The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-04-12
AT THE TABERNACLE.
DR.. TALMAGE ON THE DARK FEA-
TURES or LIFE IN THE CITY.

The Vicious and Criminal Flock to the City
From All sections-They Arc Awake
When other People sIeep-street Scenes
at Midnight.
BROOKLYN, April e.-Rev. DR.. Talmage
chose for his sermon today theme of uni
versal 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 i, 5, 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 "A type Of sadness
and aff1iction 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 10 the Lord, and he bap-
tiled 1t, the dew dripping from his fingers
as he gave il name, And the darkness
he called night"
Ny subject is midnight I'm town The
thunder of the city has rolled out Of the
air The slightest sounds cut the night
with such distinctness as 10 attract your
attention The tinkling of the bell of the
street car IN the distance and the baying of
the dog The stamp OF a horse in the next
street The slamming of a saloon door.
The hiccough of the drunkard. The shrieks
of the steam whistle five miles away. OH
how suggestive, my friends; midnight in
town.
1nere are honest men passing up and
down the street Here is a city missionary
who has been carrying a 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 n bitter
CRY. which indicates that the destroying
angel has smitten the fiTstbOrn. Here is
minister of religion who has been giving
the sacrament to dying Christian Here
Ia a physician passing along IN great haste,
the messenger a few steps ahead hurTying
Oh 10 the household. Nearly all the lights
have gone out in the dwellings. That light
In the window il the light of the watcher,
for the medicines must be administered,
and the fever must be watched. and the
restless tossing off of the coyerlid must be
resisted. and the ice must be kept on the
hot temples. and the perpetual prayer must
go 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 Tor tomorrow toll.
Hot 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. Childhood with its
dimpled 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 sIumber roll over the heart of the great
town. submerging care and anxiety and
worriment and pain.
Let the city sleep. But my friends, he
not deceived. There viii be thousands to
night who VIII not sleep at all Go up that
dark alley and be cautious where you
tread. lest you fall over the PROSTATE form
OF a 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. " hat Is it2 God
help usn No footlights. but tragedy
ghastlier and mightier than Ristori or Ed
win Booth ever enacted No light, no fire,
no bread. no hope. Shiyering in the cold,
they have had no food for "a hours You
say. why don't they beg2" 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 n or child
when told he must 20 TO the al1hshOuse.
Oh" you say. they are the vicious
poor. and therefore they do not demand our
sympathy" Are they viciousg 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 eht has gone out. You excuse
yourself from helping them by saying they
are 50 bad they brought this trouble on
themselves. / reply, where give 10 prayers
for the innocent who are suffering will
give 20 prayers for the guilty who are suf-
fering
The fisherman, when heseesa vessel dash
ing into the breakers, comes out from his
hut and wraps the warmest Gannels around
those who are most chilled and most
bruised and most battered in the wreck,
and 1 want you 10 know that these vicious
poor have had two shipwrecks-s hipwreck
of the body, shipwreck Of the soul-ship-
wreck for time, shipwreck for eternity.
Pity, by all means, the innocent who are
suffering. but pity more the guilty.
THE VILE ALLEY
Pass on through the alley. Open the
door. oh" You say. 1t is locked" No
it is not locked; it has never been locked.
Noburglar would be tempted TO 20 in there
10 steal anything. The door is never locked.
Only broken chair stands against the
door Shove it back. Go in Strike a
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 if you value your
life.
What is that red mark on the wall? 1t is
the mark Of a murderer's hand Look at
those two eyes rising up out of the dark
ness and out from the straw in the corner,
coming toward you, and as they come near
you your light goes out. Strike another
match All. this is "A babe, not ike the
beautiful children of your household or the
beautiful children smiling around these al
tars on bapJisinal day. This little one never
smiled; it never will smile. A flower flung
on an awfully barren beach. Heavenly
Shepherd, fold that little one IN thy arms
Wrap around you your shawl or your coat
tighter, for the cool night wind sweeps
through.
Strike another match. Ali is it possible
that that Young woman's SCARED and
bruised face was ever looked into by ma
ternEl tendeTness2 Utter no scorn. Utter
no harsh word. No ray Of hope has dawned
on that brow for many year. No ray Of
hope ever viii dawn on that brow. But
the light has gone out. DO not strike an
other light Il would be a mockery to kim
Gle another light in such "A 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