
across the sYamps when we might walk in the
blooming gardens OF God9 Oh no! For tie sake
n tin0 iforo yv0
make an intelligent and Christian choice. Stand.
Ing as we do chm deep in the fictitious literature,
OF our congregation are asking me Is
SHALL WE READ NOvELsr ~
l reply there are novels that are pure, good,
Christian, eleyating to the heart and enn0bing to
the life. But have Still further to say that be-
lieve ninety-nine out o the 100 novels OF the day
degree. pure wo,' fiction Is history and
poetry combined It Is history OF things around
poetry. The world can never pay the debt which
1t owes to sucn fiction writer's as Hawthorne
and Mckenzie, and kandon ana Hunt, and Arthur
and MRS. Holmes, and Marion Harand, and score
OF persons who's. names may occur TO you. The
roIlies oil high lie we're never better exposed
than by Miss Edgcwortn. The memories OF the
past were never more faithfully emoamed than IN
healthIuly redoenl with the breath OF the seaweed
and the air OF the American forest. Charles Kings
ley has smltten the mOrbidity OF the world and
led great many TO appreciate tue poetry OF sound
health, strong muscles and fresh air Thackeray
dld grand work In oarcaturing the pre- ,enders to
own monument I'D his books, which are an ever.
iastlng plea for The poor and the anathema OF In
justice Books like these, read at right times and
read In right proportions with other literature
cannot help but be ennobling and purifying; but,
alas lot the loaths0me and Impure literature that
mas come upon THIS country In the shape OF novels,
like II eshet overlooking all the banks OF decency
and common sense: Why, they are coming now
IRON some OF the most celebrated publish
ing houses IN the country. Tney are coming
with the recommendation OF some OF our iamily
newspapers, protested Christian newspapers.
mi
dren and blast with their Internal fires whole
generations unborn. Why you find these books
10 he desk Of the school miss, IN the trunk OF the
OF the holel reception room. You see light in
your chlld's room late at night. You suddenly go
IN and say, WHAT are you doingS" 81 am read
ing" what are you readlngs' "a book" You
LOOK at the book 1t Is q bad book. where did
you get itr' 81 borrowed it.n Alasl there are
always those abroad VINO Honld IKE to loan your
son OF daughter q bad book. Every wnere, every.
where, onc,esn literature. charge upon 1t