The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-04-10
MIDNIGHT IN THE TOWN.
TALMAGB DRAWS a VIVID WORD
PICTURE OF THE HOUR.

the Carnival Time of Crime-The
Gaming Table and the Drinking Sa-
loon in Fun Blsst-A Life in Five
| Acts.
BRooRLYN. April 9.-Rev. DR.. Talmsge
chose for his sermon to-day theme OF uni
versal interest-tho dark side Of social life
in our great cities. The text chosen as the
basis of q most graphic discourse was
Genesis l., 5: "And the darkness no 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 a type Of
everything glad and beautiful, the other
used In all languages as type Of sadness
and atfliotion and sin. These two divisions
we're made by the Lord himself. Other
divisions Of time may have nomenclature OF
human invention, but the darkness held up
its dusky brow TO the Lord and he baptized
1t. the dew dripping from his fingers as lie
| gave it q name--"And the darkness he
called night" My subj eot is midnight in
town. The thunder Of the city has rolled
out OF the air. Tho slightest sounds cut the
night with such dlstinctness as to attract
| your attention. The tinkling OF the bell Of
| tho street car in the distance and the baying
of the dog. The stamp of a horse in tina
next street The slamming of q saloon
door. The hiocough Of the drunkard. The
shrieks of the steam whistle five miles away.
| o, how suggestive, my friends; midnighb
| In town.
There are honest men passing up and
| down Shs street. Here is a city missionary
who has beon 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 bitter
cry, which indicateS that the destroying
angel has smitten the frst-born. Here is a
minister Of religion who has been giving
| the sacrament to dying Christian. Here
| is physician passing along In great haste,
the messenger "a few steps ahead hurrying
on 90 the household. Nearly all the lights
have gone out In the dwellings. The light
| in tho window Is the light Of the watcher,
for the medicines must be administered,
and the fever must be watched, and the
restless tossing Of the coverlid must be
resisted, and the ice must be kept on tho
hot temples, and the perpetual prayer must
go up from hearts soon to be broken. OF
the midnight In town. What a stupendous
| thought-A whole city at rest
Weary arm preparing for to-morrow's
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 fnlleu. Childhood with its
| dimpled hands thrown out on the pillow,
and with every breath taking in new
store OF fun and frolic. GODS slumberlesB
eye will look. Let one great wave of re-
freshing slunbsr 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 mt glapu n all (10 nm that
dark alley, aud be cautious whereyou tread,
lest yon fall over the PROSTATE form of
| drunkard lying on his own door step. Look
about you, lest you feel the garroter's hug.
Look through the broken window pane aud
see what you can see. You say, Nothing
Then listen. What is it2 "God help usw
| No footlights, but tragedy ghastlier aud
rnightier than Ristori or Edwin Booth ever
enacted. No light, no FIRE, no bread, no hope.
! Shiverlng in the cold, they have had no food
| for twenty-four hours. You say, "Why
don't they begp They do, but they get
nothing. You soy, why, don't they de.
liver themselves over 20 the aims houssp
All you would not ask that IL you ever
heard the bitter cry OF man or a child
when told he must 20 to the aims house.
20" you say, they are the vicious poor,
and therefore they do not demand our sym
| pathy.n Are they viciouss So much more
| need they your pity. TIE Christian poor,
wrinkles the round, merry star Of hope, and
thorough the broken window-pane they see
| the crystals OF heaven but the vicious poor,
they are more to bo pitied. Their last light
has gone out. Yeu excuse yourself from
helping them by saying they are 80 bad, 4,
| they brought this trouble on themselves.
| reply, where | give ten prayers for the in
nocent who are suffering | will give twenty
prayer for the guilty who are suffering.
| The fisherman. when he sees vessel dagh-
| ing into the breakers, comes out from his
| hut aud wraps the warmest tlannels around
! those who are most chilled aud mest bruised
| and most battered in the wreck and want
| you to know that these vicious poor have
had two shipwTecks-shipw Of the body,
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 tho
door. "O," you ssy, lit is locked" No,
it is not locked; 1t has never been locked.
No burglar would bo tempted to go In there
to steal anything. The door is never locked.
Only q broken chair stands against the
door. Shove il back. Go IN. Strike
match Now, look. Beastliness and rags.
See those glartng 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 walll
1t is tho mark Of murderer's handl 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 babe, not like the
beautiful children OF your household, or the
beautiful children smiling around these
altars on baptismal day. This little one
never smiled; it never will smile. A flower
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 cold night
wind sweeps through.
Strike another match. All is it possible
that that young womsn's SCARED aud
bruised face was ever looked into by ma
ternal tendernessl 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 another
light. 1t would be a mockery to kindle an
other light in such place as that. Pass QUO
and pass down the street. Our cities of
Brooklyn and New York and all our great
cities are full Of such homes, aud the worst
time the midnight.
Do you know il Is in the midnight that
criminals do their worst workl
At half-pass eight o'clock you will
and them in the drinking saloon.
but toward twelve o'clock they go to
their garrets, they get out their tools
then they start on the street Watching n
-Nak.- = -.