St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-03-13
TALMAGE,S SERMON.
Eighth Sermon Of the Series on the
Marriage Ring.
Hotel and Boarding House VS.. Home Life
The True Realization of the Family
Relation Impossible Except
Under the Home Roof.

In his seventh discourse of the Marriage
Ring'' series, Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage
drew strong picture of contrasts between
Che hotel and boarding house life, now
getting so common, and that of life under
the home roof The text was:
And brought him to an inn, and took care
of him. And on the morrow, when he de-
parted. he took out two pence and gave
them to the host, and said unto him. cake
care of him, and whatsoever thou spendest
more, when come again will repay thee"
Luke x, 81 and IS.
This is the good Samaritan paying the
hotel bill of man who had been robbed
and almost killed by bandits. The good
Samaritan had found the unfortunate on a
lonely, rocky road, where to this very day
depredations are sometimes committed
upon travellers, and had put the injured
man into the saddle, while this merciful
and well to- do man had walked till they
got to tee hotel and the wounded man was
put to bed and cared for. 1t must have
been a very superior hotel in It's accommo-
<iations, for, though in the country, the
landlord was paid at the rate: of what in
our country would be four or five dollars
day, penny being then days wages,
and the two pennies paid in:this case about
two days wages. Moreover, it was one of
those kind hearted landlords who are
wrapped up in the happiness of their
guests, because the good Samaritan leaves
the poor wounded fellow to his entire care,
promising that when he: came that way
again he would pay all the bills until the
invalid got well.
Hotels and boarding-housesa are necessi-
ties. In very ancient times they were un-
known, because the world had compare
aiyely few inhabitants, who were not
much given to travel, and private hospi-
tality met all the wants of sojourners; as
when Abraham rushed out at Mamre to
Invite the three men to sit down to a din
ner of veal; as when Lydia urged the
apostles to accept Of her home; as when
the people were positively commanded to
The given to hospitality; as in many of the
places in the East these ancient customs
are practiced to-day. But we have now
hotels presided over by good landlords,
and boarding houses presided over by ex-
cellent host or hostess, in all neighbor-
hoods, villages and cities, and it is our
,congratulation that those, of our land sur
pass all other lands. They rightly be-
come the permanent residences OF many
people, such as those wno are without
families, such as those whose business
keeps them migratory, such as those who
ought not, for various reasons of health or
popularity of circumstances, take upon
themselves the cares of housekeeping.
There never has been time when so
many families, healthy and abundantly
able to support and direct homes of
their own, have struck tent and taken
permanent abode in these public estab-
lishments. 1t is an evil wide as Chris
tendon, and by voice and through the
newspaper press | utter warning and
burning protest, and ask Almighty God
to bless the word, whether in the hearing
or reading.
In these public caravansaries the de-
mon Of gossip is apt to get full sway.
All the boarders run daily the gantlet
of general inspection = how they look
and when they get in at night, and what
they do for a living, and who they re-
sceive as guests in their rooms, and what
they wear and what they do no. wear, and
how they eat and what,they eat, and how
much they eat and how little they eat.
If man proposes in such place to be
isolated and reticent and alone, they
will begin to guess about him. Who is
he? Where. did he come from? How
long is he going sto stay?. Has he paid
his boards How much does he pay? Per-
haps he has committed some crime, and
does not want to be known; there must
be something wrong about him or he
would speak.
The simple fact is, that he is nobody in
particular. but minds his own business.
the hes. landlords and landladies can not
sometimes hinder their places from be-
coming a ;,andemouium Of whispers, and
regulations are torn to tatters, and evil
suspicious are aroused and scandals start
cd, and the parliament of the family is
blown to atoms by some Guy Fawkes who
was not caught in time, as was his En-
glish predecessor of gun-powdery reputa-
ton.
The reason is, that while in private
homes families have SO much to keep them
busy, in these promiscuous and multi
tudinous residences there are 80 many who
have nothing to do, and that always makes
mischief. They gather in each others
rooms and spend hours in consultation
about others. If they had to walk hall
mile before they got to the willing ear Of
some listener to detraction, they would gel
out of breath before reaching there, and no
feel in full glow Of animosity or SANDER
or might, because of the distance, not go al
all. But rooms 20, 81, %, Is, "a and % are
on the same corridor, and when one car.
rion crow goes scaw! cawp all the othel
hear it and flock together over the sam'
carcass.