The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1897-11-25
THE THREE TAVERNS.
Rev. DR.. Talmage Discourses Upon
Designations Of the Day.
Modern Taverns on the Road of Life and
Their Victims-A Tribute to the Re-
formers Who Step in to Save
the Unfortunates.

The following discourse by Rev. T.
Dewitt Taimage is upon the dlsslpa-
tions of the day aud, incidentally,
eulogy of the great reformers, past and
present The text is:
They came to meet us as far as Appii Forum
and the Three Taverns.-Acts xviii, 10.
Seventeen miles south of Rome,
Italy, there was village OF untortu-
nate name. A tavern is place of en-
tertainment, and, in our time, part OF
the entertainment is a provision OF
intoxicants. One such place you would
think would have been enough for
that Italian village. No. There were
three of them, with doors open for en-
tertainment and obfuscatlon. The
world has never lacked stimulating
drinks. You remember the condition
of Noah on one occasion, and of Abb
gals husband, Nabal, and the story of
Belshazzar's feast, and Benhadad, and
the new wine in old bottles, and whole
paragraphs on prohibition enactment
thousands of years before Neal DOW
was born; and no doubt there were
whole shelves of inhammatory llquld
in those hotels which gave the name
to the village where Pauls friends
came to meet him, namely the Three
Taverns. In vain l search an
cient geography for some salts
flying accoun, of that village. Two
roads came from the seacoast to that
place; the one from Actium, and the
other from Puteoli, the last road being
the one which Paul travelled. There
were, no doubt, in that village houses
of merchandise and mechanics shops,
and professional offices, but nothing IS
known of them. All we know of that
village is that it had profuslon OF
inns-the Three Taverns Paul did
not choose any one of these taverns as
the place to meet his friends. He GER
tainly was very absteminous, but they
made the selection. He had enlarged
about keeping the body under, though
once he prescribed for young the
ological student a stimulating cordial
| for a stomachic disorder; but he told
| him to take only a small dose--"a lit
| tie wine for thy stomach's sake"
Alas! that the large majority OF
those who GO down to the sea in ships
should have twice to pass the Three
| Taverns, namely, before they go out,
and after they come in. That tact
was what aroused Father Tay lor, the
great sailors preacher, at the Sailors
Bethel, Boston, and at pubhc meet
| ing at Charlestown he said: ''All the
| machinery of the drunkard making,
soul-destroying business is in perfect
running order, from the low grog
holes on the docks, kept open to rum
| nv poor sailor boys, TO the great es-
tablishments in Still House square,
and when we ask men what is to be
done about it they say you can't help
it," and yet there is bunker Hill! and
you say you can't stop it, and up there
are Lexington and Concord" We
might answer Father Taylors remark
by saving: The trouble is not that
we can't stop it, but that we won't
stop it." We must have more
generations slain before the world will
fully wake up to the evil. That which
tempted the travellers of old who came
up from the seaports of Actium ano
Puteoli is now the ruin of seafar
ing men as they come up from the
coasts of all the nts-nane
ly, the Three Taverns In the au
tumn, about this time, in the yeal
1887, the steamship Home went ou
from New York for Charleston. There
them widely known. Some of then
had been summering at the northern
watering places, and they were OF
their way south, all expectant O
hearty greetings by their friends OF
the wharyes of Charleston. But lit
tie more than two days out the shll
struck the rocks. A lifebOat wa
launched, but sunk with all its passen
gers. A mother was seen standing OF
the deck of the steamer with her chile
, in her arms. A wave wrenched th
/ child from the mothers arms ant
rolled it into the sea, and the mothe
: leaped after it. The sailors rushed t
the bar of the boat and drank them
: selves drunk. Ninety-ive human be
ings went down, never to rise, or to b
J floated upon the beach amid the frae
ments of the wreck. What was th
cause of the disaster? A drunken Sc
captain. But not until the judgmen
day, when the sea shall give up 1t
dead, and the story of earthly disaster
l shall be fully told, will it be know
how many yachts, steamers, brigar
+ | tines, men-of-war and ocean grey
hounds have been lost through capital
, and crew made incompetent by alc'
holic dethronement. Admiral Farr;
. gut had proper appreciation of whs
the fiery stimulus was to a ma
, in the navy. An officer of tt
warship said to him: Admiral, won
you consent to give Jack glass (
grog in the morning? Not enough
make him drunk, but enough to mal
him fight cheerfully.' The admir-
answered: Il have been at sea consi
erably, and have seen battle or tw
but never found that needed rum
;, enable me to do my duty. | will ord
!, two cups of coffee to each man at tV
o'clock in the morning, and at eig
will pipe oil hands to breakfast
| n1l;I. hary Tho frhraa Favaras