The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-11
ELIMINATION IN DISSIPATION.
TALHAGE SOUNDS A CRY OF WARN
ING TO THE TIPPLERS.

ING TO THE TIPPLERS.
The Dirgc That Turks in the Song
of the DrunIxards as Illustrated in
Biblical HfstOry-The Drunknrd's
the COstIiest Song on Earth-It Is
"A MuItitudinOus Song-It Is Also n
Suggestive Song and Easily
Learned-Once Begun Ii Is COntin-
uOus.
Washington, Jan. 1O.-This discourse of
DR. Talmage, is from a most unusual
standpoint. an arousing call to reforma-
ton from dissipated habits. and must do
wide good. The text was Psalms 69:l2:
81 was the song of the drunkards."
Who said that? Was it David or was it
Christ? It was both These Messianic
Psalms are like a telescope. Pull the in
strument to a certain range, and it shows
you an object near by. Pull it 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 drunk
ards. Holiness of doctrine and life always
did excite wicked merriment. Although
David had fully reformed and written
psalmody in which all subsequent ages
have sobbed out their penitence, his enc
mics 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 I'M
holy song, because the better one is, the
more iniquity 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 scoff, the drunkard's song
The earth fitted up for the human race
incongra tulation the morning stars sang
a song The Israolitish army safe on the
bank of the Red sea and the Egyptians
clear under the returned water Moses
sang a song. one of the most important
parts of this great old Book is Solomon $
song At the birth of our Lord the Virgin
Mary and old Simeon and angelic prima
donnas in lowering clouds sang a song.
What enrichment has been given TO the
worlds literature and enjoyment by the
ballads, the canticles, the discants, the
ditties, the roundelays, the epics, the lyrics
the dithyrambs. But my text calls atten-
ton to a style of song that l think has
never been discoursed upon You
sometimes hear this style of music when
passing saloon, or residence in which
dissipation is ascendant, or after you
nave EBllIGu dl AlbLl Nbu itdi II tOitAAAie5
out of the street from those who, having
tarried long at their cups, are on their
way home-the ballad of the inebriate, the
serenade of the alcoholized, or what my
text calls the Song of the Drunkards.
For practical and saving and warning
and Christian purposes l will announce to
you the characteristics of that wellknown
cadence mentioned in my text. First,
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
a hammer on an anvil, and then the signing
of the wind across the reeds suggested the
flute, and then the strained sinews of the
tortoise 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 Drunk
ards. That tune was sung at least four
thousand two hundred and forty-three
years ago, when, the deluge past. Noah
came out of the ark, and as If disguised
with too much prevalence of water. he
took to strong drink and staggered forth,
for all ages the first known drunkard. He
sounded the first note of the old music of
inebriacy. An Arab author of A. D. 1870
wrote Noah, being come out of the ark,
ordered each of his sons to build house.
Afterwards they were occupied in sowing
and in planting trees, the pippins and
fruits of which they had found in the ark.
The vine alone was wanting, and they
could not discover it. Gabriel then inform
ed them that the devil had desired it, and
indeed had some right to It. Hereupon
Noah summoned him to appear in the field
and said to him; % accused! Why hast
thou carried away the vine from me"
Because, replied the devil, it belonged
TO me- Shall l part it for your said Ga
briel. L consent, said Noah, and will
leave him a fourth That is not sufficient
for IA I'M said Gabriel tWpl1 / will take
half, replied Noah and he shall take the
other That is not sufficient yet, re-
sponded Gabriel. He must have two-thirds
and thou one, and when thy wine shah
have boiled on the fire until two-thirds are
gone, the remainder shall be assigned for
thy use" A fable that illustrates how the
vine has been misappropriated.
Benhadad and thirty-two allied kings,
rioting in a pavilion, took up the same
bacchanal. Nabal was rendering that
drunkards' song when his wife, beautiful
Abigail, came back from her expedition
TO save her husband. Herod was sing
ing that song when the daughter of
Herodias wheeled in the dance before
him. Belshazzar and a thousand lords
renewed that song the night the hand
writing came out on the plastering of the
wall and the tramp of the besieging host
was heard on the palace stairs. Ahasuerus
sang that song when, after seven days of
carousal, he ordered Nashti to come into
the presence OF the roaring guests WITH
out her veil on-a January storm trying to
command a June morning. Oh yes The
song of the drunkards is an old song.
King Cyrus boosted that he could drink
more wine than his brother. Drunken
ness was so rife among the Lacedaemoni-
ans that Lycurgus had all the vines of the
vineyards destroyed. Paul eXcoriates the
Corinthians for turning the communion OF
the Lords Supper at church into a carou-
sal. Isaiah mentions the drunkards of
Ephraim. So much were the Athenians
given to wassail that law was passed
giving a man double punishment for crime
while intoxicated, the first punishment
for the crime, and the other for the in
toxicahon. 1t was a staccato passage in
that song when Alexander the Great arose
from a banquet and struck a spear
through the heart OF Citus while putting
up the curtains and Mortified at what was
done, withdrew the sword from the dead
body and attempted TO take his own life
In the time of Oliver Cromwell the evil
was so great that offenders were COM