Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1894-04-20


and tho police attend to the exploration Of
Rev York and underground life. You dc
not go to smallpox hospital for the pur
pose of exploration. You do not 60 ther'
because you are afraid of contagion. AND
yet you go into the presence Of a moral lep
rosy that Is as much more dangerous to you
as the death OF the soul IS worse than death
OF the body. I will undertake TO say that
nine-tenths OF the men who have been ruined
IL our cities have been ruined by simply
going to observe without any idea of partici-
pating. The fact is that underground city life
Is filthy, fuming, reeking, pestiferous depth
which blasts the eye that looks at it. In tho
reign ofterror in 1892 in Paris people escap-
ing from the officers of the law got into the
sewers OF the city and crawied and walked
through miles Of that awful labyrinth, stifed
with the atmosphere and almost dead, some
of them, when they came out tC the river
Seine, where they washed themselves and
again breathed the fresh air. But have to
tell you that great many Of the men who go
on the work Of exploration through the IN
dergrOund cutters of New York lifo never
come out at any Seine River where they
can wash off the pollution of the moral
sewerage. Stranger, if ono of the represen-
tatives Of q commercial establishment pro-
poses to take you and show you the "sights"
Of the town and underground New York, say
to him, "Please, sir, what part do you pro-
pose to show me?"
About sixteen years ago as a minister Of
religion l felt had divine commission to
explore the infquities of our cities. did not
ask counsel of my session or my presbytery
or of the newspapers, but asking the com
pantOnShip OF three prominent police officials
and two Of the elders of my church un-
rolled my commission, and 1t said "Son of
man, dig into the wall. And when 1 had
digged into the wall behold a door, and He
said go In and see the wicked denominations
that are done here. And went in and saw
and beholdw Brought up In the country
and surrounded by much paternal care, T
had not until that time seen the haunts of
iniqutty. By the grace of God defended,
had never sOwed my "wild oats.
I had somehow been abs to tell from
various sources something about the iniqui-
ties ofthe great cities and to preach against
them, but saw in the destruction Of great
multitude of the people that there must be
an 1nfatuatiOn and a temptation that had
never been spoken about, ana L said, 81 will
explore" [ saw thousands Of men going
down, and if there had been a spiritual per-
cussiOn answering to the physical percussion
the whole air would have been full of the
rumble and roar and crack and thunder of
the demolition, and this moment, If We
should pause in our service, we should hear
the crash, crash Just as in the sicklY sea-
son you sometimes hear the bell at the gate
of the cemetery ringing almost incessantly,
so I found that the bell ut the gate of tho
cemetery where ruined souls are buried was
tolling by day and tolling by night. 1 said,
81 will explore
went rs physician goes into n fever
lazaretO to see what practical and useful in
formation 1 might get. That would be
foolish doctor who would stand outside the
door of an invalid writing Il Latin prescrip-
ton. When the lecturer in q medical col
lege is done with his lecture, he takes the
students into the dissocting room, and he
shows thom the reality. I went and saw
and como forth to my pulpit to report a
plague and to tell how sin dissects the body
and dissects the mind and dissects the soul.
"Oh," say you, care you not afraid that in
consequence of such exploration of the ini-
quties of the city other persons might make
exploration and do themselves damage?' I
reply: eff in company with tho commits
siOnGr of police, and the captain of police,
and the inspector of police and the COM
pany of two Christian gentlomen, and not
with the spirit Of curiosity, but that you may
see sin in order the better to combat it, then,
in tho name of the eternal God, go? But, if
not, then stay away"
Wellington, standing in tho battle of
WaterlooO when the bullets were buzzing
around his head, saw a civilian on the field.
He said to him "Sir what are you doing
here? Be off, "Why," replied tho civilian,
''there is no more danger here for me than
there is for you" Then Wellington flushed
up and said, "God and my country demand
that l bo here, but you have no errand here
Now l, as an officer in the army of Jesus
Christ, went on that exploration and on to
that battlefield. If you bear like commis-
sion, go. If not, stay away. But you say,
''DOn't you think that somehow the descrip-
tion of those places induces people to go and
see for themselves?' l answer yes, just as
much as the description of yellew fever in
some scourged city would induce people to
go down there and get the pestilence.
But may be addressing some stranger
already destroyed. Where is he, that [ may
pontedly yet kindly address him2 Come
back and wash in the deep fountain of a
SaviOur's mercy. L do not give you a cup,
or a chalice, or pitcher with u limited sup
ply to effect your ablutiOns. | point you to
the five oceans of Gods mercy Oh, that the
Atlantic and Pacific surgos of divine forgive
ness might roll over your soul AS the glori-
Gus sun of Gods forgiveness rides on toward
the mid heavens ready to submerge you in
warmth and light and love [ bid you good
morning. Morning of peace for all your
troubles. Morning Of liberation for all your
incarcerations Morning of resurrection for
your soul buried in sin. Good morning !!
Morning for the resuscitated household that
has been waiting for your return. Morning
for the cradle and the crib already diSgraced
with being that Of a drunkards child. Morn
ing for the daughter that has trudged off
to hard work because you did not take care
or fifty years has the wrinkled face, and tho
stopped shoulder, and the white hair. Morn
ing for one. Morning for all. Good morn
ing In Gods name, good morning
In our last dreadful war the Federals and
the Comic lerates were encamped on opposite
sides of the Rarpahannook, and one morn
ing the brass band of the northern troops
played the national air, AMI all the northern
troops cheered and choer5d. Then on the
opposite side OF the RappahannOck the brass
band ofthe COnFederates played My Mary
land" and 'DiXie," and then all the south
ern troops cheered and cheered. But after
awhile one of the bands struck up "Home,
Sweet Home" and the band on tho opposite
side Of tho river took up the strain, and
when the tune was done tie COnfederates
and the Feierals all together united as the
tears rolled down their checks in ono great
huzza, huzza
Well, my friends, heaven comes very near
to-day. 1t II only a stream that divides US:
the narrow steam of death, and the voices
there and the voices hero Seom to cOmmln-
gle, and we jointrumpetS and hOsannahs and
hallelujahS, and the chorus of united song
of earth and heaven IS Home, Sweet Home.
Home of bright domestic circle on earth.
Home Of forgiveness in tho great heart of
God. Home OF eternal rest in heaven. Home
Homo! Home!
But suppose you arc standing on a crag
of the mountain and on tho edge of prect-
pice, and all unguarded, and some one
either in joke or hate shall run up behind
you and push you off. 1t is easy enough to
push you off. But who would do SO das-
hardly deed! Why, this is done every hour
of every day and every hour OF every night.
Men come to the verge OF city life and say
''Now, we will just look off. Come, young
young man, do not be afraid. Come near
let US look of" He comes to the edge and
looks and looks until, after awhile, satan
sneaks up behind him and puts hand OF
each of his shoulders and pushes him off
Society says 1t is evil proclivlty on the part
of that young man. Oh, no! He was sim.
ply an explorer and sacrificed his life in dis.
covery.
A young man comes in from the country
Dragging that nothing can do him any harm.
He knows about all the tricks of city life.
"Why," he says, "did not receive circu.
lar in the country telling me that somehow
they found out I was sharp business man
of - mail or oh