Milford chronicle., 1891-03-20


temperate, with the unclean, with the
abandoned, however we'll they may be
dressed, in the name Of God quit it. They
viii despoil your nature. They will un
dermine your moral character. They will
drop you when you are destroyed. They
will give not one cent 70 support your chill
dren when you are dead. They will weep
not one tear at your burial. They will
chuckle over your damnation.
had friend at the west-a rare friend.
He was one Of the first to welcome me to
my new home. To fine personal appear
ance he added a generosity, frankness and
ardor Of nature that made me love him
like brother But saw evil people gath
ering around him. They came up from
the Saloons from the gambling hells.
| They piled him with a thousand arts.
They seized upon his social nature, and he
could not stand the charm. They drove
him on the rocks, like ship full winged,
shivering on the breakers l used to ad-
monish him. / would say, "Now I wish
you would quit these bad habits and be-
come Christian" "Oh," he would reply,
81 would like to, would like to, but ]
have gone so far don't think there Is any
way back" In his moments Of repentance
he would go home and take his little girl
of years, and embrace her conYuisively,
I anu CbFHA IGE VIII eeAUAAAlAAc1AaI anu 1AAIff
around her pictures and toys and every
thing that could make her happy; and
then, as though bounded by an evil spirit,
he would go out to the enflaming cup and
the house of shame, like fool to the cor
rectiOn of the stocks
A DRATHBED SCENE.
was summoned to his deathbed. / ]
hastened. / entered the room. found
him, 10 my surprise, lying in full every day
dress on the top Of the couch. put out
my hand. He grasped it excitedly and
said, ''Sit down, Mr.. Talmage, right there.
/ I sat down. He said: Last night saw
my mother, who has been dead twenty
| years, and she sat just where you sit now.
It was no dream. / was wide awake.
! There was no delusion in the matter. /
saw her just as plainly as see you. Wife,
| wish you would take these strings off OF
me. There are strings spun all around my
/ body. wish you would take them of Of
me-" saw 1t was delirium.
'Oh," replied his wife, my dear, there
is nothing there, there is nothing there."
He went on, and said: "Just where you sit,
Mr.. Talmage, my mother sat. She said to
me, Henry, do wish you would do bet
ter got out of bed, put my arms around
her, and said: Mother, want to do bet /
ter. have been trying to do better. |
Won't you help me TO do better? You
used to help me- No mistake about it, no /
delusion. 1 saw her-the cap, and the |
apron, and the spectacles, just as she used
to look twenty years ago; but lido wish you
would take these strings away They
annoy me so. can hardly talk, Won't
you take them away" / knelt down and
prayed, conscious of the fact that he did
not realize what was saying. got up. l
l - k4v. rrrrfff ha hnff
soon" He said, ''GoOd-by, good-by."
That night his soul went to the God who |
gave it. Arrangements were made for the /
Obsequies. Some said, Don't bring him
in the church; he was too dissOlute. "
"Oh," " l said, ''bring him. He was a good
friend of mine while he was alive, and
shall stand by him now that he is dead. |
Bring him to the church"
LAST SCENE OF ALL.
As l sat in the pulpit and saw his body |
coming up through the aisle felt as il /
could weep tears of blood 1 told the peO-
pie that day: ''rhis man had his virtues,
and good many Of them. He had his
faults, and a good many Of them, but if
there is any man in this audience who is
without sin let him cast the first stone at
this coffin lid" On one side the pulpit sat
that little child, rosy, sweet faced, as beau
lnul da ANY AAlbAG ElAA4 NltAg 5shJ ds9 FDuI
table this morning, warrant you. She
looked up wistfully, not knowing the full
sorrows of an orphan child. Oh, her coun-
tenance haunts me today like some sweet
face looking upon US through u hOrrid
dream. On the other side Of the pulpit
were the men who had destroyed him.
There they sat, hard visaged, some Of them
pale from exhAusting disease, some Of
them flushed until it seemed as if the fires
OF iniquity famed through the cheeks and
cracked the lips. They were the men who
had done the work They were the men
who had bound him hand and foot. They
had kindled the fires. They had poured the
wOrmWOOd and gall into that orphans cup.
Did they weep? No. Did they sigh re-
pentingly? No. Did they say, What a
pity that such brave man should be
SLANT" No, no; not one blOated hand was
lifted to wipe % tear from bloated cheek.
They sat and looked at the coffin like vul-
lures gazing at the carcass of u lamb whose
heart they had ripped outl l cried in their
ears as plainly as / could, "There is God
and Judgment dayP' Did they tremblei
Oh, no, no, They went back from the
house OF God, and that night, though their
victim lay in Oalkwood cemetery, I was
told that they blasphemed, and they drank,
and they gambled, and there was not one
less customer in all the houses Of iniquity.
This destroyed man was a Samson in phys
ical strength, but DelilAh sheared him, and
the Philisttnes Of evil companionship dug
his eyes out and threw him into the prison
OF evil habits. But in the hour Of his death
he rose up and took hold OF the two pill
lnred curses Of God against drunkenness
and uncleanness, and threw himself tor
ward, until down upon him and his COM
paniOns there came the thunders OF an
eternal catastrophe
Again, any amusement that gives you
distaste for domestic life Is bad. How
many bright domestic circles have been
broken up by sinful amusementsl The
father went off, the mother went Off, the
child went of. There are today the frag
ments before me of blasted households Oh,
il you have wandered away, I would like to
charm you back by the sound OF that one
word, "home" Do you not know that
you have but little more time to give to do
nestle welfareg Do you not see, father,
that your children are soon to go out into
the world and all the influence for good
you are TO have over them you must have
nowg Death will break in on your coniu-
gal relations, aud alasl II you have to
stand over the grave Of one who persisted
from your neglect
AT HIS WIFE's DEATHBkD.
I saw n wayward husband standing at
the deathbed Of his Christian wife, and
saw her point to a ring on her finger and
heard her say to her husband, do you see
that ringf" He replied, Eyes, see it. F"
SWELL p said she, "do you remember who
put it there?" ayes" said he, II put 1t
there" and all the past seemed to rush
upon him. BY the memory Of that day
when, in the presence Of men and angels,
vou promised to be faithful in joy and sor-
row, aud in sickness and in health; by the
memory OF those pleasant hours when you
sat together in your new home talking Of
bright future; by the cradle and the joy
ful hour when one life was spared and ap-
other given; by That sick bed when the
little one lifted up the hands and called for
help, and you knew he must die, and he
put one arm around each of your necks and
brought you very near together in that
dying kiss; by the little grave in Green
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