Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1893-04-10

AZ 10 the hat Ills OF and the man
falls 10 the floor slalting for more drink.
strewn through the drinking saloons Of
the city--fathers. brothers. husbands,
sons. 90 good ~ you are by nature, per.
haps bettor.
In the high circles Of society II IL
hushed up. A merchant prince, u he
gets noisy and uncomfortable. IL taken
BY his fellow jewellers. who try TO get
him 10 bed, OF take him homo, where he
fails fiat In tho entry. DO not wake up
the children. They have had digrace
enough. Do not let them know IL. Hush
II up. But sometimes II cannot be hush
cd up--when the rum touches the brain
and the man becomes thoroughly fren-
zied.
Oh, II the rum touches the brain, you
cannot hush IL up. You do not see the
worst. In the midnight meetings q great
muititude have been saved. We want a
to come down from the highest circlesof
society to toll amid these wandering and
destitute ones and kindle up q light in
the dark alley. even the gladness' of
heaven.
Do not go from your well filed tables
with the idea that pious talk Is going to
stop the gnawing of an empty stomach
or to warm stockinglessfee Take bread
take raiment. take medicine ss we'll as
take prayer. There Is great deal OF
common sense in what the poor woman
said to the city missionary when he was
telling her how she ought to love God
and serve him. "Ohr' said she, "if you
were as poor and cold as ] am. and as
hungry, you could think of nothing
else"
A great deal of what is called Chris
tan work goes for nothing for the sim
pie reason it is not practical, as after
the battle Of Antietam man got out Of
an ambulance with bag Of tracts, and
he went distributing the tracts, and
George Stuart one Of the best Christian
men in this country, said to him: "What
are you distributing tracts for nowf
There are 5000 men bleeding to death
Bind up their wounds. and then distrib
ute the tracts"
Wewant more common sense In Chris
tian work. taking the bread Of this life
In one hand, and the bread of the next
life In the other hand. No such inapt
work as that done by the Christian man
who, during the war, went into a hos
pital with tracts. and coming to the bee
Of man whose legs had been amputated.
gave him q tract on the sin Of dancing.
! rejoice before God that never are SYM
pathetic words uttered, never a prayer
offered, never a Christian almsgiving in
dulged In but it is blessed.
There is place in Switzerland, have
been told, where the utterance Of one
word win bring back a score Of echoes.
and have to tell you this morning that
. sympathetic word, kind word, gen.
srous word, o helpful word uttered in
the dark places Of the town will bring
back ten thousand echoes from all the
thrones Of heaven.
Are there in this assemblage this
morning those who know by experience
the tragedies of midnight in town. am
not here to thrust you back with one
hard word Take the bandagel from
your bruised soul and put on 1t the
soothing salve of Christ's gospel and OF
Gods compassion. Many have come
see others coming to God this morning.
tired of sinful life. Cry up the news to
heaven. Set all the bells ringing. Spread
the banquet under the arches. Let the
crowned heads come down and sit at the
! Jubilee.
I tell you there is more delight In
heaven over one man that gets reformed
by the, grace of God than over ninety
and nine that never got off the track. ]
could give you the history in minute
Of ono Of the best friends / ever had.
Outside of my own family never had a
better friend. He welcomed me to my
homo at the west. He was Of splendid
personal appearance, and he had an ar
dor Of soul and q warmth of affection
that made me love him like brother.
I saw men coming out of the saloons
and gambling hells. and they surrounded
| my friend, and they took him at the
weak point. his social nature, and saw
him going down, and had fair talk
with him, for never yet saw q man You
COulQ not tdlk WIFI Ou tuo buDJcCt VI HE
habits, If you talked with him in the
right way. l said to him, "Why don't
you give up your bad habits and become
| Christian remember now Just how
he looked, leaning over his counter. a.
he replied: ~ wish could. Oh, sir, ]
should like TO bea Christian, but have
gone so far astray can't get back"
SICKNESS AND REPENTANCE.
| So the time went on. After awhile
the day of sickness came. was sum-
moned to his sickbed. hastened. II
took me but very few moments to get
there. was surprised as went In.
saw him In his ordinary clothes. fully
dressed, lying on the top Of the bed. ]
gave him my hand, and he seized it con-
vulsively and said: "Oh. how glad am
to see youi Sit down there" | sat down,
and he said: "Mr. Talmage, just where
you sit now my mother sat last night.
She has been dead 20 years. Now,
don't want you to think ! am out Of
my mind. or that am superstitious;
l l.. T..