Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-04-13
AT THE TABERNACLE.
bR. TALMAeE ON THE DARK FEA-
TUREs or LIFE IN THE CITY.

TUREs OF LIFE IN THE CITY.
rhs Vicious and Criminal Flock to the City
From All seetions-They Are Awake
when Other People sieep-strsst sesnss
NJ Midnight.
BRooKLTE. April o.-Rev. Dr.. TalmAge
chose for his sermon today theme Of uni
vsFsal 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 |. 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
uxed In all languages as type of sadness
and affection and sin These two divisions
were made by the Lord himself Other d.
visions Of time may have nomenclature Of
human invention, but the darkness held up
its dusky brow to the Lord, and he bap-
tized It. the dew dripping from his fingers
as he gave It Q 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 Us TO attract your
attention. The tinkling Of the bell Of the
street car In the distance and the baying of
the dog. The stamp OF horse in the next
street The slamming OF q saloon door.
The hiecough Of the drunkard. The shrieks
Of the steam whistle five miles away. Obi
how suggestive, my friends; midnight in
town
There are honest men passing up and
down 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 a
building from which there comes a bitter
cry. which indicates that the destroying
angel has smitten the 6rstborn. Here is q
minister Of religion who has been giving
the sacrament TO dying Christian. Here
is physician passing along in great haste,
the messenger few steps ahead hurrying
on to the household. Nearly all the lights
have gone out In the dwellings That light
In the window is the light of the watcher,
for the medicines must be administered,
and the fever must be watched, and the
restless tossing off Of the coverlid 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 towni Whata stupendous
thought--a whole city at restI
sLRRP OF THE HONEST AND WEARY.
Weary arm preparing for tomorrow 8 toll
Hot brain being cooled off. Rigid muscles
relaxed. Excited dnervessoothed. 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 new store
Of fun and frolic Gods slumberless eye
will look. Let one great wave of refresh
ing slumber roll over the heart of the great
town, submerging care and anxiety and
| worriment and pain.
Let the city sleep. But, my friends, be
not deceived. There will be thousands to.
night who will not sleep at all Go up that
dark alley and be cautious where you
tread, lest you fall over the prostrate 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 iti "God
help us" No footlights, but tragedy
ghastlier and mightier than Ristod or Ed
win Booth ever enacted. No light, no fire,
no bread, no hope Shivering in the cold,
they have had no food for "a hours. You
say why don't they begi" They do, but
they get nothing. You say, "Why don't
they deliver themselves over to the aims
houser All, you would not ask that If you
ever heard the bitter cry Of man or child
when teld he must go to the almshouse
he xyia
poor, and therefore they do not demand our
sympathy" Are they vicious9 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. Ireply, where give 10 prayers
for the innocent who are suffering will
give 90 prayers for the guilty who are suf-
fering.
The fisherman, when he esees vessel dash
ing into the breakers, comes out from his
hut and wraps the warmest fannels around
those who are most chilled and most
bruised and most battered in the wreck,
and want you to know that these vicious
poor have had two shipwrecks- -shipwreck
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, ut is locked" No,
it is not locked; it has never been locked.
No burglar would be tempted to go in there
to steal anything Thedoor is never locked.
Only a 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, il you value your
life.
What is that red mark on the wall? It is
the mark of a murderer's handi 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. Ali this is babe; not like the
beautiful children Of your household or the
beautiful children smiling around these al
tars on baptismal day. This little one never
smiled; it never will smile. Afower flung
on an awfully barren beach. o 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. Ahl is it possible
that that young woman's SCARED and
bruised face was ever looked into by ma
ternal tendernessi 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 gone out. Do not strike an
other light. It would be mockery to kim
die another light in such place as that.
Pass out and pass down the street. Our
cities OF Brooklyn and New York and all
our great cities arc full of such homes, and