Connecticut western news., 1897-11-11
1 MENACING GLASSES.
REV. DR. TALMAGE ON DANCERS THAT THREATEN SOCIETY.

Ins Classes-Ths Oppressed Poor-Dis-
 criminAtion In Charity Putting Gar
 meats te 0lerious Usss.
 rCepyrisht. 1887. by American Press Asso-
 ciation.l
 WASHINGTON, Nov. I'm this ser mon Dr. Talmage, in startling way, speaks of the dangers threatening our treat towns and cities and shows how the slumbering fires may be put out. His text is Psalm lxxx, IS, "The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour 1t. :"
 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 krampling, and as with swine's smout 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 1t not been for the a1men who hewed them down. The temple of truth would long ago have been completed had it not been for the ioonoclasts who de- hoed tho walls and battered down the pillaxs Tho whole earth would have been an Eschol of ripened clusters had k not been that "the boar has wasted It and the wild beast of the field de- Soured it."
 The Destructive Classss.
 ! I propose to point out to you those whom consider to be the destructive plaasss. of society. First, the public bFiminals. You ought not to be surprised that these people make up large pro- portion of many communities. In 1869 p1 the 49, 900 people who were incaroer- Ated in the prisons of the country 82,- poo wero of foreign birth. Many of kAsm were the very desperadoes of so- pisty, ooaang into the slums of our cities, Waiting for m opportunity to riot and stsa1 and debauch, joining the large gang of American thugs and cutthroata There are in our cities people whose en- eire business in life is to commit crime. That Is as much their business as juris- prudence or medicine or merchandise is your business To 1t they bring all their merZies of body, mind and soul, and lhsy look upon the interregnums which bhey spend in prison as 90 much unfor- tunate loss of time, just az you look up- pn m attack of influenza or rheumatism which fastens you in the house for . few days. 1t is their lifetime business 10 pick pockets and blow up safes and Ihop lift and ply tho panel game, and Ehey have as much pride of skill in their business as you have in yours when 1ou upset the argument of an opposing Dounsol or cure . gun shot fracture which other surgeons have given up or toeeses . turn in the market 90 you buy goods just before they go up 90 per cent. n is their business to commit crime, and I do not suppose that onoo in 8 year the thought of the immortality strikes hhem. Added to these professional crim- lnals, American and foreign, there is a largo class of men who are moro or less ksspondble for much of the theft, since lt confuses . mans ideas of property, md he gets his hands on things that do not belong to him. Rum is responsible ecr much of the assault and battery, inspiring men to sudden bravery, which khey must demonstrate, though 1t be on he face of the next gentleman.
 You help to pay the board of every criminal, from the sneak thief who mA4ohes . spool of cotton up to some nfnn who enacts . "Black Friday" !" Moro than that, it touches your heart la tho moral depression of the oommu- nity. You might as we'll think to stand In . closely confined room where there Are 50 people and yet not breathe the vitiated air as to stand in community whore there arc % many of the depraved without somewhat being contaminated. What is the fro that burns your store nown compared with the oondagration which consumes your moralsf What is the theft of the gold and silver from your money safe compared with the theft of your ohildren's virtuef We are Ill ready to Arraign criminals. We shout at the top of our voice, "Stop khiefp 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 ruffian and hustle him of to justice, and when he yets in prison what do we do for him? With great gusto we put on the hand puffs and the hopples, but what prepara- tion are we making for the day when the handoufA and hopples como off2 So- oiety 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 tho prison, but we want Domething more than hammers and lhoe lasts to reclaim these people. Aye, we ewant more than sermons on the Sab- bath day. Society must impress these men with the fact that 1t does not enjoy their suffering, and that it is attempt ing to reform and elevate them. The majority of criminals suppose that so- piety has grudge against them, and siety.
 Life In Prison.
 They are harder in heart and more in- furiate when they come out of jail than whom they went in. Many of the people who go to prison go again and again and again. Some years ago of l, 500 pris- oners who during the year had been in Bing Sing 400 had been there before. In . house of correction in the country where during certain reach of time there had been 5, 900 people moro than 8, GOO had been there before. So in one sase the prison and in the other case the house of correction left them just as bad As they were before. The secretary of ono of the benevolent societies of New York saw lad 15 years of age who had spent three years Of his life in prison, and he said to the lad, "What have they done for you to make you betterf' Well, replied the lad, "the first time was brought up before the judge he said. You ought to be ashamed of your sen.' And then committed crime again, and I was brought up before the nAm0 judge and he said 'You rascal P