The Globe-republican., 1894-04-13
STRANGERS IN TOWN.
DR.. Talmage Dircourses on the
Dangers That Beset Them.
How sunday Is Spent In the Great Metrop-
Osis-A Man Cannot Afford to Break
the Sabbath Effects OF
Summing.

subject OF the dangers That attend the
strangers that visit the great cities
either for business or pleasure. His
text was from Matthew XIV. 35: Il was
stranger and We took me in. = The
noted preacher said: =
1t is moral disaster that jocosity
has despoiled SO many passages of
Scripture. and my text is one that has
suffered from irreverent and misap-
piled quotation. 1t shows great poverty
Of wit and humor when people
take the sword of divine truth
for a game at fencing, or chip
off from the Kohinoor diamond
o. inspiration sparkle to decorate
fools cap My text is the salutation
in the last judgment to be given to
those who have shown hospitality,
and kindness, and Christian hopeful
ness. to strangers. BY railroad and
steamboat the population of the earth
are all the time in motion. and from
one years end 30 another our cities are
crowded with visitors. Every morning
on the tracks of the Hudson River, the
Pennsylvania. the Erie, the Long Island
railroads there come passenger trains
more than ! can number, SO that
ali the depots and the wharves
are a-rumble and a-clang with the
coming in of 4 great immigration of
strangers. Some Of them come for
purposes OF barter. some for meci:an-
ism. some for artistic qualification.
some for sightseeing. a great many
of them GO out on the evening trains.
and consequently the city makes but
little impression upon them: but there
are multitndes who, in the hotels and
boarding houses, make temporary res
idence. They tarry here for three or
four days, or as many weeks. They
spend the days in the stores and the
evenings in sightseeing. Their tenn
porary stay will make or break them,
not only financially, but morally, for
this world and the world that is to
come. Multitudes OF them come into
our morning and evening services
am conscious that l stand in the pres
ence of many this moment l desire
more especially to speak to them.
There have glided into this house
those unknown to others. whose his
tory, ii told, would be more thrilling
than the deepest tragedy. more eXcit-
ing than PATHS song. more bright
than a spring morning, more awful
than a wintry midnight. If they could
stand up here and tell the story of
their escapes. and their temptations.
and their bereavements. and their dis
asterS. and their victories. and their
lnf, 1. l.. 1.
such IA commingling OF groans and ac
CARNATIONS as would make the place
uncomfortable.
There is man, who, in infancy. lay
in a cradle satin-lined. Out yonder is
a man who was picked up, founding
on Boston common. Here is "a man
who is COOL observing this religious
service, expecting no advantage and
caring for no advantage for himself
while yonder is a man who has been
for ten years in an awful onfiagration
of evil habits, and he is a mare cinder
of destroyed nature. and he is won
dering If there shall be in this service
any escape or help for his immortal
soul Meeting you only once, perhaps,
face to face. | strike hands with YOU i'm
an earnest talk about your present
condition. and your eternal well being.
St. Pauls ship at Melita went to pieces
where two seas met: but we stand to-
day at point where a thousand seas
converge. and eternity alone can tell
the issue of the hour.
The hotels of this country, for beauty
and elegance, are not surpassed by the
hotels in any other land: but those that
are most celebrated for brilliancy of
tapestry and mirror cannot give to the
guest any costly apartment unless he
can afford a parlor in addition to his
lodging. The stranger, therefore, will
generally find assigned to him a room
without any pictures. and perhaps any
rocking chair! He will find box of
matches on a bureau. and an old news
paper left by n previous occupant,
and that will be about all
the ornamentation. At o'clock
in the evening. after having
taken his repast, he will look over mis-
memorandum book of the days work:
he will write letter to his home. and
then desperation will seize upon him
to get out You hear the great city
laundering under your windows. and
you say: II must join that procession"
aud in ten minutes you have joined it
Where are you going? 'Oh, you say.
81 haven't made up my mind yet
Better make up your mind before you
start. Perhaps the very way you go
now YOU will always go. Twenty years
ago there were two young men who
came down the Astor house steps. and
started out in a wrong direction where
they have been going ever since.
We'll. where are you going?" says
one man." Il am going to the Acad-
emy to hear some music" Good. /
would like to join you at the door. At
the tap of the orchestral baton all the
gates of harmony and beauty will open
before your soul l congratulate you.
Where are you going? Well" you
say. Il am going up to see some adver-
tised pictures" Good. / should like
to go along with you and look over the
same catalogue and study with you