The Red Cloud chief., 1891-04-24
PLAGUE OF CRIME.
Dr.. Talmage Continues Bis Ser-
mons on the Ten Plaques
Professional Criminals That Infcss ,h.
cties-Aodsrn Systems Of Repression Of
Little value-A Pios For More
Christian Methods.

! continuation OF his lectures on the
Ten Plaques of the Cities" Dr. Tai
mage In a late sermon at BROOKLYN
took his text from Exodus vii 90: IAN
the waters that were In the river were
turned 10 blood" He said:
Among ali the Egyptian plaques none
could have been worse than this The
Nile is the wealth Of Egypt. Its fish
the food. Its WATERS the irrigation of
garden and fields. Its condition decides
the prosperity or the doom of the En-
pire. What happens 70 the Nile hap
pens TO all Egypt And now in the text
that great river Is incarnadined. II is a
red cash across the empire. In poetic
license we speak Of wars which turn
the rivers into blood. But my text wa
not q poetic license. II was a fact, a
great crimson appalling condition, de-
scrit-ed- The Nile rolling decpof blood.
Gan you imagine a more awful plague?
The modern plague which nearest
corresponds with that is the plague of
crime In all our cities II halts not for
hordshcd. IL shr:nks from no carnage.
IL bruises, n cuts, and strikes down,
and destroys. il rcvcls in the blood Of
body and soul, this plague Of crime
rampant for ages, and never holder or
moro rampant than now.
The annual police reports Of these
cities as / examine them are 10 me more
suggestive thnn Dante's Inferno and
all Christian people as well us reform
ers need TO wakcn To a present and
tremendous duty. II you want this
plague OF crime" 10 stop, there are
several kinds of persons o need 10
consider. First, the public criminals.
The vast majority of the criminals who
take ship from Europe come into u
own port In 1869, of the 40, 900 people
who were incarccrutcd in the prisons
Of the country, -, 600 were of foreign
birth. Many Of them were the very
desperadocs OF society, oozing into the
slums of ON cities, waiting for an OPP
p~ortunity 10 riot and steal and debauch,
joining IA large gang of American
thugs and cut -throats.
There are In this cluster u cities
New York, Jersey City and Brooklyn
1900 people whose entire business in
life ~ To commit crime. That is as
much their business a. Jurisprudence
or medicine or merchandise is your
business. To 1t they bring all their
energies of body, mind and soul. and
they look upon the intervals which
they spend in prison as so much un-
fortunate loss Of time. just As you look
upon an attack of Influenza or rheuma-
tism which fastens you in the house for
"a few days. II Is their lifetime bust
ness "a pick pockets, and blow up safes,
and shoplift and ply the panel game,
and they have as much pride OF skill in
their business as you have in yours
whcn you upset the argument of an OPP
posing counsel. or cure "A gunshot
fracture which other surgeons have
given VI. or forcsec IA turn in the mar
kct ns you buy goods just before they
60 mp twenty per ccnt. IL is their
business Ia commit crime, and / do not
suppose that once in "A year the thought
of the immortality strikes them. Added
10 these professional criminals, Amer
lean and foreign, there is a lurge
class of men who are more or less in
dustrious in crime. in one year the
police Of this cluster of cities arrested
10. 900 people for theft and 10000 for as
sault and battery and 30, 0OO for in,oNi-
cation drunkenness l. responsible for
much of them since il confuses "A mans
ideas of property and hc gets his hands
on things that do not belong - him
Ten million dollars worth of property
stolen ia this cluster of cities in one
year. You cannot, as good citizens, Ice
independent of that fact IL viii touch
your pocket, since ] have 10 give you
the fact that these three cities pay
about s., 600, 600 worth of taxes a year
H. arraign, try and support the criminal
population.
More than that, il touches your heart
in the moral depression Of the ON
muuity. You might as well think Ia
stand in a closely confined room where
there are fifty people and yet not
breathe the Initiated air. as Ia stand in a
community where there is such a great
multitude Of the dcpraved without
somewhat being contaminated.
We are all ready 10 arraigu criminals
We shout at the top of our voice; stop
tEirf,' With great gusto we put on the
handouts and hopplcs; but what prepa-
AAAifh NV We ia - N'N 10y Will
The handouts and Lopplcs come Off?
Society seems Ia say la these criminals:
william, 60 in there and rot" when il
ought Ia say: Won are an offendcr
against the law, but we mean Ia give
YOU an opportunity to repent; We
10 help YOU. Here are Bibles and
tracts and Christian influences
Christ died for YOU. Look and live"
Vast improvements ave been made
by introducing industries into the
prison. but We want something more
than hammers and shoe lasts 10 reclaim
these people. Aye, we want more than |
sermons on the sabbath day. Society
must impress these men with the fact |
that II does not enjoy their sutferings,
and that IL il attempting Ia reform and
elevate them. The majority Of Grim
inals suppose that society has a grudge |
against them. and they in turn have n
grudge against society. They are harder
in heart and more infuriate when they
come out Of Jail than when they went
in
The secretary IF one of the hcncvo-
lent societies Of New York saw n lad Is
years Of age. who had spent three years
az his life in prison. and he said TO the
lad: What have they done for you 30
make Won better" "Well," replied the
lad. the first time ] was brought up
before the judge he said: 'Iou ought "a
Ia ashamed of yourself And then !
committed n crime again. and was
brought up before the am judge. and
hc said: 'You rascal And after awhile
] committed some other crime. and !
was brought before the same Judge. and
he said: You ought 10 be hnngc-'-
Tha; is al they had done for him in the
way Of reformation and salvation o."
you say. these people are incorrigi-
BILE" ] suppose there II hundreds of
persons this day lying in the prison
hunks who would leap up a; the pros
pect Of reformation il society would
only allow them a way into de-
cency and rcspec;ahility. 90"
YOU say. II have no patience
18th these rogucS" ask you.
ply. how much better would