The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-03-16

have % associate with tas Intenpsrste. with
the upclsan. with the abandoned. however
well they may be dressed, il tie name OF
God quit II They viii despoil your nature.
They vii undermine your moral character.
They Will drop you when you are destroyed
They VIII give not one cent tc support your
children when you are dead. They viii
weep not ore tear 81 your burial IBey VII
chucEls over your damnstlOn.
/ had = friend az the west-s rsre friend.
He was one Of the first 70 welcome ne 70
my new boma. To fine personal appear
ance be added generosity, fra1kness and
ardor Of nature that made me love him
ike s brother But saw evil people gath
eriag around him They came mp from the
saloons, from the gambling bells They
/ piled him with q thousand arts. They
/ seizsd upon his social nature and be could
not stand the charm They drove him on
[ the rocks, Ike ship full-winge1, shivering
on the breakers. ] used TO admonish MIN.
{ would say !" Now | wish You would quit these
I bad 1abits, and become q christian 80, =
/ ne would reply, II would hke 70; would
/ Ike 10; but l have gone 80 far / dol't
/ think there is any way back. y
/ In his moments Of repent
ence, be would 20 home and take his little
/ girl Of years, and embrace her convul-
| siveiy, and cover her WITH adornDeuu, and
streW around her pictures and toys and
everything that could make her happy;
/ ami then, as though bounded BY an evil
/ spirit ne wOald 80 out 70 the enfRming cup
and the house Of shame, like q fool to the
| correction Of the stocks.
! was summoned 70 his death bed I
fastened l entered the room. / found
him, to my surprise, living in full everyday
dress on the top OF the couch. / put out
my hand He grasped it exctedly and said,
''Sit down, Mr.. Tslmage, right here" l sat
down he said, Last night l saw my
mother, who has been dead twenty years
and she sat just where you sit now. Ii was
no dream. I was wide awake. There was
10 delusiOn in the matter. l saw her Just
as plainly as l see you Wife, wish you
you'd take these strings of of me. There
are strings spun ell around my body. l
wish you would take them of Of me-" /
saw 1t was delirium. "Oh,n replied his
wife. my dear, there is nothing there,
there Is nothing there" He went on
and said, lust where you sit, Mr.. Talmage,
my mother sat She said 10 me: Henry.
do wish you would do better l got out
OF bed, put my arms around her, and said,
Mother / want to do better. / have been
trying to do better. Won't you help me TO
do betterl You used to help me- No mis-
take about it, no delusion. saw her-the
cap aad the apron and the spectacles, Just
as she used to look twenty years ago but |
do wish you would take these strings away.
They annoy me 50. / can hardly talk.
Won't you take them away I knelt down
and prayed, conscious of the fact that he
did not realize what was saying. got up
l said. ''Good-by; hope you will be bet
ter som" he said, "Good-by, good-by."
That night his soul went to the God who
gave il. Arrangements were made for the
Obsequies. Some said, Don't bring him in
the church; he was too dissolute." 'O,n |
said, bring him. He was good friend of
mine while he was alive. and l shall stand
by him now that he is dead. Bring him to
the CHURCH,
AS / sat in the pulpit and saw his body
coming up through the aisle, l felt as If l
could weep tears Of blood. / told the peo-
pie that day, This man had his virtues and
a good many Of them. He had his faults,
and 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
Id On one side the pulpit sat that little
child, rosy, sweet-face1. as beau
tiful as any little child that sat
at your table this morning, l war
rant you. She looked up Nistfully, not
knowing the fnll sorrows of an orphan
child. o, her countenance hAunts me to-
day, like some sweet face looking upon us
through horrid dream. On the other side
Of the pulpit were the men who had de-
stroyed him. There they sat, hard visaged,
some of t3sm flushed until it seemed as if
the fires Of iniquitY famed through the
cheek aud 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 warm wood and gall into the
orphans cup. Did they weep? No. Did
they sigh repentinglyl No. Did they say,
What pity that such brave man should
he N n taA
was lifted to wipe tear from a bloated
cheek. They sat and looked at
the coffin like vultures gaz-
ing at the carcass of
lamb whose heart they had ripped outl |
cried in their ears as plainly as l could,
There is God and d judgment-day Did
they tremblel o no, no. They went
back from the house of God and that night,
though their victim lay in lakewood ceme-
terry, | was told that they blasphemed, and
they drank. and they gamhled. and there
was not one less customer in ali the houses
Of iniquity. This destroyed man was a
Samson in physical strength, but Delilah
sheared him, and the Philistines of evil
companionship dug his eyes out and threw
him into the prison of evil habits. But in
the hour of his death he arose up and took
hold of the two plllared curses of God
against drunkenness and unoleanness, and
threw himself forward, until down upon
him and his companions there came the
thunders of an eternal catastrophe.
Again: Any amusement that gives you
a distaste for domestic life Is bad. How
many bright domestic circles have been
broken up by sinful amusements The
father went off thd mother went of, the
child went Off. There are to-day the frag-
ments before me Of blasted households.
Oh, il you have wandered away, l would
like to charm you back by the sound OF
that one word ''homen Do you not know
that you have but little more time to give
to domestic welfare! Do you not see, father,
that your children are soon TO 90 out into
the world, and all the influence for good
you are to have over them you must have
nowa Death will break in on your con-
jugal relations, and alas, if you have to
stand over the grave Of one who persisted
from your neglect.
! saw Maynard husband standing at
the death-bed of his christian wife, and |
saw her point to ring on her finger, and
heard her say to her husband, "Dou You
see that ring" He replied, "Yes, see it,"
"Well," said she. do you remember who
put it tbereg" Yes" said he, II put it
there" and all the past seemed to rush
upon him. By the memory Of that day
when, in the presence of men and angels,
you promised to be faithful in Joy and sor-
row, and in sickness aud in health; by the
memory of those pleasant hours when YOU
sat together in your new home talking Of a