Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1893-04-14
AT THE TABERNACLE.
DIP. TALMAeE ON THE DARK FEA-
TUREs OF LIFE IN THE CITY.

The Vicious and Criminal Flock to the City
From All seetiOns-They Are Awake
When Other People sIeep-street Scenes
at Midnight.
BROOKLYN, April 9.-Rev. DR.. Talmage
hose for his sermon today theme of uni
Tersal interest-the dark side of social life
in our great cities. The text chosen as the
basis of a most graphic discourse was Gene
sis /, 3, And the darkness he called night +"
Two grand divisions of time. The one Of
sunlight, the other Of shadow; the one for
work, the other for rest; the one type Of
everything glad and beautiful, the other
used in all languages as type Of sadness
and affection and sin. These two divisions
were made by the Lord himself Other di-
visions Of time may have nomenclature Of
human invention, but the darkness held up
| its dusky brow to the Lord, and he bap-
tizsd it, the dew dripping from his fingers
rs he gave it a name, And the darkness
he called night"
Ny subject is midnight in town. The
| thunder Of the city has rolled out Of the
air The slightest sounds cut the. night
with such distinetness 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 horse in the next
street. The slamming Of saloon door.
/ The hiccough of the drunkard. The shrieks
of the steam whistle five miles away. Obi
how suggestive, my friends; midnight in
town
There are honest men passing up and
down the street Here is a city missionary
who has been carrying scuttle of coal to
that poor family in that dark place Here
Is an undertaken going up the steps of a
building from which there comes a bitter
I cry which indicates that the destroying
angel has smitten the firstborn. Here is a
minister Of religion who has been giving
the sacrament to a dying Christian. Here
is physician passing along in great haste,
the messenger a few steps ahead hurrying
on to the household Nearly all the lights
have gone out in the dwellings. That light
in the window is the light of the watcher.
for the medicines must be administered,
and che fever must be waCcned, and the
restless tossing off of the coverlid must be
resisted, and the ice must be kept on the
hot temples, and the perpetual prayer must
20 up from hearts soon to be broken. Oh,
the midnight in town! Whata stupendous
thought-a whole city at restl
SLEEP OF THE HONEST AND WEARY.
Weary arm preparing for tomorrOw's toll
Hot brain being cooled off, Rigid muscles
relaxed. Excited nerves soGSFe9 The white
hair of the octogenarian in thin drifts
across the pillow, fresh fall of flakes on
snow already fallen. Childhood with its |
linpled hands thrown out on the pillow |
and with every breath taking in a new store |
Of fun and frolic Gods slumberless eye /
will look Let one great wave of refresh
ing slumber roll over the heart of the great |
and an~fafu nd Il
Worriment and pain.
Let the city sleep. But, my friends, be |
not deceived There will be thousands to
night who will not sleep all. Coup that 1
dark alley and be cautious where you 4
tread. lest you fall over the PROSTATE form
of a drunkard lying on his own doorstep. 4
Look about you lest you feel the garrOter's
hug. Look through the broken window
pane and see what you can see. You say, /
Nothing" Then listen What is it? God /
help ust' No footlights, but tragedy
ghastlier and mightier than RistOri or Ed.
win Booth ever enacted. No light, no fire,
no bread, no hope. ShiveFing in the cold,
they have had no food for "a hours You
say, "Why don't they beg?" They do, but
they get nothing You say, why don't
they deliver themselves over to the aims
hOuse2' All, you would not ask that if you
ever heard the bitter cry of a man or child
when told he must go to the almshouse.
oh" you say, they are the vicious
poor, and therefore they do not demand our
Are they vicious? So much
more 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 pitied.
Their last light has gone out. You excuse
yourself from helping them by saying they
are so bad they brought this trouble on
themselves. reply, where give 10 prayers
for the innocent who are suffering l will
give 20 prayers for the guilty who are suf-
iering
The fisherman, when hesees a vessel dash
ny into the breakers, comes out from his
nut and wraps the warmest hannels around
hose who are most chilled and most
bruised and most battered in the wreck,
md ! want you to know that these vicious
Door have had two hipwrecks-shipwreck I
If the body shipwreck Of the soul-ship-
wreck for time shipwreck for eternity. ,
Pity, by all means, the innocent who are I
but pity more the guilty.
THE VILE ALLEY.
Pass on through the alley. Open the ,