The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1878-12-10
New York Herald, I'd inst. |
CLUB HOUSES.

New York Herald, I'd inst
CLUB HOUSES.
Their Legitimacy Discussed by DIR.
Talma ge--SOme Good Ones and
Some Very Bad--Their Infd-
ence OH the Home Circle.
The Brooklyn Tabernacle was very
crowded yesterday morning, the fine
weather allowing many to attend who
had been absent on the preceding Sun
day Mr.. Talmage's sermon was upon
"Club Houses" AM his text was taken
from ii Samuel, il l--"Lst the young
men now arise and play before us"
That which is innocent, said Mr.. Tai
mage, may he made destructive There
is legitimate and illegitimate use of the
club house. l am chiefly to speak of
those club houses like the Union League,
with its 1900 members and its 800 ini-
tiation fee. established during the war
for patriotic purposes, and now the
headquarters of repuhlicanism; like the
Manhattan Club, with 400 members, the
headquarters of the democracy like the
Union Club, established in 1886, when
New York had only little over three
hundred thousand inhabitants, its head
quarters costing S250,0O0 and men,
bership of nearly eight or nine hundred.
With its long roll of merchant princes /;
like the Lntos Club and its rival, the
Arcadian Club, where journalists, pain
ters, sculptors, musicians, dramatists
congregate to discuss pictures, newspa-
pers, theatres and elaborate art like the
Americus, which in summer time camps
out, dimpling the ponds with their hooks
and making the woods resound with the
stag hunt; like the Century Club, famous
for its venerable group of lawyers and
poets; like the Army and Navy Club,
where men who have seen warlke ser.
vice on land and sea come to talk over
the days OF carnage; like the New York
Yacht Club, with its floating palaces of
hewltching beauty, upholstered with vel
vet and panelled with ebony, and ablaze
with mirrors. and having all the advan.
tage of electric bells and gaslight, and a
kings pantry, one of their craft having
cost $15 600, another $4,000 and an
other $4,000, the entire feet Of the
club worth more than 100000; like
the American Jockey Club. made up of
men who have passion for fine horse,
as Job had when he gave in the Scrip
lures picture of that king of beasts
the arch of his neck, the nervousness Of
his foot, the majesty of his gait, the
whirlwind of his power; like the Trav-
elers' Club, the Blossom Club, the Pallet
te Club, the Woman's Club, the Com
mercial Club, the Liberal Club, the Sta.
BILE Gang Club, the Amateur Boat Club,
gambling clubs, wine clubs, clubs of all
sizes, clubs of all morals, clubs good as
good can be, clubs bad as bad can be,
clubs innumerable.
MUST NOT DErRACr FROM HOME.
A series of sermons on the night side
of city life would be incomplete without
sketch OF the club houses. for they are
in full blast after dark. / make q wide
difference between club houses. l lay
down three principles by which you may
decide between the legitimate or illegiti-
mate club house. whether social, literary,
artistic or political First you must see
that it does not interfere With your home,
in case you have home. l know Of q
case in this church where wife thought
her husband was devoting too much time
to religious duties, and she Systematically
decoyed him away until now he is on the
road to destruction-his morals gone,
his money gone and, I fear, his soul gone
A wife loses her influence over her hus-
band when she unreasonably objects to
all evening ahseuce as an assault on do
mesticity. There are great multitude
OF men genial as angels in the club
houses who are. ugly as sim at home
{ Laughter. There are thousands of beau
iiful homes every year clubbed to death.
itGreat laughter When man says 81
will give three nights out of six to the
club" II trembIe. When he spends five
nights out of six at the club and one at
home, looking like a March squall, and
wishing he had spent it where he spent
the other FIVE (laughter), J, his obituary is
written Another test by which you can
decide whether club is legitimate ol
illegitimate is its effect upon your secu
lar occupation. The right kind of {
club house can introduce one into com
mercial success. If it has advantageG
you 10 your honorable calling it is {
legitimate club house. But you and
hear every day Of some commercial
house ruined by social excesses. Thei
club house was "Lochearn" and thei
business house a"VUle de Havre.
They struck and the "Ville de Havre'
went down.
A MORAL DISCRIMINATION.
Again distinguish between Legitimate
and illegitimate club houses by you
sense of moral and religious responsi
bility. Anything that makes one teck
less as to his eternity is wrong. An.
institution which confuses one as tt
which road he should choose is bad in
stitution. Which would you rather hav,
in your hand when you die-a pack o
cards or Bible2 l am going to make ,
stout rope out of delicate threads.
take OF all the memories OF the marriag
day thread OF laughter, a thread o
light, thread OF music, thread Q
banqueting, thread Of congratulation
and I twist them together and ] have on
strand. Then l take thread of the wo
of the first advent into your household,
thread of the darkness that preceded
and of the light that followed it, and
thread of the beautiful scarf that littl
child used to wear when it bounded ou
at the eventide to greet you, and threa
OF the beautiful dress in which you lai
her awav for the resurrection. Then
twist all these threads together and hav
another strand. Then take thread Q
the scarlet robe of the suffering Chris
and thread of the white raiment G
your loved ones before the Throne, and
string of the harp cheruhic and strin
of the harp seraphic. ] twist them to
, gether and 1 have third strand. The
/ will take the three strands and twis
them together, and one end of that rol
l will throw around the cross of pa
tdoning. sympathizing Christ; and ha1
+ ing fastened it to the cross, thro
the other end to you. Lay hold OF il