The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-19

(Dr. Tlnagel
Corrupt literature was the subject
OF the sermon which Rev. DR.. Z, De-
Witt Talmage delivered last evening
at the Academy Of Music In the pres-
ence Of congregation that filed
the big theatre to overlooking. The
discourse was the third one Of the
series which DR.. Talmage is deliver
Ing upon "The Ten Plaques OF the
Three Great Cities"-neaning New
York, Brooklyn and Jersey City.
The speaker took for his text the
story Of the irruption of frogs which
covered Egypt. and, after striking
description of the horrors Of such an
ioflictiop, said that the mo.dern par
allel of this curse vas the spread OF
immoral literature.
FILLED WITH PEsTILENCE
at is" be said. zone of the most
loatbsome, one Of the most frlghtful,
one Of the most CHASTITY of the
ten plaques of our morden cities.
There is a vast number Of books and
newspapers printed and published
which ought never to see the light.
They are filed with a pestilence
that makes the land swelter with q
moral epidemic.
"The greatest blessing that ever
came to a nation is r. of an elevat-
ed literature, and the greatest scourge
has been that of uuclean litera.
ture. This last has it's victims In all
occupations and departments. The
literature of a nation decides the
fate Of a nation. Good books, good
morals.
81 HAVE NO TIME"
"Oh," says some one, l sm q bus
mess man, and have no time to ex-
anime what my children read.
have no time to inspect the books
that come into my household,'
"If your children were threatened
with typhoid fever would you have
time to 60 for the doctor? Would
you have time to watch the progress
OF the diseased Would Won have
time for the foneraI' In the presence
of my God l warn you of the fact
that your children are threatened
With spiritual typhoid, and that un>
less the thing be stopped it will be to
them funeral of body, furersl of mind,
funeral of soul, Three funerals in
one day.
"My word is 10 this vast multitude
OF Young people DO rot touch, do
not borrow, do not buy corrupt
or corrupt picture. A book will
decide a mans destlnity for good
or for evil. The book 700 read yes>
terday may have decided you for
time and for eternity, or it may be a
book that may come into your pos.
session tomorrow. A b n
from all those book S
which, while they have some
good things aoont them, also an ad>
mixture of evil.
"Another way in which We are to
drive back this plague of Egyptian
frogs is by filling the minds of our
young people with healthful litera,
ture.l DO not mean to say that all the
books and newspapers in our homes
ought to be religious books and news
Pspers, or that every song ought to
be sung to the tune of Old Hundred
81 have 10 sympathy with the
attempt to make the young old.
would rather join In crusade to
keep the young young. Boy hood
and glrlhood nast not be breviated.
But there are good books, good
histories, good biographies, good
works of fiction, good books of all
styles with which We are to gil the
minds Of the young so that there Will
be no more room for the useless and
tie vlcioas thao there is room for
eAaff in bushel measure which is
already filled With Michigan wheat.
"A good book who can exsegerate
its powers Benjamin Franklin said
that bis reading If Cotton Mather,s
Essays To Do Good in cbildhood
gave him holy aspirations for all the
rest of his life. George Law deelar.
ed that a biography he read in
childhood gave him all his subsequent