The San Saba weekly news. (San Saba, Tex.) 18??-1???, 1891-12-25

4
can figure 1t up from the reports, about
three hundred thousand honest poor who are
| dependent upon individual, city and State
/ charities. If ali their voices could come VI
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 it 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 If
on that day it 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 esh barrel that might have ap-
peased their hunger for little while; some
wasted candle or gas Jet thatmight have kin
died up thsir darkness; some fresco on the
ceiling that would have given them roof;
some Jewel which, brought to that orphan
girl IN fime, 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 II the roofs of all the houses Of
restitution 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
despairlng woman who stood by her invalid
husband and invalid child, and said to the
city missionary: Il am down hearted.
Everything's against US; and then there are
other things" what other thingsgp said
the city missionary. ''Oh, b" she replied, my
SIM" What do you mean by thats' "Well, u
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 go out, and l walk the floor, and it
makes me tremble to think that l have got
TO meet God. Oh, sir, it's so hard for US.
We have to work so, and then we have so
much trouble, and then we are getting along
30 poorly; and see this wee little thing grow
ing weaker and weaker; and then to think
we are not getting nearer TO God, but float
ing away from Him. Oh, sir, do wish
was ready to dien
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
bad time here. 1t would be just like Jesus
10 say; Come up and take the highest seats.
You suffered with Ne on earth; now be
Horified with Ne in heaven Oh, thou
weeping One Of Bethany Oh, thou
dying One Of the crossl Have mercy on the
starving freezing, homeless poor Of these
great citiesl
Ihave preached this sermon for four or
i've practical reasons: Because I want you
to know who are the uprooting classes Of
society. Because l want you to be more
discriminating in your charities. Because
Iwant your hearts opcn with generosity,
and your hands open with charity Be
cause l want you to be made the sworn
friends Of all city evangelization, and ali
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
pents Of your wardrobes be fitted TO the
limbs of the wan and shivering. / should
not wonderif that hat that you give should
come back jeweled coronet or If that gar
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 nand
over it and say, Il was naked and ye clothed
Ne" That would be put ing your garments
to glorious uses
But more than that, 1 have preached the
sermon because l thought in the contrast
You would see how very kindly God had
dealt with you, and 1 thought that thou
sands of you would go TO your comfortable
homes and sit at your well-dlled tables and
at the warm registers, ana look at the rounu
faces of your children, and that then you
would burst into tears at the review OF Gods
goodness 10 you, and that you would go to
your room and lock the door and kneel down
and say:
20 Lord, I have been an migrate; make
me Thy child. U Lord, there are so many
hungry and unclad and unshelterad to-day,
thank Thes 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
years ago at the altar, while my mother held
me, now l consecrate my soul TO Thee IN
boiler baptism of repenting tears.
''Fog sinners, Lord. Thou csm'st to bleed,
And I'm r sinner vile indeed:
Lord, believe Thy grace in Tree,
n mar ffw hat n mi