Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-04-15
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine's Sun
day Sermon.
Subject. "rhs Dark Side of City Life.

tstb"ts -oShc54o Ia q
Two grand divisions of time Tha one OF
sunlight, the other of shadow; the one for
work. the other for rest; the one a type OF
everything glad AMI beautiful, the other
used in all languages as type of sadness
and affliction and sn. These two divisions
of time may have nomenclature of human
invention, but the darkness held up its dus5y
brow to the Lord, and He baptizs ID it, the
dew dripping fro n HIS fingers as He gave it
name, "And the darkness He callei night"
Ny subject is midnight in town. The
thunder OF tia city has rollei out OF the
air. The slightest sounds cut the night
with such distlncsness as to attract your
attention. The tinkling of the bell o; the
street car in the distance and the baying
Of the dog. The stamp of horse in the
next street. The slanmiug of saloon
door. The hccou2 III 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 who
has been carrying scutt.e Of coal to that
poor family in that dark place. Here is an
undertaken going up the steps o. uiliing
from which there comes bitter cry which
indicates that the destroying angel has smit.
ten the first born. Here is a minister OF re.
Hglon who has been giving the sacrament
to dying Christian. Hero is a physician
passing along in great haste, the messen-
ger a few steps ahead hurrying on to
the household. Nearly all tue lights
have gone out In tte dwelling. That light
in tbs VIVA low is the light of the watcher.
for the medicines must be administered, and
the fever must be itched. and the restless
tossing off of the coverlid must be resisted,
AMI the ice must be kept on the hot tenn
pies, and the perpetual prayer must go up
from hearts soon to be broken. oh, the
midnight in town, What a stupenious
thought--a whole city at rest
Weary arm preparing for to-morrow's
toll. Hcs brain being cooled cff. Rigid
muscles relaxed. Excited nerves soothsd.
The white hair of the octogenar.an 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 an frolic. Gods slunbsrless eye will
look. Let one great wave OF refreshing
slumber roll over the heart OF the great
town, su5mergin3 care and anxiety AM
worriment ami pain.
Let the city sleep; but, my friends bsnot
deceived. There will be thousands tonight
who will not sleep at all. Go up that dark
alley I'd be cautious where you tread lest
you fall over the PROSTATE form of drunk
ard lying on his own doorstep. Look about
you lest you feel the garroter's hug. Look
through the broken window pane ami see
what you can see. You say, Nothing"
Then listen. What is its "(4oi 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 begf' They do, but they get nothing
You say, why don't they deliver them
selves over to the almshouse" All, you
would not ask that IL you ever heard the
tarf Of a m chill xsuh he
must 60 TO the almshouse.
"Or," you say, they are the vicious pUor,
and therefore they do not deman our sym
pathy." Are they viciousf 80 mtca moro
need they your pity, TIE Christian poor
God helps them Through their night there
twihk!es tse rouni, merry star of hopa, AMI
thrpegh the broken window pane they see
the crystals of heaven, but tue vicious poor,
they are more to be pitiei. Their last light
has gone out You excuse yourself from
helping them by saying they are so bal they
brought this trouble on themselves. re.
ply, where give 10 prayers for the inno-
cent who are suffering I viii give % prayers
for the guilty who are suif 4ring.
| The fisherman, when he sees a vessel dash.
ing into the breakers, comes out from his
| hut and wraps the warmest n annals around
1 those who are most chillei and most bruised
and most battered in the wreck. And l
want you to knew that these vicious poor
have had two snipwrec IS -shipwrecs OF the
body shipwreck of the souI-shipwreck for
time. shipwreck for eternity. Pity, by all
| means, the innocent who are suffering, but
pity more che guilty.
Pass on through the alley. Open the decr.
| tOb," you say, 'it is Locked" No, it is not
locked; it has never beer l0cked. No burglar
would be teerted to 90 in there to steal
anything. The door is never locked. Only
= broken chair stands against the deer.
7 No. - ..1- k...lr
| Now look. Besstliness and rags; See thoss
! glazing eyeballs, Be careful now what you
say. Do not utter any insult do not inter
any suspicion, II you vatl9 your life.
| What Is that red marx on the wall? 1t is
the mark Of a murderer's handl Look at
| those two eyes rising up out Of the darkness
| and out from the straw i'll 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 OF 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
awlully barren beach. o Heavenly Shep-
nerd 1old that little one in Thine armsi
wrap around you your shawl or coat
tighter, for the cod night wind sweeps
through,
strike another match. Ahlis it possible
that that young woman's SCARED and
bruised face was ever looked into by ma.
ternal tenderpessf Utter no scorn. Utter
no harsh word. No ray of hope has dawnel
on that brow for many year, No ray of
nope ever will dawn on that brow, But the
light has gons out. Do not strike another
light, IL would be mockery to kindle an.
other light in suea place as that, Pass out
and pass down the street. Our cities of
Brooklyn and New York and all our great
cities tte 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 s O'Clock you will find them
in the drinking saloon, but toward 12
o'co:k they go to their garrets, they get
out their tools, then they start on the street
Watching on either side for the police, they
60 70 their work OF darkness. This is a bur-
giaf. and the false key will soon touch the
store lock- This is an incendary, and be-
fore morning there will be a light on the
sky and cry of "Firel Firer This is an as
sassin, and tomorrow morning there will be
dead body in one of the vacant lots Dur
ing the day lime 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 cool, their
arm strong, their foot feet to fly or pursue,
they are ready.
Many of these poor creatures were brought
up in that way. They were born in a thieves
garnet. Their childish toy was burglars
dark lantern. The first thing they remem :
Der was their mother bandaging the brow of
their father, struck by the police club. They
began by robbiny boys pockets, and nov
they have come to dig the underground pas.
sage to the cellar OF the bank an are pre-
pairing to blast the gold vault.
just SO long as there are neglected chil-
dren of tho street. just so long we will have
these desperadoss Some one, wishing TO
make cool Christian point aud to quote
passage of Scripture, expecting to get a
Scriptlral passage in answer, said to one OF
these poor lads, cast out and wretched,
When your father and mother forsaks
you, who then will take you upp and the
boy said, the perlice, the perce.n
In the midnight gambling does its worst
work. What though the hours be slipping
away and though the wife bs waiting in the
cherries homes Stir up the fire. Bring on
more drinks. Put UP more stakes. That
commercial house that only little while
ago put out sign of copartnership will
this season be wrecked on a gamblers table.
There will be many n money till that will
spring leak. A Member of Congress
gambled with a Msmber-elect and won
$780, COO. The old way of getting a living Is
SO slow. The oil way of getting fortune is
50 stupid. Come, let us toss up and see VINO
shall have it. And SO the work goes on
from the wheeling wretohss pitching PEN
MES In rum grocery up to tas millionaire
gambler in the stock market.
In the midnight hour pass down the streets
OF our American cities, ami you bear the
chcA OF tns dice aud the sharp, keen tap of
the pooroon ticker. AT thess places mar
chant princes disnount, an legislators tire
OF making laws, take respite in breaking
o. them All elassss otSpeople ara robbie by
a irN ell 10