Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1893-04-15
THE DARK SIDE.
DR.. Talmage Discourses on Social
Life in Our Cities.
Tho Wickcincss of the Midnight Hour In
Tswn-The Sorrows of the Vicious
Poor The Thieves. Drunk
ards and Gamblers.

Genesis !. !: And the darkness III
called night" DR.. Talmage said:
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 beau
tiful. the other used in all languages rs
a type of sadness and afiiiction and sin
Those two divisions were made ny th'
Lord himself. Other divisions OF time
NAV have nomenclature of human in
yention. but the darkness held up it,
dusliy brow to the Lord and he bap
tizcd IL, the dew dropping from his
fingers rs he gave il n.iinc--''and the
darkness he called night My subject
is midnight in town. The thunder
OF the city rolled out of the air. The
slightest sounds cut the night with
such dist;nctnc,, rs to- attract your
attention. The tiriiiing of the
bell Of the street car in the
distance. and the baying of the
dog. The stamp Of Il horse in the
next street. The slalnming of II saloon
door. The hiccough of the drunkard.
The shricks OF the steam whistle five
miles away. Oh. how Suggestive, my
friends: midnight in town.
There are honest men passing mp and
down the street. Here is city mis-
sionarv who has been carrying scut-
.lc of coal to that poor family in that
dark place. Here is an Undertaken go
ing ND the steps of Il building from
which there comes bitter cry which
,u,licatcs that the destroying angel has
snittcn the first born. Here is Il min
lister of religion who has been giving
the sacrament TO a dying Christian.
Here IS Il physician passing along in
great haste. the messenger few steps
ahead hurrving on to the household.
Nearly all the lights have gone out in
the dwellings That light in the win
dow is the light of the watcher. Oh.
the midnight in town, What stupen-
dous thought--a whole city ut rest.
let the city sleep. But, my friends.
be not deceived. There will be thou
sands tonight who will not sleepat all.
Go up that dark alley, and be cautious
where You tread. lest You fall over the
uros,rate form of a drunkard lying on
his own doorstep. Look about You. lest
Won feel the garroters hug. Look
through the broken window-pane. and
see what YOU can see. You say. Moth
my" Then listen. What is it? God
help u.s." No footiights. but tragedy
phastlier and mighticr than Ristor! or
Edwin Booth ever enacted. No light
no fire. no bread. 10 hope. Shivering
in the cold they lave had no food for
fwcnty-four hours. You say. "Why
don, they beg" They do, but they
gel nothing. You shy. why don't they
deliver themselves over to the aims
house," All. YOU would not ask that if
Won ever heard the bitter cry of man
or a child when told he must go to the
alnshousc.
oh" You say. they are the vicious
moor. and therefore they do not demand
our sympathy" Are they vicious? 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
Door they are more to be pitied. Their
last light has gone out. You excuse
Yourself from helping them saying they
are so bad they brought this trouble on
themselves. Ircply. where give ten
prayers for the innocent who are suf-
fering will give twenty prayers for
the guilty who are suffering.
Pass on through the alley. Open the
door. "Oh," You say, lit is locked =
No. it is not locked it has never been
locked. No burglar would be tempted
to 90 there to steal anything. The
door is never locked. Only broken
chair stands against the door Shove it
back. Go in. Strike II match. Now
look. Beastliness and rags. See those
glaring eyeballs. lie careful now what
YOU say. DO not utter any insult: do not
utter any suspicion If You value your
Tie. What is that red mark on the
wall? II is the mark of Il murderer S
hand, Look ut those two eyes rising
nm ont of the darkness and out from
the straw in the cnrner. coming toward
You. and rs they come toward you your
tight goes out. Strike another match.
All, this is n babe: not like the beauti-
ful children OF your household, or the
beautiful children smiling around these
aitars OF baptismal day. This little
one never smiled; it never will smile.
Oh, Heavenly Shepherd, fold that little
. one in thy arms.
Strike another match. All! is it
possible that that young woman's
Scared and bruised face was ever
Looked into by maternal tenderness?
Utter no scorn. Utter no harsh word.
No ray of hope has dawned on that
brow for many year. No ray OF hope
e. will ever dawn on that brow.
DO you know it is in the midnight
, <y,,t criminals do their worst work?