The New York herald., 1878-12-02
CLUB HOUSES.

THEIR LEGITIMACY DISCUSSED BY DIR. TALL
MAGE-soME GOOD ONES AND SOME VERY
BAD-THEIR INFLUENCE ON THE HOME CIR
Gle.
The Brooklyn Tabernacle very crowded yester-
day morning. the fine weather allowing many to
attend who had been absent the preceding sun
day. Mr.. Talmage's sermon was upon 'Club Houses.
and his text taken from ii. Samuel. H., 1"Let
the young men now arise and play before us.
That which is innocent said Mr.. Tamsge, may be
made destructive. There is legitimate and illesit-
mate of the club house. am chiefly to speak of
those club houses like the Union League. with its
1900 members and it's 500 initiation fee established
during the for patriotic purposes, and
now the headquarters Of republicanism; 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 s250O00 and membership Of nearly
eight nine hundred with its long roll Of merchant
princess like the Lotos Club and it's rival the Area
dian Club, where Journalists painters, sculptors
musicians. dramatists congregae to discuss pictures
newspapers, theatres and elaborate art; like the
Americus which in summer time camps ont, dim
pling the ponds with their hooks and making the
woods resound with the stag hunt; like the Century
Club famous for it's venerable group of lawyers and
poets; like the Army and Navy Club. where men
who have seen warlike service on land and sea
come to talk the days of carnage; like
the New York Yacht Club. with its floating
palaces of bewitching beauty. upholstered with vel
vet and panelled with ebony, and ablaze with mir
rors, and having all the advantage of electric bells
aud gaslight and kings pantry. one of their craft
having cost $4,000 another $4,000 and another
OOO the entire fleet Of the club worth than
$500 ,OO0 like the American Jockey Club, made up
of men who have y passion for fine horse, as Job
had when he in the scriptures picture Of that
king beasts-the arch of his neck the
his foot the majesty of his gait the whirlwind Of
his power like the Travellers Club. the Blossom
mercial Club the Liberal Club the Stable Gang Club
the Amateur Boat Club. gambling clubs. wine clubs.
clubs Of all sizes. clubs OF all morals clubs good
good be, clubs bad bad can be, clubs innumer
able.
MUST NOT DETRAcT FROM HOME.
A series of sermons the night side Of city life
would be incomplete without sketch Of the club
houses, for they are in full blast after dark. make
wide difference between club houses. l lay down
three principles by which you may decide between
the legitimate lllegitimate club house, whether
social literary artistic or political First you must
that does not interfere with your nome in
you have u home. know Of case in this church
where wife thought her husband WAS d-voting too
much time to religious duties and she systematically
decoyed him away until he is on the road
to destruction-his morals gone, his money
her influence over her husband when she
unreasonably objects to all evening absence
great multitude of men genial angels in the club
houses and ugly as sin at home. uaughter) There
thousands OF beautiful homes every year clubbed
to death. Great laughterJ When man says Il
will give three nights out OF six to the club" trem
BILE. When he spends five nights out OF six at the
club and at home, looking like March sQuall.
and wishing he had spent where he spent the other
Ave laughter), his obituary is written. Another test
by which you can decide whether club s Legitimate
illegtmatc is its eject upon your secular occupa
ton. The right kind Of club house introduce
one into commercial success. II 1t has advantaged
you in your honorable calling it is Legitimate club
house. But you and hear every day OF some COM
mercia house ruined by social Their club
house '.Lochearn" and their business house
a willie de Hayre." They struck and the willie de
Havre' went down.
MORAL DISCRIMINATION.
Again, distinguish between legitimate and illegti
mate club houses by your sense of moral and relig
ious responsibility. Anything that makes one reck-
less to his eternity is wrong. Any institution
which conftises to which road he should
choose is a bad institution. Whica would you
cards a Bible? l am going to make stout rope
out OF delicate threads take of all the memories
Of the marriage day thread OF laughter, thread Of
light, thread OF music, thread of banqueting.
and I have strand. Then take a thread OF
the of the first advent into your house.
hold, thread OF the darkness that pre-
ceded il and OF the light that followed 1t, and
when 1t bounded out at eventide to greet you,
and thread of the beautiful dress in which you laid
her away for the resurrection Then twist all these
threads together and have another strand. Then
take a thread OF the scarlet robe of the suffering
Christ and thread of the white raiment of your
loved before the Throne, and string OF the
harp cherubic and string of the harp seraphic
twist them together and have third strand Then
will take the three strands and twist them together
and end of that rope will throw round the
of pardoning, sympathzing Christ: and having
Lay hold Of it! Pull for your lite! Pull for heaven