Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1895-07-06
YATES TO PERDITION.
HoWsTHEY SWING IN TO GIVE EN-
TRANCE TO THE DOOMED.

TRANCE TO THE DOOMED.
Rev. Or. Talmage on Impure Literature
the SDissolute Dance, Indiscreet Attire
and alcoholic Beverngo-Grcat Evils o
sooiety-God's Infinite Mercy.
NEW YORK, June 30.-In his sermon
for today DIR. Talmage chose a momen
tous end awful topic, "Thc Gates Of
He'll, the text selected being the fa
miliaG passage in Matthew xvi, IS, "rhe
gates.6f hell shall not prevail against
it, ~
Entranced, until we could endure nc
moresof the splendor, wo have often
gazed at the shining gates, the gates Of
pearl,lthe gates of heaven. But we are
for awhile to look in the opposite direc.
tion and see, swinging open and shut, the
gatessbf hell.
remember, when the Franco russian
war WINS going on, that stood one day
in~Panis looking at the gates of the TUT
leriessand | was SO absorbed in the
scuIptnring ut the top of the gates-the
masonry and the bronze-that I forgot
myself, and after awhile, looking down,
I sawsthat there were officers of the law
scrutinizing me, supposing no doubt
was Herman and looking at those gates
for as erse purposes. But, my friends,
we 81 il.not stand looking at the out
side II the gates of hell. In this sermon
l sh.5 tell you of both sides, and /
shaI ell you what those gates are
madtiEf. With the hammer of God s
truth shall pound on the brazen panels,
and with the lantern of Gods truth l
shailsfash a light upon the shining
hinges
Ia Mighty Cato For tho Lost.
Gate the First.-Inpure literature.
Anthony Comstock seized 20 tons Of
bad books, plates and letterpress, and
when our Professor Cochran of the Poly
technie institute poured the destructive
addison those plates they smoked in the
righteous humiliation, and yet great
dealG the bad literature of the day is
not gripped of the law. 1t is strewn in
your parlors. 1t is in your libraries.
Somepf your children read it at night
afterfhey have retired, the gas burner
swung as near as possible to their pill
low; Much of this literature is under
the title Of scientific information. A
book.agent with one of these Internal
books, CLOSED over with scientific no.
menclature, went into hotel and sold
in one day 100 copies and sold them all
to women 1t is appalling that men
and Women who can get through their
family physician all the useful infor
NATION they may need, and without any
contamination, should wade chin deep
through such accursed literature under
the plea of getting useful knowledge,
and that printing presses, hoping to be
called decent, lend themselves to this
infamy Fathers and mothers, be not
deceived by the title, medical works. "
Nineztenths of those books come hot
from 9ge lost world, though they may
have 6them the names of the publish
ing ]ocla,s of New York, Chicago and.
2Aah ]er, ss'ia Then there issall the nov
eriff. TGoI nj s-sf @tiie4uay sriilii5= o'1=7
t~es " stby = the million. AS there are
goodAG Wells that are long, so, suppose,
there may be good novels that are short,
and so there may be good novelette,,
but it is the exception. No one-mark
this-no one Systematically reads the
average novelette, of this day and keeps
either integrity or virtue. The most of
these novelties are written by broken
down literary men for small compensa-
ton, on the principle that, having fail
ed in literature elevated and pure, they
hope to succeed i'll the tainted and nasty.
Oh, this is wide gate of hell Every
panel is made out of n bad book or
newspaper Every hinge is the inter
joined type Of corrupt printing press
Every bolt or lock of that gate is made
out of the plate of an unclean pictorial
In other words, there arc million men
and women in the United States today
reading themselves into hell!
When III one of our cities a prosperous
family fell into ruins through the mis-
deeds of one of its members, the amazed
mother said to the officer of the law:
"Why, never supposed there was any
thing wrong. Inever thought there could
be anything wrong" Then she sat weep
ing i'll silence for some time and said:
ooh, I have got it now! know, l
know I found in her bureau after she
went away Il bad book. That's what
slew her. :" These leprous booksellers
have gathered up the catalogues of all
the male and female seminaries in the
United States, catalogues containing the
names and residences of all the students,
and circulars of death are sent to every
one, without any exception. Can you
imagine anything more beautiful? There
is not young person, male or female,
or all old person, who has not had offer
ed to him or her bad book or bad
picture. Scour your house to find out
whether there are any of these adders
coiled on your parlor center table, or
cooled amid the toilet set on the dressing
case adjure you before the sun goes
down to explore your family libraries
with an memorable scrutiny. Remember
that ono bad book or bad picture may do
the work for eternity. l want to arouse
all your suspicious about novelties. L
want to put you Oh the watch against
everything that may seem like surrepti-
tious correspondence through the post
Office I want you to understand that
impure literature is one of the broadcast,
highest, mightiest gates of the lost
Improper Dancing.
Gate the Second. The dissolute dance
You shall not divert to the general sub
ject Of dancing. Whatever you may
think Of the parlor dance or the method
ic motion of the body to sounds of mu-,
sic in the family or the social circle,