The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-11-12
MENACING CLASSES.
Rev. DR.. TALMAGE ON DANGERS
THAT THREATEN SOCIETY.

The Public Standardization Reform-Th,
Idle CIasses-The Oppressed Poor Dis
elimination In Charity Putting Gar
ments to Glorious Uses.
copyright. 1897 by American Press Asso
ciation.l
WASHINGTON, Nov. Tn this ser
mon DR.. Talmage in startling way
speaks of the dangers threatening oul
great towns and cities and shows how
the slumbering fires may be put out
His text 10 Psalm Xxx, 10, 'The boar
out of the wood doth waste it, and the
wild beast of the field doth devour it. -
By this homely but expressive figure
David sets forth the bad influences
which in olden times broke in upon
Gods heritage, as with swine's foot
trampling, and as with swine's snout
uprooting the vineyards of prosperity
What was true then is true now There
have been enough trees of righteousness
planted to overshadow the whole earth
had it not been for the axmen who
hewed them down. The temple of truth
would long ago have been completed had
it not been for the iconoclasts who de-
faced the walls and battered down the
pillars. The whole earth would have
been an Eschol of ripened clusters had
it not been that 1.-THE boar has wasted
it and the wild beast of the field de-
voured it. "
The Destructive Glasses.
l propose to point out to you those
whom | consider to be the destructive
classes of society. First, the public
criminals. You ought not to be surprised
that these people make up large pro-
portion of many communities, In 1869
of the 40, 900 people who were incarcer-
ated in the prisons of the country 49,
900 were of foreign birth. Many of
them were the very desperadoes of So
ciety, oozing into the slums of our cities,
waiting for an opportunity to riot and
steal and debauch, joining the large
gang of American thugs and cutthroats.
There are in our cities people whose en-
tire business in life is to commit crime.
That is as much their business as juris-
prudence or medicine or merchandise is
your business. To it they bring all their
energies of body, mind and soul, and
they look upon the interregnums which
they spend in prison as SO much unfor-
tunate loss of time, just as you look up
ON an attack of influenza or rheumatism
which fastens you in the house for
few days 1t is their lifetime business
to pick pockets and blow up safes and
shop lift and ply the panel game, and
they have as much pride Of skill in their
business as you have in yours when
you upset the argument of all opposing
counsel or cure gun shot fracture
which other surgeons have given up or
foresee a turn in the market so you buy
goods just before they go up 20 per cent.
1t is their business to commit crime,
and | do not suppose that once in a year
the thought of the immortality strikes
them. Added to these professional Grim
inals, American and foreign, there is a
large class of men who are more or less
industrious in crime Drunkenness is
responsible for much of the theft, since
it confuses a man s ideas of property,
and he gets his hands ON things that do
not belong to him. Rum is responsible
for much of the assault and battery,
inspiring men to sudden bravery, which
they must demonstrates though it be on
the face of the next gentleman.
You help to pay the board of every
criminal, from the sneak thief who
snatches a spool of cotton up to some
man who enacts "Black Friday. "
More than that, it touches your heart
in the moral depression of the commu-
nifty. You might as we'll think to stand
in closely confined room where there
are 80 people and yet not breathe the
Vitiated air as to stand in a community
where there are so many of the depraved
without somewhat being contaminated.
What is the fire that burns your store
down compared with the cundagration
which consumes your morals? What is
the theft of the gold and silver from
your money safe compared with the
theft Of your cEfildren's virtue? We are
all ready to arraign criminals. We
shout at the top Of our voice, 'Stup
Theft and when the police get on the
track we come out hatless and in our
slippers and assist in the arrest We
come around the bawling ruf1idn and
hustle him off to justice, and when he
gets in prison what do we do for him?
With great gusto we put on the hand
cuffs and the topples, but what prepare
ton are we making for the day when
the handouts and hopples come off? So
ciety seems to say to these criminals,
VILLAIN, go in there and rot, " when it
ought to say, You are an offender
against the law, but we mean to give
you an opportunity to repent; we mean
to help you. Here are Bibles and tracts
and Christian influences Christ died
for you. Look and live" Vast improve
ments have been made by introducing
industry into the prison, but we want
something mure than hammers and
shoe lasts to reclaim these people Aye,
we want more than sermons on the Sab
bath day. Society must impress these
men with the fact that it does not enjoy
their suffering, and that it is attempt
ing to reform and elevate them The
majority of criminals suppose that so.
ciety has a grudge against them, and
they in turn have a grudge against So