Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1895-12-14
THE OPENING WINTER
REV. DR.. TALMAGE's SERMON AT THE
METROPOLITAN.

REV. DR.. TALMAGE'S SERMON AT THE
METROPOLITAN.
beware OF the Special Achievements Of the
Season Parents should Make Home At.
traetise-Arm the Young Against Temp
tasion.- RUNS Horrors.
WASHINGTON. dee. s.-Tuday DIR. Tai
mage CHOSE "a the subject ~ his sermon
The Opening Winter" Although the
cold comes earlier or later. according e
the latitude. this sermon Is sOuncr or later
a. appropriate everywhere a. IL l. In Wash.
ington. The text selected will BE- found In
Titus III. IL. Il have determined thcre 70
winter"
Paul WINS mot independent ~ the SEASONS
lie sent for his oycrcoat to Trnas on a
memorable occasion And now In the text
he l. making arrangements for the ap-
preaching cold weather and makes an up
polntment with Titus in mcct him Mt Ne
copolis. saying. 81 have determined there tc
winter. Well. this Is the sih day Of DE
ccmbcr and the second Sabbath Of winter.
We have had few shrill. sharp blasts al.
ready, forcrunncrs Of whole regiments OF
storms and iempests. No one here needs
10 be told that we are in the opening gates
Of the winter. This season i not only q
test Of ones physical endurance. but in
our great cities Il u test of moral charnc.
ter. 4 vast number Of people have by one
winter Of dissipation been destroyed. and
forever. Seated In our homes ON some
stormy night. the winds bowling outside,
we imagine the shipping hclplcssly driven
on the coast, hut any winter night. II our
ears were good enough. we could hear the
crash Of thousand moral shlpwrccks
There are many people who came To the
cities ON the LIST of September who will be
blasted by the LIST of March. At this sea.
son Of the year temptations are especially
rampant. Now that the long winter even
ings have come there are many who will
employ them In high pursuits, Intelligent
socialities, In Christian work, In the
strengthening and ennobling of moral
character, and this winter TO many Of You
will be the brightest and the best of all
your lives, and In anticipation congratu-
late you. But TO Others IL may not have
such effect, and charge you, my beloved,
look out where you spend your winter
nights.
Evil AIlurements.
In the first place, have to remark that
at this season of the year the evil allure
ments are especially busy. There is not
very much temptation for a man TO plunge
In ON hot night amid blazing gaslights
and to breathe the fetid air of an assem-
blagc, but in the cold nights satan gathers
great harvest. At such times the ca
sinos are In full blast At such times the
fsshn In nnA MI nlsa thnt,
In four or five nights In summer. At such
times the playbills of low places of enter
tainmcnt seem especially attractive. and
the netting Is especially impressive and the
applause especially bcwitching. Many n
man who has kept right all the rest of the
year will be capsizcd now, and though last
autumn he came from the country, and
there was lustcr In the eye, and there were
roses In the cheek and elasticity In the
step, by the time the spring hour has come
you will pass him in the street and say to
your friend: Whats the matter with that
man: How differently he looks from
what he looked last September" Slain
Of one winters dissipation. At this time
Of the year there are many entertainments.
II we rightly employ them and they arc
Of the right kind, they enlarge our social
ancc, build us up In our morals and help
us In a thousand ways. / can scarcely
think Of anything better than good neigh
borhood. But there are those entertain
ments from which others will como bcsoil-
ed in character. There are those who by
the springtime will be broken down in
health, and. though Mt the opening OF the
season their prospects were bright, ut the
al - l.. 4.
hands Of the doctors or sleeping In the
cemetery. The certificate of dcaih will be
made out, and the physician, to save the
feelings Of the family. will call the disease
by Latin name. But the doctor knows,
and everybody else knows they died OF too
many lcvccs. Away with all these wine
drinking convivialitics. How dare you.
the father Of n family. tempt the appetitcs
OF the young people. Perhaps at the en-
tertainment. 10 save tho feelings Of the
minister or some other weak temperance
man, you leave the decantcr in side
room, and only n few people are invited
there TO partake, hut 1t is easy enough 10
know when You come out by the glare Of
your eye and the stencil Of your brcath that
you have been serving the devil
Practice Self Control.
Men sometimes excuse themselves and
say after late suppcrs Ii Is necessary 10
take some sort of stimulant To- aid diges-
ton. My plain opinion Is tat II you have
no more self control than to stuff yourself
until your digestive organs refuse their
Office you had better not call yourself a
man, but class yourself among the beasts
that perish. At this season of the year the
Young Mems Christian associations of the
land send out circulars asking the pastors
TO speak word on this subject, and so
sound in your ear the words of the Lord
God Almighty, Woe unto him that put.
teth the bottle TO his ncighbor' lips" Re.
ioice that you have come To the glad win
ter months that remind you Of the times
when In your childhood you were shonc on
by the face of father, mother. brothers, sis
tiers, some Of them, alas no more to meet
you with a Happy New Year, or a
Merry Christmas. But again and again
have we seen ON New Years day the sons
Of some Of the best families drunk, and
young men have excused themselves by the
fact that tho wine cup has been offered by
the ladies, and again and again IL has been
found out that IA lady's hand has kindlcti
the young mans thirst for strong drink,
and long after all the attractions VI The
crouches in her rags, and her dcsolation,
and her woe under the uplifted hand of the
drunken monster To- whom sh" had passed
the fascinating cup on New Years day
II we want to 60 To ruin let III 90 alone
and not take Others with us Can we not
sacrifice our feelings II need be-! When
the good ship London went down, the cap
tain was told that he might escape in one
Of the lifeboats. NO, " he replied, I'm go
down with the passengers All the world
applaudcd his hcroism. And can we not
sacrifice our tastes and our appctitcs for
the rescue Of others. surely ii Is not a very
great sacrifice. Oh, mix not with the in
nocent beverage Of the holiday the poison
Of addersl Mix not with the white sugar
Of the cup the snow Of this awful leprosy !
Mar not the chatter Of the cutlery of the
festal occasion with the clank of "a mad.
mans chain!
Pass down tho street and look into the
pawnbrokcr's window Elegant watch.
elegant furs, elegant flute, elegant shoes,
elegant scarf, elegant books, clegan: me
mentocs. You sometimes sec people with