The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-07-28
CURSE OF INTEMPERANCE
TALMAGE PICTURES IT AS A
BLOODY MONSTER.

Appalling Tragedies Which the Re
morseless Demon Has Perpetrated
Painted In Vivid Colors-Drunkens
ness IN Touch with Everything That
8is Aphorrenr and Degrading.
BROOKLYN, July 27.-Dr. Talmags's SER
mon to-day is devoted to the curse Of in
temperance With the hand of a master he
draws in vivid colors the appalling trag-
edies which this remorseless demon has
perpetTated. His text is Genesis xxxvii, 80:
sit is my sons coat; an evil beast hath
de voured him.
Joseph's brethren dipped their brothers.
coat in goats blood, and then brought the
dabbled garment to their father, cheating
him with the idea that ferocious animal
had slain him, and thus hiding their infa-
nous behavior. But there is no deception
about that which we hold up to your obse--
walton to-day. A monster such as never
ranged African thicket or Hindostan Jungle
hath tracked this land, and with bloody
NAV hath strewn the continent with
generati ms; and there are tens Of
thousands of fathers and mothers
who could hold up the garment of their
slain boy. trrthfuly exclaiming: "It is my
sons coat; an evil beast hath devoured
him." There has, In all ages and climes,i
been tendency 20 the improper use of
stimulauts. Moan, as if disguised with the
prevalence of water in his time, took to
strong drink. By this vice, Alexander the
Conqueror was conquered. The Romans, at
their feasts. fell off their seats with intoxi-
cation. Four hundred millions of our race
are opium eaters. India, Turkey and China
have groaned with the desolation; and by it
have been quenched such lights as Haley
and De Quincy, One hundred millions are
M hafalnnf w
has specially blasted the East Indies. Three
hundred millions chew hashish, and Persia.
Brazil and Africa suffer the delirium. The
Tartars employ murowa; the Mexicans, the
agave; the people ht Guarapo, an intoxica-
ting quality taken from sugar cane; while q
great multitude that no man can number,
are the disciples of alcohol. To it they bow.
Under it they are trampled. In its trenches
they fall. On its CHASTITY holocaust they
burn. Could the muster roll of this great
army be called, ana they could come up
from the dead, what eye could endure the
reeking, fostering purtrefaction and beast
liness9 What heart could endure the groaa
Of agony9
Drunkeness: Does it not jingle the burg
lars keyq Does il not whet the assassin's
knifel Does IL not cock the highwayman's
pistol2 Does it not wave the incendiary's
torchs Has it not sent the physician reel
ing into the sick room; and the minister
Win nus tongue UulCk luVO buo pulplLf DlQ
not an exquisite poet, from the very top Of
mis- fame, fall a gibbering sot into the
gutter, on his way to be married to one Of
the fairest daughters of New England, and
at the very hour the bride was decking her
self for the altar; and did he not die OF de-
lirium tremens, almost unattended, in a
hospitals Tamerlane asked for one hundred
and sixty Thousand skulls with which to
build pyramid to his own honor. He got
the skulls, and built the pyramid. But IL
the bones Of all those who have fallen as a
prey to dissipation could be piled up, it
would make vaster pyramid
Who will gird himself for the journey,
and try with me to scale this mountain OF
the dead--going up miles high on human
carcasses to find still other peaks far above,
mountain above mountain white with the
bleached bones Of drunkarda
The Sabbath has been sacrificed to the
rum traffic. To many Of our people the
best day of the week is ths worst. bakers
must keep their shops closed on the Sab
bath. IL il dangerous to have loaves Of
bread going out on Sunday. The shoe store
is closed. Severe penalty win attack the
man who sells boots on the Sabbath. But
down with the window shutters OF
the grog shops Our laws shall con-
fer particular honor upon the
rum trafficke-s. All other trades
must stand aside for these. Let our citizens
in clothing, and hosiery, and hardware and
lumber. and coal, take off their hats 10 the
rumseller, elected to particular honor. 1t
is unsafe for any other class of men to ba
allowed license for Sunday work. But
swing out your signs, o ye traffickers In the
peace of families, and In the souls OF I'M
mortal menl Lst the corks fly, and the
beer foam, and the rum go tearing down the
half-consumed throat of the inehriate. God
does not seel Does he2 Judgment will
never comel Will ioi
do not know but that God Is determined
to let drunkenness triumph, and the nus
bands and sons of thousands of our best
families be destroyed by this vice, in order
that our people, amazed and indignant,
may rise up and demand the extermination
of this municipal crime. There is way Of
driving down the hoops OF a barrel SO tight
that they break. We have, in this country.
at various times tried to regulate this evil
by a tax on whisky. You might as we'll
try to regulate the Asiatic cholera or tha
smallpox by taxation. The men who distil
liquors are, for the most part, unscrupulous,
and the higher the tax, the more induce
ment to Illicit distillation.
Onl the TO ly of trying to restrain an
evil by verument tariff Ii every gallon
OF whisky made, If every flask Of wine pro-
duced, should be taxed thousand dollars,
it would not be enough to pay for the tears
it has wrung from the eyes of widows aud
orphans. nor for the blood it has dashed on
the Christian Church, nor for the catasr
trophe of the millions it has destroyed for
ever.
l sketch two houses In this street The
first is bright as home can be. The father
comes at nightfall, and the children run out
to meet him. Luxuriant evening meal
Gratulations and sympathy and laughter.
Music in the parlor. Fine pic ures on the
wall Costly books on the stand. Well
clad household. Plenty of everything to
make home happy.
House the second: Piano sold yesterday
by the sheriff. Wifes furs at pawnbroker's
shop. Clock gone. Daughters jewelry
sold to get -four. Carpets gone off the floor.
Daughters in faded and patched dresses.
Wife sewing for the stores Little child
with an ugly wound on her face, struck In
an angry blow. Deep shadow Of wretched-
ness falling in every room. Door-bel rings.
Lit le children hide. Daughters turn pale.
Wife holds her breath Blundering step in
the hall. Door opens. Fiend, brandishing
his fist. cries, "Out! outl What are You
doing herep
Did call this house the second No; 1T
is the same house. Rum transformed it.
Rum embruted the man. Rum sold the
shawl Rum tore up the carpets. Rum
shook his fist Rum desolated the hearth.
Rum changed that paradise into hell