The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-12-12
THE THIRD WATCH.
THE GREAT METROPOLIS AFTER
MIDNIGHT.
4
Some awful SCenes-The AbOdes OF Want and
WOe-The City Full OF AbOmlnatlOn.

Side Of City Life" was delivered on Sunday last In
the Brooklyn Tabernacle, by the Rev, T, De witt
Talmage. He spoke as follow
sUBJECT-"THE THIRD W ,rcn Of THE NIGHT"
"And the darbne.s hrralpi night" Genesis T., s.
have spoken to you Of Brooklyn and New
York in the first and second watch Of the night. l
speak now Of the third-that is from twelve toll
three o'clock. l meet you coming down Off the
hotel steps, and say, "Where are you goDgT You
say, ~ am going with merchant of New York
who has promised tonight to chow me the under
ground life OF the city. 1 am his customer, and
he Is going to oblige me very much" Stop! A
business house that tries to get or keep your Gus
tom through such q process IS not worthy Of
you, There are business establishments in our
city which have for years been sending to eternal
destruction hundreds and thousands ofmerchants. !.
They have a secret drawer in the counter where
money is kept, and the clerk goes and gets 1t when
he wants to take these visitors to the city 10 the
low slums of the place. How many commercial
travellers have been ruined in these cities in this
way. I had friend tins swamped, But has
ten to speak of the third watch Of the night
The thunder of the city has rolleed from the air.
Slight sounds cut the night with distinctness
that excitesyour attention. You hear the tinkling
Of the bell of the street car in the ft distance the
bark Of the dog the stamp of the horse in the adj
joining street, the slamming Of saloon door the
hic.coughing o I the inebriate, and the shrek Of
the steam whistle FIVE miles away Solemn and
Stupendous is the third watch There are respec-
table men abroad The city missionary is going.
up that court to take a scuttle of coal to poor
family. The undertaken goes up the steps Of that
house, from which there comes bitter cry, as
though the destroying angel had smitten the first
born. The minister of Jesus passes along; he has
been giving the Sacrament to dying Christian.
The physician hastens past the excited messen-
ger, a few steps ahead impatient to reach the
threshold. Men who are forced to toll into the
midnight are Fastening to their pillows. But the
great multtudes are asleep. The lights are out
in the dwellings save here and there one. That
Is the light of the watcher, for the remedies must
be administered and the fever guarded, and rest
less tossing of the coveret resisted, and the Ice
kept upon the temples, and the perpetual prayer
offered by hearts to be broken, The street lamps,
standing in long line, reveal the silence and the
slumber of the town.
stupendous thought great city at rest ;
weary arms gathering strength for to.morrow's
TOLL hot brain getting cooled OFF; rigid muscles re-
laxing; excited nerves being BoOthed white locks
of the oetogenArian In their drifts across the pill
low fresh fall of flakes of snow already fallen ,
children with dimpled hands out over the pillow
with every breath inhaling new store Of fun and
frolic.
Let the great host sleep. A slumberle' eye will
watch them. Silent be the alarm bells and merci-
| full the elements. Let one great wave OF refresh.
ing slumber roll across the heart Of the great
town. submergng trouble and WEAKNESS and pain.
It is the third watch OF the night and time for tie
city to sleep. But be not deceived. There are
thousands of people In the great town who will
not sleep moment tonight. Go up that dark
court. Be careful or you will fall over the pros.
trate form OF a drunkard lying on his own door
step. Look about you or you will feel the CARROT
er's. Try to look In through that broken pane,
What do you see2 Nothing But listen WHAT'S
it2 God help u.s." No foOtllghts but tragedy
mightier, ghastler than RiStori or Booth ever act
ed No bread; no light no fire; no cover, They
shlver in darkness They have had no food to.
dsy. You say, "Why don't they beg" They did
beg but got nothing, You say Hand them over
to the slmshouse."
All they had rather die than go to the aims.
house. Have you never heard the bitter cry Of
man or OF child when told he must go to the aims.
house?
You say these are vicious poor, and have bro't
their own misfortune on themselves. So much
the more to be piHed. The Christian poor, God
help them Through their night there Wrinkles
the round merry star Of hope, and through the
l ,yt, Joyg Of ha
crystals Of heaven But the vicious are more to
be pitied. They have no hope, They are in hell
now. They have put out their last light. People
excuse themselves from charity by saying they
do not deserve TO be helped. II have ten pray,
ers for the innocent, shall have twenty for the
guilty, II ship be dashed upon the rocks, the
fisherman, in his hut upon the beach, will wrap
the warmest fannels around those who are the
most chilled and battered. The ViclOuspoor have
suffered two awful wrecks, the wreck OF the body
and the wreck Of the soul-a wreck for time and q
wreck for eternity
Go up that alley Open the door. It Is not lock
cd. They have nothing to lose. No burglar wod
want anything that Is there. There is only
broken chair against the door, Strike match
and look around you. Beastliness and rags. 4
shock Of hair hanging over the scared visage
Eyes glaring upon you. Offer no insult. Be care
ful what you say. Bee that red marx on the wall,
That is mark Of a murderers hand From the
corner q wild face starts out OF the straw and
moves toward you, Just as your light goes out
Strike another match. Here Is little babe. II
does not laugh 1t never will laugh A sea- flow.
er flung on an awfully barren beach. Oh, thai
the shepherd would fold that lRmbl Wrap yout
shawl about you, for the December wind sweeps
in. Strike another match The face OF the young
woman Is bruised and gabhed now, but q mother
d., ov,A A
full stare of the two eyes that seem looking up
from the bottom Of woe, Stand back! nohope has
dRWned on that soul for years. Hope never viii
dawn on 1t. Utter no scorn. The match has gone
out Light 1t not again, for 1t would seem to be a
mOckePy.
Pass out! Pass on Know that there are thou
sands Of such ab0des in our cities. An awful
gloomy and overwhelming picture is the city In
the third watch. After midnight the crime Of the
city does its chief work. AT eight and hall
O'Clock In the evening the criminals Of the city
are at leisure. They are most In the drinking sa,
looms Toward midnight they go to their gsrrets,
They gather their tools. Soon after the. third
watch they stalk forth silently looking out for the
police, through the alleys TO their appointed work.
This Is the burglar; and the dOOrloek will fly open
at the touch Of false keys That is an incendiary;
and before morning there will be light In the
sky and CRY Of "Fire frel" That Is an assassin F;
and lifelvss body will be found tomorrow ID
some Of the vacant lots. During all the day there
are hundreds OF villains TO be fOund lounging
about, part OF the time asleep, part OF the time
awake, but at twelve tonight they win rouse up
and their eyes will be keen, and their minds acute,
and their arms strong and their feet feet to fly or
pursue. Many Of them have been brought up to
the work. They were born IN thief'E garrett
Their childish play was burglars dark.lantern.
As long as they can remember they saw, toward
morning the mother binding up the fathers head,
wounded by Watchman's billy. They began By
picking boys pockets, and now they dig an un.
dersround passage to the cellar of the bank, or
| mill lon nTo ha M n uolh vau1t lnnu
as the children of the street are neglected there
will be no lack of desperadoes.
In the third watch Of the night the gambling
| houses are in full blast. What though the hours
Of the night are slipping away aud the wifesits
waiting In the Cheerless home Stir up the fire /
Bring on the drinksl Put up the slakesl A whole
! fortune may be made before morning SOME OF
| the firms that two years ago first put out
their sign OF co partnership have already
| founder, on tie gamblers table. The mon.
| ey drawer in many mercantile house VIII
| this year mysierOusy spring leak Gamilg Is a
porieuuCuS vice aud Is making great efforts 70 be-
come respectable. member Of Congress played