Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-01-20
THE CHURCH AND THE TAVERN.
The Feet of tho Wicked sSsand' in Slip
perry Places.

The Feet of tho Wicked "s,and" in slip.
perry Places.
Anyone who has had occasion to be
upon our streets during the present winter
and, for the matter of that, during any
preceding winter-cannot but have OBJ
served with what care the keepers Of
saloons and tayerns clear the snow from the
pavements in front of their places OF
business, whenever it is possible for them
to do SO and, when the pavements are
covered with sleet or ice, with what expe-
dition they strcw ashes or saw dust over
them to prevent passers-by (and passers-
in) from falling.
And anyone who has been much upon the
streets must have observed that the side
walks in front of nearly all the churches
OF this city are in winter almost constant
ly cIogeed with snow, or ice, or sleet, and
not the slightest effort made to remove
them. 1t may be set down as an axiom,
in temporal sense at least, that the
safest place to 90 to is the tdrern; the
most dangerous place the church. The
most considerate friends we have arc the
tavern keepers ;. our worst enemies, the
sections, vestrymen, church wardens, &C.,
The former do all they can to save our lives
and limbs the latter do nothing. These
facts being admitted, is it any wonder the
taverns thrive and the churches languish :?
What sensible man will run tho risk Of
breaking his leg or his neck in going to
church, when he can avoid the danger by
going to a tavern-especially as the tavern
is cosy aud comfortable, and the church
cold and cheerlcss. The crop of broken
limbs thus far reported is: at the church
door, 4 4; at the tavern door, o.
Spiritually (as also spirituously) consid-
cred, the tavern appears to have the better
of the church. Ii, for instance, sinner,
intending to 20 to church, fall on
the icy pavement thereof, and break
his neck, he is irredeemably lost !!
Ii he tarry at the tavern until
the ice melts, he may afterwards repent
and be saved before the 9TH of July. Thus
the tavern. keeper. perhaps unconsciously,
becomes an agent of Providence for the
salvation Of souls, while the church off,
Ger, who wrestles too much with prayer
and not enough with the ash-bucket, is
uncOnscipusly working in behalf of the
Opposition" The tavcrn-keeper knows
very well that it is only sometimes the
wicked stand on slippery places 7" and that
it is much easier for him to stand on places
that are not slippery hence his faith in
ISncS anu sdW-uuSC, anu HIS WOTkS uO hui.
low him. Behold the tavsrn-keepcr, ye
church officers, and learn of him. If
you cannot make religious worship suffi-
ciently attractive to dlaw worldliDgs
into the fold, do not compel them to
PASS by on the other side" by main-
tanning icy man traps in front of your
church doors, dangerous alike to saints
and sinners. Clothe yourselves in sack
cloth and ashes, by the bucke.full. Scat
ter seeds of kindness, - in the form Of saw
dust, all along the narrow paths leading
to your sanctuaries, and ye shall receive
blessings instead of cursings, praises in
stead of revilinss, and be regarded as ben
efactors and not malefactors, saints and
not hypocritcs.
AS charity is said to begin at home, it
will not be at all amiss if the brethren
sprinkle their own pavements as we'll as
the church pavements. Thus far many
Of them have neglected this important
duty.