The Portland daily press., 1893-04-15
MIDNIGHT IN CITIES.
DR.. Tamage breaches on Those Who
Are Awake at Night.

Few Indeed Are They Who Need Be Out
Till Midnight, but the Criminal and. vi
cious Eind That Their Hour-Practical
Christian Work Needed.
BROOKLYN, April 9.-Rey. DR.. Tai
mage chose for his sermon today theme
Of universal interest-the dark side Of
social life in our great cities. The text
chosen as the basis of most graphic dis
course was Genesis i, 5, 'And the dark
hess he called night
Two grand divisions Of time. Theone
Of sunlight, the other of shadow; the one
for work, the other for rest; the one a
type of everything glad and beautiful,
the other used in all Languages as a type
of sadness and affection and sin. These
two divisions were made by the Lord
himself. Other divisions of time may
have Nomenclature Of human invention,
but the darkaess held up its dusky brow
to the Lord, and he baptized 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 distinctness as to attract your
attention. The thinking of the bell of
the street car in the distance and the
sbaying Of the dog. The stamp of a
horse in the next street. The slamming
of . saloon door. The hiccough of the
drunkard. The shrieks of the steam
whistle five miles away. Oh, how sug-
gestive. nay friends midnight in town!
ANGELS OF THE NIGHT.
There are honest men passing up and
down thestreet. Hereis city mission
ary who has been carrying a scuttle of
coal to that peor family in that dark
place. Here is an undertaken going up
the steps Of a building from which there
comes hitser cry which indicates that
the destroying angel has snitten the
Rrstbor1. here is a minister of religion
who has been giving the sacrament to
dying Christian. Here is a physician
passing aaSng IN great haste, the mes
sengeflAFew Steps ahead hurrying on to
the household. Neatly all the lights
have gene cut in the dwellings. That
light in the window is the Light of the
watcher, for the medicines must be ad-
ministered, ana the fever must be
watched, and the restless tossing off Of
the coveriid must be resisted, and theice
must be kept on the hot temples, AMI
the perpetual prayer must go up from
hearts soon to be broken. Oh, the mid
night in town! What a stupendous
thought whole city at rest!
j Weary arm preparing for tomorrow's
toll. Hst 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. Child
hood with its dianpled hands thrown out
on the 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 worri-
ment 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 drunkard lying on his own
doorstep. 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 us" No
foothghts, bat tragedy ghastlier and
mightier than Rigbori or Edwin Booth
ever enacted. No light, no fire, no bread,
no hope. ShiEeEing 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, .sWhy
don't they deliver themselves over to
the ahsrshouseT All, you would not ask
that II you ever heard the bitter cry
of man OF child when told he must
60 to the a1mshouse.
THE HONEST POOR.
"Oh," you say, @they are the vicious
poor, and therefore they do not demand
our sympathy" Are they vicious? So
much moro 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 cut. 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 will give 90
prayers for the gailty who are suffering.
The fisherman, when he sees a vessel
dashing into the breakers, comes out
from his hut and wraps the warmest
Hannels around those who are most
chilled and most bruised and most bat
tered in the wreck. And I want you to
know that these vicious poor have had
two shipwrecks-siaipwreck of the body,
shipwreck of the l-slipwreck for
time, shipwreck for eternity. Pity, by
all means, the innocent who are suffer-
Tag, but pity more the guilty.
Pass en- through the alley. Open the
door. "Oh," you say, sit is locked"
DO, it is not locked; it has never been
locked. No burglar would be tempted
II