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 was very crowded yester-
day morning. the fine weather allowing many TO
attend who had been absent on the preceding sun
day. Mr. Talmages sermon 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.. Talmsge, may be
made destructive There is legitimate and illegti-
mate of the club house. 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 1885, when New York had only little
over three hundred thousand inhabitants its head
quarters costing s250O0O and membership Of nearly
eight nine hundred with its long roll of merchant
princes; like the Loos Club and its rival. the Area
dian Club, where journalists, painters, sculptors,
musicians dramatsts congregate 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
poets; like the Army and Navy Club. where
who have warlike service on land and
come to talk over the days of carnage; like
the New York Yacht Club with its floating
palaces of bewtching beauty, upholstered with vel
vet and panelled with ebony, and ablaze with mir
and having all the advantage of electric bells
aud gaslight, and kings pantry. of their craft
having cost $4,000, another 10000 and another
sos 0O0 the entire fleet of the club worth than
S2,0O)O0o; like the American Jockey Club, made up
of men who have passion for a fine horse, as Job
had when he gave in the Scriptures picture of that
king of beaststhe arch of his neck the nervousness
OF his foot. the majesty Of his gait the whrlwind Of
his power; like the Travellers Club, the Blossom
Club, the Palette Club, the Womans Club, the Com
mercial Club. the Liberal Club the Stabe-Gang Club,
the Amateur Boat Club gambling clubs, wine clubs,
clubs OF all sizes, clubs all morals clubs good
good can be, clubs bad bad can be, clubs innumer
able.
MUST DETRAcr FROM HOME.
series OF sermons on the night side Of city life
would be incomplete without sketch Of the club
houses for they 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 illegitimate club house. whether
social literary. artistic political First you must
that 1t does not interfere with your nome in
you have home. know Of case i'll this church
where a wife thought her husband was devoting too
much time to religious duties and she systematically
decoyed him away until he is the road
to destruction-his morals gone, his money
gone and l fear, his soul gone. wife loses
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 rs sin at home. u.aughter There
thousands OF beautiful homes every year clubbed
to death. Great laughter.) When a man says Il
will give three nights out OF six to the club, trem
ble When he spends hve nights out of six at the
club and one at home, looking like March squall.
and wishing he had spent it where he spent the other
Ave laughter his obituary is written. Another test
by which you can decide whether club s Legitimate
llegtimatc is it's effect upon your secular occupa
ton. The right kind of . club house introduce
you in your honorable calling it is legitimate club
house. But you and / hear every day OF some COM
mercial house ruined by social Their club
house "Lochearn and their business house
a willie de Havre" They struck and the willie dc
Havre'' went down.
A MORAL DETERMINATIONS
Again, distinguish between legitimate and illegiti-
mate club houses by your sense Of moral and rclig-
ious responsibility. Anything that makes reck-
less to his eternity Is wrong. Any institution
which cOnfuses one as to which road he should
rather have in your hand when you die-a pack OF
cards or Bible? 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. q
thread of congratuation, and twist them together
and have strand Then / take thread of
the woe Of the first advent into your house
hold, thread of the darkness that pre-
ceded il and OF the light that followed it, and
thread of the beautiful scarf that little child used to
wear when it bounded out at eventde to greet yon,
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 l
take a thread OF the scarlet robe of the suffering
Christ and thread of the white rament of your
loved ones before the Throne and y string OF the
harp cherubic and string of the harp seraphic. l
twist them together and have third strand. Then
will take the three strands and twist them together.
and one end OF that rope will throw round the
of pardoning, sympathizing Christ; and having
fastened ii to the cross throw the other end to you
Lay hold Of it, Pull for your lite! Pull for heaven!