The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1893-04-13
hDNTGHT IN TOWN
DARK SIDE OF "A GREAT CITY
b,.xp nv Tsimsge. Horrors ofthe Nigh
ana Awful Fate Of the Gambler
and Drunkard.

rrxr. "And hs darkness He calies
niobf.s--Genesis l.. 8.
Too Grand divisions OF time. The one OF
,,ai,ehf the other OF shallow: the one for
.ort the other for rest: the one a tyJe OF
~vsrvthing glad and beautiful. the other
.,sed IN all languages as a typs OF sadness
nd eff,lction and SIN. These two divisions
pf time may have nomenclature OF human
'invention. but the DARKNESS held up its dusky
brow 10 the Lord, and He bapt'z III II. the
.,ew dripping from His fingers as He gave II
rame "And the darkness He caliei night"
Nv subject Is midnight in town. The
fhunder OF the city has rolled out OF the
bir. The slightest sounds cut The night
with such dstinctness rs 60 attract your
attention. The tinkling OF the b,ll oi the
street car In the distance and the baylng
~ the dog. The stamp OF n horse In the
next street The slanming OF n saloon
81 door The hiccou gh OF the drunkard. The
.briess of the steam whistles five miles
away. o., how suggestive, my friends
midnight in town
There are honest men passing up and down
the street. Here Is city missionary who
mas been carrying scuttie OF coal to tnat
Il poor family IN that darx place. Here Is an
q undertaken going up the steps OF building
a from which there comes bitter cry whea
indicates that the destroying angel has smit.
Il ton the first born. Here Is n minister OF re-
q ligion who has been giving the sacrament
20 a dying Christian. Here Is physician
d passing along in great haste. ths messen-
ger few steps ahead hurrying on 10
4 che 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, aud
the fever must be watched. and the restless
tossing Oft OF the covarlid must DO resisted.
aud the ice must be kept on the hot tenn
ples. and tho perpetual prayer must go up
from hearts soon 20 be brokon. Oh, the
midnight in town What n stipendOus
tbought-a whole city at rest'
Weary arm preparing for to-morrow's
toll. Hot brain being cooled or Rigid
muscles relaxed. Excited nerves soothed.
Tho white hair Of the octogenarian in thin
drifts across the pillow, fresh fall OF fakes
ON snow already fallen. Childhood with its
dimpled hands thrown out on thepillow. aud
with every breath taking in q new store OF
iun AMI frolic. Gods slumberloss eye will
loos Let one great wave OF refreshing
s!umber roll over the heart o; tho great
town, suomerging care aud anxiety AMI
worr,ment ana pain.
Let tho city sleep: but, my friends, be no;
deceived. There Will bs Thousands tonight
who will not sleep ut all. Go up that dark
alley ard he cautious where you tread lest
YOU fail over the prostrats form OF drunk.
ara lying on bis own doorstep. Look about
you lest you feel tho garroter's hug. LOOK
through the broken window pane AMI see
what you can see. You saw, Nothing"
Then listen. WHAT is IL? "God help usr'
No footlights. out tragedy ghastlier aud
mightier than Ristori or Edwin Booth ever
enacted. No light, no fire, no bread, no
hope. Shivering in the cold. they have had
no foo for 81 hours. You say, why don't
they begl' they do, but they get nothing.
You say, "Why don't they deliver them.
selves over 10 the almshouseY Alb, you
would not ask that 1t YOU ever heard the
bitter cry of man or a child when told he
must go to the almsbouse.
Oh" you saw, "they are the vicious poor,
and therefore they do not demlni our sym
pathy." Are they vicious? So muci moro
need they your pity. The Christian poor,
God helps them. Through their night there
twinkles the round, merry star of hops. and
through the broken window pans they see
the CRYSTALS OF heaven but the vicious poor
they are more 10 be pitieJ. Their last light
has gone out You excuse yourself from
helping them by saying they are so Dad they
brought this trouble ON themselves. / re-
ply, where give 10 prayers for the limo.
cent who are suffering will give % prayers
for the guilty who are sutf sring.
The fisherman, when he sees n vessel DASH
ing into the breakers, comes out from his
hut and wraps the warmest hannsls around
those who are most chillei and most bruised
and most battered in the wreck. Aud /
want you 10 know that these vicious poor
have had two shipwrec -sIipwreck OF the
body, shipwreca of the soui-shipwreck for
time, shipwrecS for eternity. Pity, by all
means, the innocent who are suffering but
pity more tue guilty.
Pass on through the alley. ODsn the door
"Oh,' you say, 1T is lcckei." No, it is not
locked; IL has never been locked. No burglar
would be tempted to go in there to steal
anything. The door is never locked. Only
a broken chair stands against the door.
Shove it back Go in. Strike match
In laN..aa sa.,I
garlng eyebals. BE careful now what YOU
say. Do not utter any insult, do not ntter
any suspicion, II you valus your life
What is that red marx on the walls It is
the mark OF murderer's hand! Look at
those two eyes rising up out OF tho darkness
and out from the straw in the corner COM
ing toward you, and as they come near YOU
your light goes out. Strike another match
An tEls Is babe, not like the beautiful
chlldren OF your household, or the beautiful
children smiling around these affairs on bap-
tlsinal day. This little one never smiled: IL
never VIII smile. A flower flung on an
aw.uuy barren beach. y Heavenly Shep-
herd told that little one in Thine arms.
wrap around you your shawl or coat
tighter, Tor tho co,d night wind sweeps
through.
Strike another match. Al. Is Il possible
that that young woman's scarred and
bruhei face was ever looked into by ma
ternai tenderness' Utter no scorn. Utter
no harsh word. No ray OF hope has dawnei
ON that brow for many n year. No ray OF
nope ever will dawn on that brow. But the
iignt mas gone out Do not strike another
hght, lt would be mockery To kindle an.
other light In suca place as that Pass out
shd pass down tina street. Our cities OF
Brooklyn aud New York aud all our great
cities are iull OF such homes, and the worst
t,nle the midnight. Do you know 1t Is in
lhe midnight that criminals do their worst
wors?
AZ half past o'clock you will find them
IN tne drinking saloon, but toward ~
oc they SO 70 their garrets, they get
out Their tools, then they start on the street,
watching on either side for the police, they
30 TO their work OF darkness. THIS isn bur.
giar, aud the false koy will saon touch the
store lock- This is AN incendiary, and loo.
i9re morning there will boa light on the
SKY ana cry Of "Firel Fire" This Is an as.
sass'n, and Tomorrow morning there will he
dead body In ons OF the vacant lots. Dur
ing tue daytime thess villains In Que cities
Mnse about some asleep aud some awake,
When the third watch of the night ar