The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-01-14
REV. 1ALMAGE'S SUNDAY SERMON
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE.
Subject: "The Soag Of tho Drunk
ards"

Psalms are like a telescope. Pull the iustru-
ment to u certain range, and 1t shows you au
object near by. Pull 1t to another range, and
1t will show you objects far away. ID tvid
and Christ were both. each in his own time,
the song OF the drunkards. Holiness OF doe
trine and life ALWAYS did excite wicked merrl-
ment. Although David had fully reformed
and written q psalmody In which all sub,e-
quent ages have sobbed out their peni,encp,
his enemies preferred to fetch up his old
career AMI put into metric measures sins
long before forgiven. Christ who commit
ted no sin, was still mora the subject OF un-
holy song, because the better one Is tho 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 bywordo' ths passing throng,
The rulers scof, the drunkard's song.
The earth fitted up for the human race, in
congratulation the morning stars sang n
song. The Israelitish army safe on the bank
oil tho Red Sea and the Egyptians clear un-
der the returned water, Moses sang u song.
ono OF the most important parts OF this great
old book Is Solomon's' sony. At tho birth of
our Lord the Virgin Mary aud oil Simeon
ani angelic prims donnas in lowering clouds
sang a song. What enrichment has been
given TO the WORLDS litera, ure aut enjoy-
pent by the ballads. tho canticles, tho dis
cants. the ditties, the rouu lelnyS. the cpics,
the lyrics. tho dithyramhs, But nv text
calls attention to u style of song that | think
has never been discoursed upon. You some-
times hear this style OF music when passing
q saloon, or II residence in which dissipation
IL ascendant, or after you have retired nj
night You hear 1t coming out OF The street
from those who. having ttrriei long NJ their
cups. arc on their way home--the ballad OF
the inebriate, tho ssrenade OF the alcohol
lzei, or VIVA; my text calls the song of tho
drunkards.
For practical and saving and warming and
Christian purposes | will announce to yo1
the characteristics of that well-knopn
cadence mentioned in my text. Frs I
remark that tho song Of tho drum a.ds
Ia an Old song. Much OF the music OF ihe
world and OF tho church Is old music
Wrist came the music Of percussion. tho
clapping cynbal, which was suggested by
u hammer on nu anvil, and then tho SIGH
ing OF the wind across tho reels suyr,s,e |
the flute. and then the strained sinsws Of
the tortoise across its she'll suggested tho
harp. But far bpck OF that. aud nearlv
back as far rs the moral collapse Of our
first parcntage IL tho song OF the drunl,.
ards. That tune was sung at lealst pa
years age. when, tho deluge paV. Noah
came out of the ark, AM. MS II atscu stnI
with too much prevalence OF waterI h. llok
TO strong drink and staggered forth. for nil
ages the first known drunkard. He sDunI-
ed the first note of tho Old music DR. innnri-
acy. An Arab author of A. ID. lSlO wrote.
Noah, being come out of the ard. orIprpi
each OF his sons to build q housE Altar.
W"ru 'hcy wero occupied IN sowing and in
planting trees, tho pippins ani ,fryits of
when they found in tho ark. The Nine alone
was wanting, and they could not ddscoyar II.
Gabriel then informed thGm that 1.-The drvii
had desired it, AMI, indeed, had s1me right
to 1t. Hereupon Noah sunmonAl him to
appear in the field and said 10 himy COR. ac.
cursed! Why hast thou carried iwny the
/ ine.ffsom YaGi~ 'BecausS ,.rSsb,ad she jevjL
1T belonged to me- shall / part Il f~Orvouy'
said Gabriel. Il consent said Noah, .and
will leave him u fourth THAT IL not sufi-
Gent for him, said Gabriel. 'WeIi. | will
take half. replied Noah, and he shalt take
! 4he 6tia.:' Li9tnr. 70 NOT ,ynt ;H.it.e-
spoaded Gabriel. 'He must hayssnd !, birds
anu thou one, aud whom thy wlns ~ lave
boiled on the lrs until two. thir,s E'sScone
the remainiershall be assigned for thy uva,'"
A Table that illustrates how the vinc( va . ,en
Incorporated. shat,
Again. this song of tho drunkar f. ~ IN
expansive song. The Sonntags and tho
rendcrers Of elevated AMI divine solos re.
ceivel their thousands of dollars per night
IN coiiseums and academies OF music. Some
OF the people OF smu | means almost pauper-
lied themselves that they might sit a fey
evenings under the cnchantmGnt OF thoss
angels OF sweet sounds. l paid ~ TO hear
Jenny Lind sing when it was not very easy to
ailori the ~. Very expensive Is such music,
out the costiiest song on earth il the drunk
arts song. 1t COSTS ru n CT body. 1t coats
ruin OF mind. 1t costs ruin OF sou. Go
right down nmOnV thn rasilnntioI ctrnata nf
any city AMI you can find once beau it'll and
luxurious homesteads that were expended in
this destructive music.
Inc lights have gone out in tho drawing
room. tho pianos have ceasGl tho pulsation
OF their keys. tho wardrobe has losl its last
article of appropriate attire. The Bel
sha2zarean feast has left nothing but tho
broken pieces Of ths crushe chilirrs. There
1t tands, the ghustiiest thing on earth, the
remnant of n drunkari's home. Tho cost
Hest thing on earth is sin. Tho most expen-
sive OF all music i, tho son; OF tho drunk
ards. 1t is the highest tariff Of NllilnS-not
II project We tariff, but n tarlil Of doom. II
tariff Of woe, n tariff OF death. This evil
whets the knives of tho assasSins. cuts tho
most of the wounds OF tho hospital, mates
necessary most OF the almshousrs, causes tho
most OF the rawlings of the insane asylum,
and puts up most Of tho iron bars OF the
DVlli'II'tNIt tS- u HIS us Hll ! lD-AAN Ou mo
throat of the American republic. 1t il the
taskmaster OF Nations. AMI the human race
under its ana,hemu. The song of
the drunkards has for its accompaniment
tho clank OF chains, the chattering teeth of
poverty, the rattle OF eXecuiioncr's s.affoii,
the creaking door OF tho deserted homo, tho
crash OF s%hipwrecks and the grolns OF en-
pires. The two billion twenty million dol
lars which rum costs this country in a year,
in the destruction Of grain and sugar, and
tho supporting Of the paupers, and tho
invalids and the criminals which strong
drink causes, Is only u small part OF what
is paid for this expensive song oil the drunk
ards.
Again, this song of tho drunkards Is u
multiludlnous song-not q solo, not q duet,
not q quartet, not a seXtet. but millions on
millions are this hour singing 1t. Do not
think that alcoholism has this fled all TO it
self. 1t has powerful rivals in the intoxicants
other Nations-haSheesh and arrack, and
pulque and opium, AMI quavo and mas,ic
and wedro. Every Nation, barbarlc as we'll
as civilized, has its pet lntoxicant. This
song OF the drunkards is rem Tered in Chinese.
Hindoo, Arabian, Assyrian, Persian, Next
can yea, all the languages. All zones join
it. No continent woul be large enough for
the choir gallery II all those who have this
libretto in their hands should stand side by
side TO chant the international caorus. O.her