Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-11-15
TERRIBLE TALMAGE
His Last Sensational Sermon In Brook
Iyn---SlH and Misery 10 the
Metropolis.

90 = cNAOlAAAnA ~ hNAhnf GAANAAAh0 ~
eyes, and a general sensation in the
Tabernacle yesterday morning, as the
famous pastor, Rev. Il. Dewitt Tai
mage, half buried beneath a heavy
beaver overcoat, with crumpled up
felt hatinh his hand, and a semi-solemn,
semi delighted expression upon his
countenance, fought his way through
the throng Of humanity that was
struggling for admission. There were
1000 people in attendance, and over
1000 were disappointed at not being
able to obtain entrance.
At half-past ten o'clock the three
stars were in their places-Talmage
on the stage, Morgan at the organ and
Arbuckle with his silver cornet ready
to lead the singing. After the usual
preliminary services Mr.. Talmage adj
yanced to the front of the platform,
and striking m attitude, announced,
in a stentorian voice, as his text,
" Proverbs, K, 10: The destruction
Of the poor in their poverty, Then
he paused, glanced admiringly down
at the group of reperters, and repeated
it. Then, drawing a long breath, he
"On an island nine miles long by
two and u half wide, stands the largest
city of this continent; a city, the
mightiest for virtue and for vice. Be
fore | get through with this series of
Sabbath morning discourses | shall
show you the mid-noon of its magni6-
cent progress, and the philanthropy as
we'll as the midnight of its crime and
sin. Twice in every twenty-four hours
our City Hall and Old Trinity clocks
strike. Once while business and art
are in full blast, and once while mi
guilty is doing its uttermost. Both
stories must be told. 1t is pleasanter
to put on a plaster thar to thrust in a
probe, but it is absurd to propose
remedies for a disease until we have
taken a diagnosis Of the disease. The
patient may squirm, cringe, fight
back and resist, but the surgeon
must 90 on. Before l get through
this series of sermons, | shall
make you all smile at the beauti-
full things | viii say; proud things
about the character and magnifcence
Of this cluster Of cities, but my work
is now excavation and exposure, |
have as much amusement as any man
of my profession can afford to indulge
in at any one time, in seeing some of
the clerical reformcrs Of this day
mount their war chargers, as the
knights Of the stage did in their spurs,
and with glittering lance dash down
upon the iniquities Of the cities that
have been three or four thousand
years dead. Laughter These men
will capture an old tin sword of TWEEN
ty or thirty centuries ago, and scalp its
owner and hang him, and cut him to
pieces, and then say 'Ah What
great things have been done With
great proves they throw sulphur al
| Sodom and worms at Herod, and pitch
another over the wall, but they whil
of their gold s~pectacles, and put OF
kid gloves and unroll their morocco
covered sermons, and look bashful
when they begin to speak about tn,
sins Of our cities, as though it were
sin to mention them"
Talmage by this time had 90
warmed up to his subject, and with
leap and a bound he yelled, "0h
I've ~hypocrites, that are afraid Of The
libertines and the men who drink to-
much in your churches, and those witt
grind the faces Of the poor. Better, ]
say, clear out all our audiences, from
the pulpit to the storm door, until NJ
one is left but the sexton, who only
remains to lock up, than to have tn.
pulpit afraid of the pew. The cite
standing on the ground are to be re
formed"
Talmage paused for breath and the
continued with the city missionar
and police, | have seer things | hav
not said. The night side ofNew Yorl
life is darker than any other; no gilt
tering chandeliers, no blazing mirror
adorn it; it is a long, deep, exhaustiy
night of city pauperism. We won
want a carriage tonight, said the dc
tectiYe it will hinder us a c~arriag
going along the street would only dry
the people out to see what is the maj
ter, So we went on foot 10 the haunt
, of poverty, AndiHgs midnight of Grim
and %pauperism. The atmosphere wa
J surcharged with mal-odor the stail
we're oozing with filth the inmates
the places wefe nine-teuths Of the iouI
ney to their final doom. They starte
in some unhappy home, but when the
move from their present abode they (
! to Bslloygs IIlspitsl, and from tRel
? TO BlackwelTs Island. They wi
move from that to the potter's feel
!, and when they move from that th(
: will move into hell,
I. Nov, let the police got ahead. III,
fash their light and fourteen porsoI
are seen trying to sleep in one rooi
many Of tliom with nothing und.
\ them and nothing oyer them. The
are 10000 families in New York CT
living in tenement houses, and multi
I tudes Of these re1ple are dying
!, inches. In the Fourth ward 10
!. people are living within q space
y thirty acres. There will be no regc
~ NATION foe these cities until the tc
II ement houses are broken up. III
cluster of cities have morn d~ificulti
y than any other city in all the Ian
H., You must understand that within (
\, lssl tsGl,y s,shs yasla s,vO0,0OO
70 foreign population have arrived. I
y capitalist went West many staid he
n and have become our best citizens a
:" church members, but many were
/. giants. ~ had enough ya&bQn
u befor this importation Of sin at Gas
! Garden.
~ Mr. ralmago thon roforred 20 pow
'Nll - " -s1 Ill 80. III E,aIfnFl