Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-12-13
THE COMING SEASON.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE ON THE LESSONS
OF WINTER.

A Sermon Appropriate to Cold Weather.
Temptations of the Long Evenings-The
Duties Of Old and Young-An Eloquent
Peroration.
WASHINGTON, Dec. S.-TOday Or.
Talmage chose as the subject Of his SER
mon "The Opening Winter" Although
the cold comes earlier or later, accord
ing to the latitude, this sermon is sooner
or later as appropriate everywhere as it
| is in Washington. The text selected will
be found in Titus iii, 12, Il have de-
termined there to winter. "
Paul was not independent of the sea-
sons. He sent for his oyercoat to Troas
on a memorable 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, 81 have deter
mined there to winter" Well, this is
the 9Th day of December and the second
Sabbath of winter. We have had few
shrill, sharp blasts already, forerunners
Of whole regiments Of storms and tenn
pests. No one here needs to be told that
we are in the opening gates of the win
ter. This season is not only test OF
ones physical endurance, but in our
great cities is a test Of moral character.
A 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 help
lessly driven on the coast, but any win
tor night, If our ears we're good enough,
we could hear the crash Of a thousand
moral shipwrecks. There are many peo-
pie who came to the cities on the 1st Of
| September who will be blasted by the
ist Of March. At this season Of the year
temptations are especially rampant.
| Now that the long winter evenings have
come, there are many who will employ
them in high pursuits, in intelligent So
cialities, 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 1
congratulate you. But to others it may
not have such effect, and charge you,
my beloved, look out whore you spend
your winter nights
Evil Allurements,
In the first place, l have to remark
that at this season Of the year evil al
lurements are especially busy. There is
not very much temptation for man to
plunge in on hot night amid blazing
gaslights, and to breathe the fetid air Of
an assemblage, but in the cold nights
satan gathers a 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 playbills Of
low places Of entertainment seem espe-
cially attractive, and the acting is espe-
cially impressive, and the applause es-
pecially bewitching. Many man who
has kept right all the rest Of the year
will be capsized now, and though last
autumn he came from the country and
there was luster 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 man1 How differently
he looks from what he looked last Sep
tember." Slain Of one winters dissipa-
tion. 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 in our morals, and help us
in a thousand ways. l can scarcely think
Of anything better than good neighbor-
hood. 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 at the opening Of the
season their prospects were bright, at
the close Of the season they will be in
the hands Of the doctors or sleeping in
the cemetery. The certificate Of death
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 leyees. Away
with all these wine drinking convivial-
tiles how dare you, the father Of
family, tempt the appetites Of the young
people? Perhaps at the entertainment,
to save the feelings Of the minister or
somc other weak temperance man, you
leave the decanter in a side room, and
only few people are invited there to
partake, but it is easy enough to know
when you come out, by the glare of your
eve and the stencil Of your breath, that
you have been serving the devil
The Evil Of Appetite.
Men sometimes excuse themselves and
say after late suppers it is necessary to
tax some sort Of stimulant to aid di-
esstion. Ny plain opinion is that If you
have no moro self control than to stun
yourself until your digestive organs re-
fuse their Office you had better not call
Yourself q man, but class yourself among
the beasts that perish. At this season OF
the year the Young Mems Christian as
sooiations Of the land send out circulars
asking the pastors to speak a word on
this subject, and so 1 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 winter months
that remind you Of the times when m
your childhood you were shone on BY
the face Of father, mother, brothers, sis
ters. 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 sgain It has been found out
that Q iady'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 crouohes
m her rags, and her desolation, and her