The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-01-10
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE NOTED DIyINEs SUNDAY
DISCOURSE.
Subjects "Tho Opening winter"

making arrangements for the approaching
cold weather and makes an appointment
with Titus 20 meet him nc Necnp0lis saving.
- have determined there 90 winter" We'll.
this Is the S,h dayo December and the sec.
ond Sabbath Of winter. We have had a few
shrill, sharp blasts already, forerunners OF
whole regiments OF storms and tempests
No one here needs 20 be told that we are In
the opening gates Of the winter This season
s not only test Of ones physical endur-
anoe, but In our great cities Is a 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
n our ears were good enough, We could
hear Che crash Of thousand moral
shipWrecks. There are many people
who come 10 the cities on the Isl OF
September who viii be blasted By the lst OF
March AT this season OF the year temptn-
tions are especially rampant Now that the
long winter evenings have come. there ars
many who will employ them IN high pur-
suits, In intelligent sOcialltes, I'M Christian
work, In the strengthening and enrolling OF
moral character, and this winter 10 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
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 o 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 especially at
tractiye, and the acting Is especially impress
sive, and the applause especially bewitehing.
Many man who has kept right an the rest of
theyear will be capsized now and though last
autumn he came from the country and there
was luster In the eve and there were roses I'm
the cheek and elasticity In the step. bv the
time the spring hour has come you will pass
him in the street and say 20 your friend;
whats the matter with that man? 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. II we rightly en-
ploy them, and they are OF the right kind.
they enlarge our socialities, allow us to
make important acquaintance. build us mn
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 attic 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
] 10 kI,s, ,,I-r
/ 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 cOnvivialities. How dare you. the
father Of family, tempt the appetites OF the
/ young people2 Perhaps at the entertain
/ ment 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 It 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
Men sometimes excuse themselves and saw
after late suppers it is necessary to take some
sort Of stimulant to aid digestion. NY plain
| opinion is that If you have no more self con.
troll than to stuff yourself until your diges-
tive organs refuse their office you had better
not call yourself man, but class yourself
among the beasts that perish. At this season
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 sound in your ear the words OF the
Lord God Almighty, "Woe unto him that
putteth the bottle to his neighbours lips. ;
Rejoice that you have come to the glad win
ter months that remind you ofthe times wher
in your childhood you were shone On by
the face OF father. mother, brothers, sisters
some of them, alas! no more to meet vot
with "Happy New Year" or a "Merr,
Christmas. ~ But again and again have W.
seen on New Years Day the sons of some O
the best families drunk, and young men hay
excused themselves by the fact that the vim
cup has been offered by the ladies, and agail
and again it has been found out that ladv'
hand has kindled the young mans thirst 10
strong drink, and long after all tn
attractions Of the holiday have passed
that same woman crouches in he
rags, and her desolation, and he
woe under the Uplifted hand of the drunken
monster to whom she had passed the fascin
ating cup on New Years Day. II we wan
TO go to ruin, let US 90 alone and not tax
others with us. Can we not sacrifice on
feelings If need be? When the good shi
London went down, the captain was toll
that he might escape in one OF the lifeboats
mo, ne replied, IN go down with tn
passengers, All the world applauded hi
Aeroism. And can we not sacrifice our taste
and our appetites for the rescue of others
Surely it is not a very great sacrifice. OF
mix not with the innocent beverage of tn
holiday the poison Of adders! Mix not witt
the white sugar Of the cup the snow of thi
awful leprosy! Mar not the clatter OF tb
cutlery of the festal occasion with the clan
OF q madman's chain.
Pass down the street and look into Ii
pawnbroker's window. Elegant watch, ell,
giant furs. elegant flute, elegant shoes, Ell
CANT scarf. elegant books, elegant memento
You sometimes see people with please
countenances looking into such windoy
When 1 look into pawnbroker's window
seems to me as il had looked into the VIII
dow Of hell! To whom did that watch b
long2 To a drunkard. To whom did tho,
J furs beiong2 TO a drunkards wife. 4
, whom did those shoes belong? To drum
! ards child. / take the three brazen balls
the doorway Of a pawnbroker's shop and
clank them together, sounding the knel
; the drunkards soul. pawnbroker's she
, is only one Of the eddies in the great torre
of municipal drunkenness. YOh." sa