Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-10-23
SENSATIONAL TALMAGE.
Rev. Dewitt TaImage Opens His Bat
teries On the New York SIums---The
First of the BagniO DiscOurses
New York Specjai. 13th

a visit to the haunts of sin in this CITY.
the other night. The nature of the ser
mon had been advertised, and the
Tabernacle was never before so suffocat.
lngiy packed, and thousands were
turned from the doors. He took for
his text these words from the eighth
chapter ofEzekiel: "Then said He I'M
to me, son of man, dig into the wall;
and when [ had digged into the wall be-
hold door; and He said, Go in and see
the wicked denominations that are done
here; SO | went in and saw ali manner
of corrupt things and abominable
beasts" g AS minister of religion"
SAID he " I felt that [ had a divine com
mission to explore the inquities Of our
cities. / didn't ask the counsel of the
session, or the presbytery, Or the news
papers. | simply obtained the services
of three prominent police officials and
two of the elders of my church, and I'M
rolled my commission. 1t said, Son of
man, dig into the WALL" and when / had
digged into the wall, behold" Mr..
Talmage struck an attitude of horror,
holding his hands palms outward and
far away from his face, and all his con-
gregation applauded. After depicting
the guileless influence under which his
early life had passed, he continued: 81
went as an officer of the Lord. Do YOU
think that people will be apt to 90 to
the places | report? [ have been
among dead mems bones and rottenn ess.
Will anybody desire togo? | shall not
put the faintest blush on the purest
cheek, but | will kindle the cheeks of
many a man, into conflagatiOn and
make them Jingle. Brt,' you say,
don't you know the papers are critis-
ing you for the position you take ?" I
reply yes, | know it; and do you want
to know how feel about it? No man
is more indebted to the newspapers
than [ am. | am here to preach the
truth and they help. The press of the
world give me each week three hun
dred thousand souls for an audience.
Am not Indebted to the press? 1t is
debt / can never pay. SO slash away,
gentlemen the more the merrier.
If there is anything l despise it
is a dull time. Give m
love to the editors of the secular
newspapers. Brisk criticism is like
coarse, crash towel with which it is well
for every public man to be rubbed
down. 1t prevents him from catching
cold. 1t was 10 o'clock of star-lit
night when the carriage rolled down
into the places where gambling and
crime and death hold carnival AS the
horses halted and we went in | entered
a world as far removed from which I
had inhabited as is Mercury There
| Of,
laughter. AS | moved through this
place [ said, it is Dantes Inferno. There
were not many signs of death, but the
dead were there. Mortal corpses were
in the corridors. Corpses were in the
stairway. COrpses in the garden.
Lepers met lepers, and no bandaged
mouth kept back their breath. / am
here to report; and first [ have to re-
port that the tales Of Arabian glories,
Of splendid sumptuous scenes where sin
holds sway are false. had heard that
the furniture in these gllded palaces of
sin was rich unto the richness of the
throne in the Tuilerites; that master
pieces of painting hung upon carven
walls; that ravishing music assaulted the
ear. It's lie, there wasn't a painting
worth five dollars. They were mere
daubs-a cross between a chrome and
splash of poor paint. The upholstery
it had two characteristics, redness and
lures squawking discord with cracked
voices to tuneless pianos. Yes; there
were tinsel and gewgaws; but riches,
art, beauties, no. However great the
pretense, sin is always poor. She can
not keep, mirrors, divans, and grand
pianos. Young man, you are a stark
fool if you go to places of sin to see the
pictures Or to hear the music Listen
to Thomas or DodsWorth and you will
hear more music in five minutes than
you will find in the devils haunts in a
year" Mr.. Talmage's discourse was
the first of a series which he will deliver
on his nights experience. He treated
the subject generally, without particu-
larizing the result of his researches
further than is mentioned above. Parts
of his discourse were very affecting, and
half the audience was sobbing. Il
must delay" he said, "until next Sun
day the unrolling of the scroll which
this morning l have simply laid on the
toble. | shall come from generalities to
speclhcs. Next too, shall take pains
to answer the question. Why do the
municipal authorities allow these
haupts ofinquity to exist? shall show
the obstacle in the way of closing them,
and | shall speak a word in honest
praise of the detective force of Brook
Ign, who are doing a work that is
simply magnificent. Sirs, before I get
through with this course of Sunday SER
mons [ will, by the grace of God, save
ten thousand of my fellow-men, and in
the execution of this mission / defy all
earth and hell" Mr.. Talmage received
a perfect ovation Of applause and sat
down painting hard and looking very
red in the face. ="
The First Playing of Whist.
The origin and date of the first play
ing of whist have of late been much
discussed, particularly in England,
where the game receives q degree of
attention and study well-nigh