The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1897-01-22
SONG OF THE DRUNKARDS
Rev. Dr.. Talmage breaches a Tenn
perance Sermon.
Most of the Music of the World and of the
Church is Old Music, But 1t Does
Not Antedate the Song of
the Drun6ards.

The following somewhat remarkable
temperance discourse was delivered by
Rev. I. Dewitt Talmage before his
Washington congregation. 1t was
based on the text:
I was the song of the drunkards--Psalm
Xix, II
Who said that? Was it David or was
1t Christ? 1t was both. These Mes
sianic Psalms are like a telescope. Pull
the instrument to a certain range, and
it shows you an object near by. Pull
1t To another range, and it will show
you objects far away. David and
Christ were both, each in his own
time, the song of the drunkards. Holt
ness of doctrine and life always did ex-
cite wicked nerriment. Although
David had fully refored and written a
psalmody in which all subsequent ages
have sobbed out their penitence, his
enemies preferred to fetch up his old
career, and put into metric measures
sins long before forgiven. Christ, who
committed no sin, was still more the
subject of unholy song, because the
better one is the more iniqulty hates
him. OF the best Being whose voice
ever moved the air or whose foot ever
touched the earth it might be said:
The byword Of the passing throng
The rulers soon, the drunkard's song.
The earth fitted up for the human
race, in congratulation the morning
stars sang a song. The Israelitish
army safe on the bank of the Red sea
and the Egyptians clear under the re-
turned water, Moses sang a song. One
81 the most important parts of this
great old Book is Solomon's song. At
the birth of our Lord the Virgin Mary
and old Simeon and angelic prima dom
mas in lowering clouds sang a song.
What enrichment has been given to
the worlds literature and enjoyment
by the ballads, the canticles, the dis
cants, the ditties, the roundelays, the
epics, the lyrics, the dithyrambs. But
my text calls attention to a style of
song that think has never been dis
cOursed upon. You sometimes hear
this style of music when passing a sa-
loon, or a residence in which dissipa-
ton is ascendant, or after you have re-
tired at night you hear it coming out
of the street from those who, having
tarried long at their cups, are on their
way home-the ballad of the inebri-
ate, the serenade of the alcoholized, or
what my text calls the song of the
drunkards.
For practical, and saving, and warm
nOunce to you the characteristics of
that well-known cadence mentioned in
my text. First, L remark that the
Song of the Drunkards is an old song.
Much of the music of the world and
of the church is old music First
came the music of percussion, the
clapping cymbal, which was suggested
by Il hammer on an anvil, and
then the signing of the wind across
the reeds suggested the flute, and then
the strained sinews of the turtle
across its shell suggested the harp.
But far back of that, and nearly
back as far as the moral collapse of
our first parentage, is the Song of
the Drunkards. That tune was sung
at least 4,243 years ago, when, the
aeluge past, Noah came out of the ark
and as if disgusted with too much
prevalence of water, he took to strong
drink and staggered forth, for all ages
The first note of the old music of in.
ebriacy. An Arab author of A. d.
1910 wrote: Noah, being out of the
ark, ordered each of his sons to build
a house. Afterward they were occu-
pied in sowing and in planting trees.
the pippins and fruits of which they
had found in the AK. The vine alone
was wanting, and they could not dis
cover it. Gabriel then informed them
that the devil had desired it, and in
deed had some right to it. Hereupon
Noah summoned him to appear in the
field, and said to him: %, accursedI
Why hast thou carried away the vine
from me?' Because replied the
devil, 1T belonged to me- Shall l
part it for yOu?' said Gabriel. Il con-
sent said Noah, and will leave him a
fourth That is not sufficient for
him, said Gabriel. We'll, will take
half replied Noah, and he shall take
The other That is not sufficient yet,
Gabriel. He must have
two-thirds and thou one, and when
thy wine shall have boiled on the fire
until two-thirds are gone, the remain
der shall be assigned for thy use" A
fable that illustrates how the vine has
been misappropriated.
Again, this song of the drunkards is
an expensive song. The Sontags and
the Parepa -Rosas and Wilson's and the
other renderers of elevated and divine
solos received their thousands of dol
airs per night in coliseums and acad-
emies of music Some of the people
n email oil
themselves that they might sit few
evenings under the enchantment of
those angels of sweet sounds. l paid
seven dollars to hear Jenny Lind sing
when it was not very easy to afford
the seven dollars. Very expensive is
such music, but the costliest song on
earth is the drunkard's song. 1t costs
ruin of body. 1t costs ruin of mind,
1t costs ruin of soul. Go right down
among the residential streets of any
city and you can find once beautiful
and luxurious homesteads that were
expended in this destructive music.
The lights have gone out in the draw
ing room, the pianos have ceased the
pulsation of their keys, the wardrobe
has lost its last article of appropriate
attire. The Belshazzarean feast has
left nothing but the broken pieces of
the crushed chalices. There it stands,
the ghastliest thing on earth, the REM
nant of drunkard's home. The cost
lest thing on earth is sin. The most |
expensive of all music is the song of !
the drunkards. 1t is the highest tariff |
Of nations-not a protective tariff, |
but tariff of doom, tariff of woe, a |
tariff of death. This evil whets the |
knives of the assassins, cuts the |
most of the wounds of the hospital,
makes necessary most of the aims
houses, causes the most of the rawlings |
Of the insane asylum, and puts up
most Of the iron bars of the Deniten.