Connecticut western news., 1889-08-14
TABERNACLE PULPIT.
DRUNKENNESS THE NATIONS
 CURSE.o
Dr. Talmage's Discourse, Sunday,
 August II.

O1' A6lmdSoS DlSCOuISe, Suuuay,
 August II.
 The Rev. T. De Witt Talmage, D. D.. preached at Helena, Mont. to a vast congre- gatiOn. Taking his text, "Who slew all theseg" III Kings x. 10, he preached a power ful discourse on "Drunkeness the Nations Curse" He said:
 I see long row of baskets coming up to- ward the palace of King Jehu. I am some what inquisitive to find out what is in the baskets. 1 look in and find the gory heads of seventy slain princes. As the baskets ar rive at the gate of the palace, the heads are thrown into two heaps, one on either side the gate. In the morning the king comes out, and he looks upon the bleeding, ghastly heads of the massacred princes. Looking on either side the gate, he cries out, with ring ing emphasis, "Who slew all theseg"
 We have, my friends, lived to see more fearful massacre. There is no use in my taking your time in trying to give you statls- tics about the devastation and ruin and the death which strong drink has wrought in this country. Statistics do not seem to mean anything. We are so hardened under these statistics that the fact that fifty thousand more men are slain, seems to make no posi- tive impression on the public mind. Suffice it to say, that intemperanee has slain an in- numerable company of prinees-the children of Gods royal family; and at the gate of every neighborhoOd there are two heaps of the slain; and at the door of the household there two heaps of the slain; and at the door of the legislative hall there are two heaps of the slain; and at the door of the university thererrs- two heaps of the slain; and at the door of this nation rncfs are two heaps of the slain. When look upon the desolation, I am almost frantic with the scene, while cry out, ''Who slew all theSey I can answer the question in half a minute. The ministers of Christ who have given no warning, the courts of law that have offered the licensure, the women who give strong drink on New Years day, the fathers and mothers who have rum on the sideboarG, the hundreds of thousands of Christian men and women in the land who are stolid in their indifference on this subject-they slew all these.
 Ipropose in this discourse to tell you what I think are the sorrows and the doom of the drunkard, so that you to whom speak may not come to the torment.
 Some one says: ''You had better let those subjects alone" Why, my brethren, we would be glad to let them alone if they would let us alone; but when I have in my pocket now four requests saying, "Pray for my hus- band, pray for my son, pray for my brother, pray for my fsiend, who is the captive of strong drink" 1 reply, we are ready to let that question alone when it is willing to let us alone; but when it stands blocking up the way to heaven, and keeping multitudes away from Christ and heaven, I dare not be silent lest the Lord require their blood at my hands.
 think the subject has been kept back very much by the merriment people make over those slain by strong drink. used to be very merry over these things, having a keen sense of the ludicrous. There was something very grotesque in the gait of drunkard. It is not so now: for I saw in one of the streets of Philadelphia sight that changed the whole subject to me. There was young man be- ing led home. He was very much ihtoxicat- ed-he was raving with iatoxieation. Two young men were leading him along. The boys booted in the street, men laughed, wo- men sneered; but happened to be very near the door where he went int was the door of bis fathers house. saw him go up stairs. heard him shouting, hooting and blasphem- ing. He had lost his hat, and the mecfimeut increased with the mob until he came up To the door, and as the door was opened his mother came out. Wben heard her cry that took all the comedy away from the scene. Since that time when see a man waln.;hg through the street, reeling, the comedy is all gone, and it is comedy of tears and groans and heartbreaks. Never make any fun around me about the grotesqueness of drunkard. Alas for his home.
 The first suffering of the drunkard is in the loss of his good name. God has so arranged it that no man ever loses his good name ex- cept through his own act. All the hatred of men and all the assaults of devils cannot de stroy mans good name, if he really main- tains his integrity. If man is industrious
 
 Although he may be bombarded for twenty or thirty years, his integrity is never lost and his good name is never sacrificed. No force on earth or in hell can capture such Gi5ral tar. But when it is said of a man, ''He drinks" and it can be proved, then what em- ployer wants him for workman? what store wants him for clerk? what church wants him for member? who will trust him l? what dying man would appoint him his exc cutor? He may have been forty years in building up his reputation-it goes down. Letters of recommendation, the backing up or business firms, a brilliant ancestry cannot save him. The world shies of. Why? It is whispered all through the community. 'sHe drinks, he drinks" That blasts him. When man loses his reputation for sobriety he There are men here who have their good name as their only capital. You are now achieving your own livelihood, under God, by your own right arm. Now look out that there is no doubt of your sob-iety. Do not create any suspicion by going in and out of immoral places, or by any odor of your breath, or by any glare of your eye, or by any unnatural flush of your cheek You cannot afford to do it, for your good name is your only capital, and when that is blasted with the reputation of taking strong drink, all is gone.
 Another loss which the iuebriate suffers is that Of self respect. Just as soon as a man wakes up and finds that he is the captive of strong drink he feels demeaned. I do not care how reckless he acts. He may say, 'sI don't care::" he does care. He cannot look a pure man in the eye, unless it is with posi- tive force of resolution. Three-fOurths ot his nature is destroyed; his self-respect gone he says things he would not otherwise say be does things he would not otherwise do When man is nine-tenths gone with strong drink, the first thing he wants to do is to you that as he ssm stop time he tines have bound him hand and foot and shorn his locks and put out his eyes, and are making him grind in the mill of great horror. He cannot stop. ] will prove it. He knows that his course is bringing disgrace and ruin upon himself He loves himself. If he could stop he would He knows his course is bringing ruin upon his family. He loves them. He would stoI if he could. He cannot. Perhaps he could three months or a year ago; not now. Just ask him to stop for month. He cannot; ht knows he cannot. so he does not try. I had 8 friend who for fifteen years was going down under this evil habit. He had large means He had given thousands of dollars to Eible societies and reformatory institutions of al sorts. He was very genial and very eener ous and very lova6le, and whenever ht talked about this evil habit he would say, ssl can stop any time." But he kept going on going on, dowD. down, down. His family would say, '.I wish you would stop.'
 w ny, he WOuN reply, 'I can stop any time if I want to-" Alter while he had deliTium tremeDs; he had it twice; and yet after that he said, "I could stop a.,y time il wanted to- He is dead now. What kill ed him? Rum! Rum, And yet among his last utteranees was. "I can stop at any time.' He did not stop it, because he could not stop it. Oa, there is a point in inebriaiion beyond which, if man goes, he cannot stop?
 One of these victims said to a Christian man, '.Sir, if I were told that couldn't gel 8 drink until tomorrow night unless haG all my fingers cut of, would say. Bring tho hatcbet and cut them off now.'n | have : dear friend in Philadelphia, whose nephew came to him one day. and when he was ex