Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1893-04-21
REV. DR.. TAlMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DININE'S 81 "
DAY SERMON.
SUBJECT: "TmE DARK SIDE OI CITY
LIFE.

TEXT: "And the dlrkae1 He oqHed
nighL"-Genesis H. 5.
Two grand divisions OF time. The one OF
sunlight the other of shadow; the one for
WORK, the other for rest: the one a typa OF
everything glad and belutifu, the other
used IN all languages as typs OF sadness
and atilction and SIN These two divisions
of time may have nomenclature OF human
invention, but the darkness held up its dusky
| brow to the Lord, and He baptIzsi il, the
dew dripping from His fingers as He gave it
name, And the darkness de called night"
My subject is midnight IN town. The
| thunder of the city has rollel out OF the
air The slightest sounds cut the night
with such distlnc.ness as to attract your
attention. The tinkling OF the bell OF the
street car in the distance aud the baying
| OF the dog. Tie stamp OF horse in the
next street. The slammng OF saloon
door. The hiccous III OF the drunkard The
shrieks 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 s city missionary wao
has been carrying scuttle of coal TO that
! poor family In that dark place. Here is all
, undertaken going up the steps OF a building
| from VIII ch ther5 comes bitter cry whoa
indicates that the destroying angel has smit.
ten the first born. Here is minister Of re-
ligion who has been giving the sacrament
| to diving Christian. Here is a physician
| passing along in great haste, the messen-
ger few steps ahead hurrying on to
the household. Nearly all tle lights
have gone out in the dwelling. That light
| in the window is the light of the watcher,
| tCr the medicines must be administered, and
the fever must be watched. and the restless
tossing off OF the coverlid must be resisted,
AMI the ice must be kept on the hot TEN.
piles and the perpetual prayer must go up
from hearts soon 10 te broken. Oh, the
midnight in town What stupendou,
thousht-a whole city at rest
Weary arm preparing for to-morrow's
toll. Hot brain being cooled or Rigid
muscles relaxed. Excited nerves soothed.
The white hair OF the octogenar an in thin
drifts across the pillow, fresh fall OF fakes
! on snow already fallen. CHILDHOOD with Its
dmp!ed hanIs thrown cut on the pillow, and
with every breath taxing in a new store OF
fun al frolc. Gods slunberle,s ege vii
| look. Let one great wave OF refreshing
siumber roll over the heart OF the great
town, submerging care and anxiety an.
| worrment ami pain.
Let the city sleep; but my friends, BE- not
eceiveI. There will be tn sands tonight
| who will not sleep at all. Go up that dark
| alley AMI be cautious where you tread lest
! yCu IA, over the PROSTATE form Of drunk.
ard lying on his own doorstep. Look about
you lest you feel the garroters hug. Look
through the broken wiaiow pane an see
what you can see. You say, Nothing
! Then listen. What is it? "Gol help u.s.
No footghts, hut tragedy ghastler aud
mghtier than Rlstori or Twin Booth ever
| enacted. No light, no fire. no bread, n
hope. Shlverirg in the cold, they have ha /
+ no foo | for ~ hours. You say, why don't
they begl' Iuey do, but they get nothing.
You say, "Why don't they deliver thsn.
selves over 10 the almshouse>' All, you
would not ask that il yod ever heard the
bitter cry of man or a child when told he
must 60 to the almshous"
"OH,' you say, "theS are the vicious poor,
and therefore they 90 No. Gcmln our sy u
pathy.' Are they vlc..u,s 50 much more
need they your pity. lns Christian poor,
God help, tne.n. through their nlgat there
/ twnkles the round, merry star Of hope, and
through the broken wlnlov pAnl they s.e
the crystals Of heaven, Uut the vicious poor,
they are more 20 bee pticI. Their last lignt
has gone out. You excuse yourself from
helping them by saving they are - Tad they
brought this trouble on themselves. | re-
PLY, where | give 10 prayer, for the Inno-
cent who are suffering lwIigiva - prayers
for the guilty who are SUI ring.
The fisherman, when he sees a vessel dash
Ing into the brsaStrS, come, Uut from his
hut and wraps III wacnast tunels around
| those who ore most cd'liri au most bruLsel
and most battered II the wreck. And |
want you 10 know that these vicious po5r
have mad two Shlp"r,c s-slipwrecS OF the
| bo iy, shipwreCE of the sOul-shipwreck for
time shpwreck for eternity. Pity, by all
means the innocent who are suffering, but
pits more the guilty.
Pass on through the alley. Open the do)r.
| 'Oh,n you say, 1T is lCcsei.' No, It is not
| locked; il has never been locked. No burglar
would be tempted to 90 in there 10 steal
anything. The door is never locked. Only
broken chair stands against tae door.
Shove it bacS. Go in. Strike a match.
Now look. LeaStlIuess and rags. See thosl
gariug eyebas. Be careful now what You
say. Do not utter any Insult, do not inter
any suspicion, II you value your lie.
What is that red mark on the wa!S Il I!
the mark of murderer's hand! Look al
those two eyes rising up out Of the darkness
ana cut from the straw in the corner COM
ing toward you, and as they come near you
| your light goes ont. Strlks another match.
All! this is babe, not like the beautiful
children of your household, or the beautiful
children smiling around these altars on bap-
tismal day. This little one never smiled; 1t
never will smile. A flower flung on an
awiully barren beach. Heavenly Shep,
| utIl lOlu IndI HlLIt puc III Iulue dIIlSI
| 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
ternal tenderness? Utter no scorn. Utter
no harsh word. No ray of hope has dawne1
ON that brow for many year. No ray Of
hope ever will dawn on that brow. But the
| Ill, hn. M ~ striL-a pf har
light. 1t would be mocSery 10 hndle an
other light in such place as that Pass out
and pass down the street. Our cities OF
Brooklyn and New York and ali 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'c!o,k they go to their garretS they get
out their tools, then they start on the street.
Watching on either side for the police, they
90 to their work OF darkness. This is a bur-
gar. and the false key will sson touch the
store lock- This is an incendiary, an1 be-
fore morning there will be light Oh the
sky and cry Of "Firel Fire~ This is an as
hssin, and tomorrow morning there will be
dead body in on Of the vacant lots. Dur-
| ing the daytime these villains in our cities
lounge about, some asleep and some awake,
but when the third watch OF the night ar
riyes, their eve keen, their brain cool, their
arm strong, their foot feet to fig or pursus,
they are ready.
Many of these poor creatures we're brought
up in that way. They were born i'll a thieves
garrett Their childish toy was burglar
dark lantern. The tir5t thing they renem
ber was their mother bandaging the brow OF
their father, struck by the police club. They
began by robbiny boys pockets an now
they have come TO dig the underground pas
sage to the cellar OF the bank ani are pre-
pairing to blast the gold vault.
Just so long as there are neglected chill
dren of the street, just SO long we will have
these desperadoes. Some one wishing to
make gooi Christian point and to quote a
passage of Scripture, expecting to get {
Scriptural passage in answer, said to one OF
Ihesa moor lhds cnst out and wretch el.