The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-04-26
i REV DR. TALMAGE.
THE BRooKLYN DIvINEs SUN.
nay DISCOURSE
;sub,ects "rhe Dark Side of City Life. !"

QItQnC.-U6QeolS L., De
! 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 typo Of sadness
of time may have nomenclature Of human
invention, bit the darkness held up its dusky
brow to the Lord, and he bapt:z id it, the
dew 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 distlnctness as to attract your
attention. The thinking Of the bell OF the
street car in the distance and the bayin5
of the dog, The stamp Of horse in the
next street. The slamming OF q saloon
door. The hiccough Of the drunkard. The
shrieks of the steam whistles five miles
away. Oh, how suggestive. my friends
midnight in town!
the street.. Here IS 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 building
from which there comes bitter cry which
indicates that the destroying angel has smit-
ten the first born. Here is a minister OF re-
ligion who has been giving the sacrament
to a dying Christian. Here is physician
passing along in great haste, the messen-
ger few steps ahead hurrying on to
the household. Nearly all the lights
have gbne out in the dwelling. That light
in tbs window rs the light Of the watcher,
for thS medicines must be administered, and
the fever must be watched. and the restless
tossinE Off of the coverlid must be resisted,
and the ice must be kept on the hot tenn
piles, and the perpetual prayer must go up
iboorko fo ha hroHan (Oh th6
midnight in townl What a stupendous
thought-a whole city at rest!
Weary arm preparing for to-morrow's
toll. Hot brain being cooled of. Rigid
muscles relaxed. Excited nerves soothed.
The white hair Of the ocrogenarian in thin
drifts across the pillow, fresh fall OF flakes
on 81 now already fallen. Childhood with its
dimpled hands thrown out on thepilow, and
with every breath taking in a new store Of
fun and froIic. Gods slumberless eye will
looh Let one great wave OF refreshing
slu b. roll over the heart OF the great
tow submerging care and anxiety ana
wcYrriment and pain.
Let the city sleep; but, my friends be not
deceived. There will bs thousands tonight
alley and be cautious where you tread lest
YOU fall over the prostrate form Of 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 its ''God help usr'
No footlights, but tragedy ghastlier and
mightier than Ristori or Edwin Booth ever
enacted. No light no fire, no bread, no
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 them.
selves over to the almshouse" Ah, you
would not ask that If you ever heard the
bitter cry of a man or child when told he
; must 60 to the almshouse.
t'Ob," you say, ''they are the vicious poor,
and therefore they do not demand our sym
pathy." Are they vicious? So much more
need they your pity. The Christian poor,
God helps them. Through their night there
twinkles 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. re-
ply, where give 10 prayers for the fRno-
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 hsnnels around
those who are most chilled and most bruised
and most battered in the wreck. And
want you to know tnat these vicious poor
have had two shipwrecss- -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, tit is lcckei. :" No, 1t Is not
locked; it has never been locked. No burglar
would be tempted to 90 In there to steal
anything. The door is never locked. Only
broken chair stands against the door.
Shove it back. Go in. Strike q match.
Now look. Beastliness and rags. See those
glaring eyeballs. Be careful now what you
say. Do not utter any insult, do not utter
any suspicion, il you value your life.
What is that red mark on the walls It Is
the mark Of q murderer's hand! Look at
those two eyes rising up out Of the darkness
and out from the straw in the corner COM
ing toward you, and as thev 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. A flower flung on an
awtully barren beach. o Heavenly Shep-
herd fold that little ons in Thins arms!
Wrap around you your shawl or coat
tighter. for tbs cod night wind sweeps
through.
Strike another match. Al! is it possible
that that young womans Scared and
bruised face was ever looked into by ma
ternsl tenderness. Utter no scorn. Utter
no harsh word. No ray OF hope has dawned
on that brow for many year. No ray OF
hope ever will dawn on that brow. But the
Light has sons out. Do not strike another
light. 1t would bs mockery to kinde an.
other light in suca 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
worSs
At half past c'ciocS You will find them
in the drinking saloon, but toward 12
o'c.ock they go to their garrets, they get
out their tools then they start on the street.
Watching on either side for the police, they
60 to their work OF darkness. This isa bur-
glar. and the false key will sson touch the
store lock. This is an incendiary, and be-
fore morning there will be a light ou the
sassn. and tomorrow morning there will be
dead body in one 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
rives, their eye keen, their brain cool. their
arm strong, their foot dset to fly or pursue,
they are ready.
Many Of these poor creatures were brought
up in that way. They were born in thieves
garnet. Their childish toy was burglars
dark lantern. The first thing they remem-
ber was their mother bandaging the brow Of
their father. struck by the police club. They
began by robbinz boys pockets, and now
they have come to dig the Underground pas
sage to tile cellar OF the bank and are pre-
parinp to blast the gold vault