The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-04-29

in the swimming filth. There they are, n,eu,
women children; black, whites; Mary Mag
dalen without her repentance, and Lazarus
without his God. These ara 'the dives" into
which the pickpockets and the thieves 60. as
we'll as q great many who would like diner
ent life but cannot get it.
These places are the sores Of the city,
which bleed perpetual corruption. They are
the underlying volcano that threatens US
with Caracas earthquake. 1t rolls and
roars and surges and heaves and rocks and
blasphemes and dies, and there are only Two
outlets for 1.-THE police court and the Pot
ter's field. In other words, they must either
20 to prison or to hell. Oh, you never saw
t, YOU say. You never will see it until on
the day when those staggering wretches
shall come up in the light Of the Judgment
throne, and while all hearts are being re-
vealed, God will ask you what you did to
help them.
There is another layer Of poverty and des-
titution not 80 soualid, but almost as help
less. You hear the incessant wailing for
bread and clothes aud fire. Their eyes are
sunken. Their cheek bones stand out. Their
hands are damp with slow consumption.
Their flesh Is puffed up with dropsies. Their
They hear the roar Of the wheels Of fashion
overhead and the gay laughter Of men and
maidens and wonder why God gave to others
80 much and to them so little. Some Of them
thrust into an inf1dehty like that Of the poor
German girl who, when told in the midst OF
her wretchedness that God was good, said;
mo; no good God Just look at me. No
good God"
In thia cluster of cities whose cry Of want
I interpret there are said to be, az far as I
can figure 1t up from the reports, about
three hundred thousand honest poor who are
dependent upon individual, city and State
charities. II all their voices could come up
at once 1t would be groan that would shake
the foundations Of the city and bring all
earth and heaven to the rescue. But for the
most part 1t suffers unexpressed. It sits IN
silence gnashing its teeth and sucking the
blood Of its own arteries waiting for the
Judgment day. Oh, should not wonder II
on that day 1t would be found out that some
of us had some things that belonged to them,
some extra garment which might have made
them comfortable In cold days; some bread
thrust into the ash barrel that might have ap-
psased their hunger for q little while; some
wasted candle or gas jet that might have kin
died up their darkness some fresco on the
ceiling that would have given them a roof;
some jewel which, brought to that orphan
girl In time, might have kept her from being
crowded of the precipices to an unclean life;
some New Testament that would have told
them of Him who ''came to seek that which
was lost"
Oh, this wave Of vagrancy and hunger and
nakedness that dashes against our front
door stepl If the roofs Of all the houses of
destitution could be lifted so we could look
down into them just as God looks, whose
nerves would be strong enough to stand iti
And yet there they are. The fifty thousand
sewing women In these three cities, some Of
them in hunger and cold, working night
after night, until sometimes the blood spurts
from nostril and lips.
How well their grief was voiced by that
despairing woman who stood by her invalid
husband and invalid child, and said to the
city missionary: II am down hearted.
Everythings against us; and then there are
other things" "What other things" said
the city missionary. "oh. she replied, my
she said, Il never hear or see anything good.
It's work from Monday morning till Satur-
day night, and then when Sunday comes I
can't 60 out, and I walk the floor, and it
makes me tremble to think that I have got
to meet God. Oh, sir, it's so hard for US.
We have to work 30, and then we have 30
much trouble and then we are getting along
30 poorly; and gee this, wee little thing grow
ing weaker and weaker; and then to think
we are not getting nearer to God, but foas.
ing away from Him. Oh, sir, l do wish I
was ready to die"
I should not wonder If they had good
deal better time than we in the future. to
make up for the fact that they had such a
bad time here It would be just like Jesus
to say: "Come up and take the highest seats.
You suffered with Me on earth; now be
glorifed with Me in heaven" Oh, thou
weeping One Of Bethanyl Oh, thou
dying Ono of the crossl Have mercy on the
starving, freezing, homeless poor Of these
great cities!
1 have preached this sermon for four or
five practical reasons: Because I want you
to know who are the uprooting classes Of
society. Because I want you to be more
discriminating in your charities. Because
Iwant your hearts cpcn with generosity,
and your hands open with charity. Be-
cause want you to be made the sworn
friends of all city evangelization, and all
newsboys' lodging houses, and all children's
aid societies, and Dorcas societies. under the
skillful manipulation Of wives and mothers
and sisters and daughters; let the spare gar
ments of your wardrobes be lifted TO tne
limbs Of the wan and shivering. should
not wonder if that hat that you give should
ment that you hand out from your wardrobe
should mysteriously be whitened, and some
how wrought into the Saviour's own robe,
so In the last day He would run His hana
over it and say, II was naked and ye clothed
Me-" That would be putting your garments
to s,lorious uses.
But more than that I have preached the
sermon because thought in the contrast
you would see how very kindly God had
dealt with you, and / thought that thou
sands Of you would 60 to your comfortable
homes and sit at your well-flled tables and
at the warm registers, and look at the round
faces of your children, and that then you
would burst into tears at the review Of Gods
goodness to you. and that you would go to
your room and lock the door and kneei down
and say:
20 Lord. I have been an migrate; make
me Thy child. o Lord, there are so many
hungry and unclad and unsheltered to-day,
thank Thee that all my life Thou hast taken
such good care of me. o, Lord, there are so
many sick and crippled children to-day,
thank Thee mine are well-some OF them on
earth, some of them In heaven. Thy good
ness. o Lord, breaks me down. Take me
once and forever. Sprinkled as was many
wears ago at the altar, while my mother held
me, now I consecrate my soul to Thse In
boiler baptism of repenting tears.
"For sinners, Lord. Thou camst to bleed
And Pm sinner vile indeed:
Lord believe Thy grace in free,
o msgnity TINT grace to me-
Dert way to Detect Daa CoIn.
A well-known restaurant keeper was
observed last night to courteously return
IL ,,1,,or 1n(1or on1