Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1893-04-21
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine'S Sun.
day Sermon.
Subject: "The Dark Side of City Life"

Two grant divisions of time. Tbs one OF
sunlight, the other of shadow; the one for
worS. the other for rest; the one a type of
everything glad and beautiful the other
used in sill languages as a typo of sadness
and sf1lictcn and sin. These two divisions
OF time may have nomenclature OF human
invention. but the darkness beli up its dusky
brow to the Lord, anil He baptz I'd it, the
dew dr,pp Dg fro n His fingers as He gave it
I 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 tinkling of the bell OF the
| street car in the distance and the baylng
of the dog. The stamp of horse in ths
next street. The slammiug OF a saloon
| door. The hiccough of the druukard. The
shrieks of the steam whistles five miles
away. o., how suggestive, my friends
midnight in town.
There are honest men passing up and down
the street. Here is a city missionary wao
has been carrying scuttle of coal to that
poor family in that dark place. Here is an
undertaken going up the steps OF building
from which there comes bitter cry which
indicates that the destroying angel has smit-
| ten the first born. Here is a minister of re-
ligion who has been giving the sacrament
to dying Christian. Here is a physician
passing along in great haste. tbs messen-
ger few steps ahead hurrYing on to
the household. Nearly all the lights
have gone out in the dwelling: 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 cover1id must be resisted,
and the ice must be kept on the hot tenn
Piles, and the perpetual prayer must go up
| from hearts soon to be broken. Oh, the
midnight in town. What stupendous
thought-a whole city at restl
Weary arm preparing for to-morrow's
toll. Hot brain being cooled OF. Rigid
muscles relaxed. Excited nerves soothed.
The white hair of the octogenarIan in thin
drifts across tho pillow, fresh fall OF flakes
on snow already fallen. Childhood with its
dimpled hands thrown out on thepillow, and
with every breath taking in a 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 AMI
worriment 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 aud be cautious where you tread lest
you fall over the PROSTATE form of drunk
/
you lest you feel the garroter's hug. Look
through the broken window pane and sea
what you con see. You say, Nothing"
Then listen. What is itS "God help usr'
No footlights, but tragedy ghastlier and
mightier than Ristori or Edwin Booth ever
enacted No light no fire, no bread, no
hope. Shivering in the cold, they have had
no foo for "a hours. You say, why don't
they beg?' They do, but they. get nothing
You say, "Why don't they deliver them
selves over to the almshouseT All, you
would not ask that If you ever heard the
bitter cry Of man or a child when told he
must go to the almshouse.
"Oh," you say, "they are the vicious poor,
and therefore they do not demand our sym
pathy." Are they viciousP 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 pitie1. Their last light
has gone out. You excuse yourself from
helping them by saying they are SO bad they
brought this trouble on themselves. re-
ply, where give 10 prayers for the inno-
cent who are suffering will give % prayers
for the guilty who are suffering.
The fisherman, when he sees vessel dash
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 sbipwrecks -shipwreck of the
boiy, shipwreck Of the soul-shipwreck for
time. shipwreck for eternity. Pity, by all !,
means, the innocent who are suffering, but
pity more the guilty.
Pass on through the alley. Open the door.
"Ob," you say, lit is locked" No, it is not
locked; it has never been locked. No burglar
would be tempted to go in there to steal
anything. The door 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 thoss
glaring eyeballs. Be careful now what you
say. Do not utter any insult, do not inter
any suspicion, if you valus your life.
What is that red mark on the WALTZ It is
the mark of murderer's hand Look at
those two eyes rising up out of the darkness
and out from the straw in the corner COM
ing toward you, and as they come near you
your light goes out. Strike another match.
All! this is babe, not like the beautiful
children of your household, Oh the beautiful
children smiling around these affairs on bap-
tismal day. This little one never smiled; it
never will smile. A flower flung on an
awiuliy barren beach. o Heavenly Shep-
nero Iold that little one in Thine arms
Wrap around you your shawl or coat
tighter, for the cod night wind sweeps
through.
Strike another match. Ali is it possible
that that young woman's Scared and
brusel face was ever looked into by ma
ternal tendernessS Utter no scorn. Utter
no harsh word. No ray of hope has dawnej
on that brow for many a year. No ray Of
hN1 .xr,fn Il hot h,.Ov - kba
light has gone out. Do not strike another
light. 1t would be mockery to kindle an.
other 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 are full of such homes, and the worst
time the midnight. Do you know it is in
The midnight that criminals do their worst
work?
At half past o'clock you will find them
in the drinking saloon, but toward -
o'c.ock they 60 to their garrets, they get
out their tools, then they start on the street.
Watching on either side for the police, they
go to their work Of darkness. This isa bur-
glar, and the false key will soon touch the
store lock- This is an incendiary, and be-
fore morning there will be a light on the
sky and cry of Fire! Firep This is an as
sassD, and tomorrow morning there will be
a dead body in one of the vacant lots. Dur
ing the daytime these villains in our cities
lounge about, some asleep and some awake,
but when the third watch of the night ar
rives, their eye keen, their brain coo', their
arm strong, their foot feet to fly or pursua,
they are ready.
Many of these poor creatures were brought
up in that way. They were born in thieves
garrett Their childish toy was burglars
dark lantern. The 1rst thug they renen-
Der was their mother bandagiDg the brow of
their father, struck by the police club. They
began by robbiny boys pockets, ami now
they have come to dig the underground pas
IL. Ii ii ma