The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-12-25
REV. DIR. TAI.MAGE.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE
NOTED DIVINE.
Subject: "The Opening Winter"

Paul was not independent of the seasons.
He sent for his overcoat to Troas on mem
orable occasion. And now in the text he Is
making arrangements for the approaching
cold weather and makes an appointment
with Titus TO meet him at Necopolis. saying;
'1 have determined there to winter" Well,
this is the 9Th day of December and the sec.
shrill, sharp blasts already, fcrerunners Of
whole regiments of storms and tempests.
No one here needs to be told that we are in
the opening gates Of the winter. This season
Is not only a test Of ones physical endur-
ance, but in our great cities is q test OF
moral character. A vast number OF people
have by one winter Of dissipation been de-
stroyed, and forever. Seated in our homes
on some stormy night, the winds bowling
outside, we imagine the shipping helplessly
driven on the coast, but any winter night,
if our ears were good enough, we could
hear the crash Of a thousand moral
shipwrecks. There are many people
who come to the cities on the 1st of
September who will be blasted by the 1st OF
March. At this season Of the year tempta-
tions are especially rampant. Now that the
long winter evenings have come, there IRE
many who will employ them in high pur-
suits, In intelligent socialities. in Christian
work. in the strengthening and ennoblinR 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 it may not have
such effect, and charge you, my beloved,
look out where you spend your winter
nights. q. s.,'
In the first place, I have to remark at this
season of the year evil allurements are es-
pecially busy. There is not very much
temptation for q man to plunge In on q hot
nj ,,eli iphf frh ba
the fetid air Of an. assemblage, but in the
cold nights satan gathers great harvest.
At such times the casinos are in full blast.
At such time, the grogshops in one night
make more than in four or five nights In
summer. At such times the playoills Of low
places OF entertainment seem especially ut
. tractiYe and the acting is especially impress
sive, and the applause especially tewitching.
Many man who has kept right all the rest OF
theyear will be capsized now and though last
autumn he came from the country aud there
was luster in the eve 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:
"Wbat's the matter with that mani How
differently he looks from what he looked
last September" Slain OF one winters dis
sipation. At this time of the year there are
many entertainments. If we rightly en-
ploy them, and they are Of the right kind.
they enlarge our socialities, allow US to
make important acquaintance, build Us up
III our morals. and help US in thousand
ways. can scarcely think of anything bet
ter than good neighborhood. But there are
those entertainments from which others will
come besoiled in character. There are those
who by the springtime will be broken down
in health, and though atthe opening OF the
season their prospects were bright, ut the
close of the season they will he in
the hands Of the doctors or sleeping in the
cemetery. The certificate of death will be
made out, and the physician 10 save the
by Latin name. But the doctor knows,
and everybody else knows. they died o. too
many levees. Away with all these wine
drinking convivialities. How dare you, the
father Of family, tempt the appetites OF the
young people? Perhaps at the entertain
rnent, TO save the feelings Of the minister or
some other weak temperance man, you leave
the decanter in a side room. and only few
people are invited there to partake, but 1t is
easy enough to know when you come out, by
the glare OF your eye and the stencil of your
breath, that you have been serving the
devil. Ill,
Men sometimes excuse themselves AMI soy
after late suppers 1t is necessary to take some
sort OF stimulant to aid digestion. My plain
opinion is that il you have no more self con-
troll than to stuff yourself until your tiges-
tive organs refuse their Office you had better
not call yourself man, but class yourself
ofthe year the Young Mems Christian Asso-
Citations Of the land send out circulars asking
the pastors to speak word on this subject.
and so I sound In your ear the words OF the
Lord God Almighty, "Woe unto him that
putteth the bottle to his neighbor's lips"
Rejoice that you have come to the glad win
ter months that remind you Of the times when
IN your childhood you were shone on by
the face of father. mother, brothers. sisters,
some Of them, alas! no more to meet you
with Happy New Year" or 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 the wine
cup has been offered by the ladies, and again
and again 1t has been found out that lady's
hand has kindled the young mans thirst for
strong drink. and long after all the
attractions Of the holiday have passed
that same woman crouches in her
RAYS. and her desolation, and her
woe under the uplifted hand Of the drunken
monster to whom she had passed the fascin-
ating cup on New Years Day. If We want
to 60 to ruin. let us 70 alone and not take
others with us. Can we not sacrifice our
feelings II need be2 When the good ship
London went down, the captain was told
that he might escape In one of the lifeboats.
"No," he replied, "I'll go down with the
passengers" All the world applauded his
heroism. And can we not sacrifice our tastes
and our appetites for the rescue Of others3
Surely 1t is not very great sacrifice Oh,
mix not with the innocent beverage of the
holiday the poison of adders! Mix not with
the white sugar of the cup the snow Of this
awful leprosyi Mar not the olatter OF the
cutlery Of the festal occasion with the clank
Of a madman's chain.
Pass down the street and look into the
pawnbrokers window. Elegant watch, ele-
CANT furs. elegant flute, elegant Shoes ele-
CANT scarf. elegant BOOKS, elegant mementos.
You sometimes see people with pleased
countenances looking into such window.
When look into pawnbroker's window it
seems to me as II had looked into the win
dow of hell! To whom did that watch be-
long? TO drunkard. To whom did those
furs beionQ2 To drunkaris wife. To
whom did those shoes belong2 TO drunk
ards child. I take the three brazen balls mt
the doorway Of Il pawnbroker's shop and /
clank them together, sounding the knell of
the drupkard's soul. A pawnbroker's shop
is only one of the eddies in the great torrent
OF municipal drunkenness "Oh," says
some one, II don't ,patronize such
things. / have destroyed no young man
BY such influences. T only take ale. and
1t will take great amount Of aIe to intoxi-
cate" Yes. but / tell you Ghere is not a
drunkerd in America that did not begin with
ale Three X's--t do not know what they
mean. Three KS on the brewers dray,
three KS on the door OF the glnshop. three
KS on the side Of the bottle. Thee KS. I
asked man. He could not tell. I asked
another what was the meaning OF the three
KS. He could not tell me. Then I made
up my mind that the three Ks was an allie.