Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1893-04-21
REV. DIR. TALNAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIViNES sun
DAY SERMON
Subject: "The Dark Side of City Life.'

Work, the other for rest: the one tyDa of
everything glad and beautiful, the other
used IN all languages as a type of sadness
and affection and SIN. These two divisions
of time may have nomenclature Of human
invention. but the darkness held 10 its dusky
brow to the Lord, and He baptized it, the
de" dripping from His fingers as He gave it
name, And the darkness He called night
My subject is midnight in town. The
thunder OF the city has rolled out OF the
air. The slightest sounds cut the night
with such Gist1nctness as to attract your
attention. The tinkling of the bell OF the
street car in the distance and the baying
Of the dog. The stamp Of a horse in the
next street. The slamming Of a saloon
door. Thehiccough of the drunkard. The
Ehrieks of the steam whistles five miles
away. On, how suggestive, my friends
midnight in townl
There are honest men passing up and down
the street. Here is city missionary who
has been carrying scuttie of coal to that
poor family in that dark place. Here is
Undertaken going up the steps Of building
from which there comes bitter cry which
indicates that the destroying angel has smit
ten the first born. Here is minister OF re-
ligion who has been giving the sacrament
to dying Christian. Here Is physician
passing along in great haste, the messen-
ger a few steps ahead hurrying on to
the household. Nearly all the lights
have gone out in the dwelling. That light
in the window is the light of the watcher,
for the medicines must be administered, and
the fever must be watched. and the restless
tossing off of the coverlid must be resisted
and the ice must be kept on the hot tenn
pies, and the perpetual prayer must go up
from hearts soon to be broken. Oh, the
midnight in town! What a stupendous
thought-a whole city at resti
Weary arm preparing for to-morrow'5
toll. Hot brain being cooled off. Rigid
muscles relaxed. Excited nerves soothed.
The white hair of the octogenarian in thin
drifts across the pillow, fresh fall of fakes
on snow already fallen. Childhood with its
dimpied hands thrown out on thu pillow, and
with every breath taking in new store of
fun and frolic. Gods slumberless eye will
look. Let one great wave Of refreshing
slumber roll over the heart Of the great
town, submerging care and anxiety and
worrIment and pain.
Let the city sleep but, my friends, be not
deceived. There will be thousands tonight
who will not sleep at all. Go up that dark
alley and be cautious where you tread lest
you fall over the PROSTATE form of a drunk
ard lying on his own doorstep. Look about
you lest you feel the garroters hug. Look
through the broken window pane and see
what you can see. You say, Nothing"
Then listen. What is it? God help usm
No footlights but tragedy ghastlier and
mightier than Ristori or Edwin Booth ever
enacted. No light, no fire, no bread, no
hope. Shivering in the cold they have had
40 fool for "a hours. You say, Why don't
they beg?' They Go, but they get nothing.
You say, ''Why don't they deliver than
selves over to the aImshouseY' All, You
would not ask that if you ever heard the
bitter cry of man or a child when told he
must go to the almshouse.
"Oh," you say, they are the vicious poor,
and therefore they 90 not demand our SYM
pathy." Are they vicious? So much mora
need they your pity. The Christian poor,
God helps them. Through their night there
wrinkles the round, merry star Of hope, and
through the broken window pane they see
the crystals of heaven but the vicious poor,
they are more to be pitie1. Their last light
has gone out. You excuse yourself from
helping them by saying they are so bad they
brought this trouble on themselves. re-
ply, where 1 give 10 prayers for the inno-
cent who are suffering will give 20 prayers
for the guilty who are suffering.
The fisherman, when he sees vessel DASH
ing into the breakers, comes out from his
hut and wraps the warmest dannels around
those who are most chilled and most bruised
and most battered in the wreck. And [
want you to know that these vicious poor
have had two shipwrec ls-shipwreck of the
body, shipwreck of the soul-shipwreck for
time, shipwreck for eternity. Pity, by all
means, the innocent who are suffering, but
pity more the guilty.
Pass on through the alley. Open the door.
''Oh," you say, ''t is locked" No. it is not
locked; it has never been locked. No burg lar
would be tempted to go i'll there to steal
anything. The door is never locked. Only
a broken chair stands against the door.
Shove it back. Go IN. Strike match.
Now look. Beastlness and rags. See those
giaring eyeballs. Be careful now what you
say. Do not utter any insult, do not inter
any suspicion, il you value your life.
What is that red mark on the wall? 1t is
the mark OF a murderar's hand! Look at
those two eyes rising up out of the darkness
and out from the straw in the corner CON-
ing toward you, and as they come near you
your light goes out. Strike another match.
All. this is babe, not like the beautiful
children Of your household, OF the beautiful
children smiling around these affairs on bap-
tismal day. This little one never smiled: 1T
never will smile. i flower flung on an
herd fold that little one in Thine arms!
Wrap around you your shawl or coat
tighter. for the cod night wind sweeps
through.
Strike another match. All! is it possible
that that young woman's Scared and
bruised face was ever looked into by ma
ternaI tenderness Utter no scorn. Utter
on that brow for many a year. No ray Of
hope ever will dawn on that brow. But the
light has gone out. Do not strike another
light. 1t would be mocAery to kindle an
other light III such place as that, Pass out
and pass down the street. Our cities Of
Brooklyn and New YORK and all our great
cities are full of such homes, and the worst
time the midnight. Do you know it is in
the midnight that criminals do their worst
work?
At half past o'clock you will find them
in the drinking saloon, but toward u
O'clock they go to their garrets, they get
out their tools, then they start on the street
Watching on either side for the police, they
go to their work of darkness. This is a bur-
-rla 81 ell