The Progress., 1897-01-16
THE CURSE OF DRINK
REV. DR.. TALMAGE CALLS A HALT ON
DISSIPATION.
An Eloquent and Picturesque Sermon on
the Topic .The Song OF the Drunkard."
The Power and the Evils of Intemper-
ance In the Use of Liquor.

ance In the Use of Liquor.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 1o.-This discourse
Of DIR. Ialmago is from most unusual
standpoint, IN arousing call to refornla-
ton from dissipated habits, and must do
wide good. The text was Psalms Xix, IL,
II was the song of the drunkards"
Who said that Was it David was 1t
Christ? 1t was both. These Messianio
Psalms are like telescope. Pull the in
strument to certain range, and 1t 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 Inerriment. Although
David had fully reformed and written a
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 be-
fore forgiven. Christ, who committed DO
sin, was still more the subject of unholy
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 aarth it might be
said:
The byyvord of the passing throng,
The rulers scott. the drunkard's song.
Inc clFin iItCeu up ZOE INC human race,
In conerl;ulntion the morning stars sang
song Tie lsraelitish army safe on the
bank OF tine Red and the Egyptians
clear under the returned water, Moses sang
q song One OF 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 donnas
In lowering clouds sang a song. What en-
richment has been given to the worlds
literature and enjoyment by the ballads,
the canticlcs, the discants, the ditties, tho
roundelays, the epics, the lyrics. the dithy-
rambs! But my text calls attention to Il
style Of song that think has never been
discourscd upon. You sometimes hear
this style of music when passing a saloon,
or a residence IN which dissipation is as
cendant, or after you have retired at night
you hear 1t coming out of the street from
those who, having tarried long at their
cups. arc on their way home--the ballad
of the inebriate, the serenade of the alco-
hoifzed, or what my text calls the song of
the drunkards
For practical and saving and warning
md Christian purposes / will announce to
you the characteristics of that we'll known
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 cymba1, which was suggested by
n hammer on an anvil and then the sigh
Ing of the wind across the reeds suggested
the flute and then the strained sinews of
the tortoise across it's 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
urds That tune was sung at least ,243
years ago, when, the deluge past, Noah
came out of the ark, and as IL Disguised
with too much prevalence of water, he took
TO strong drink and staggered forth, for all
ages the first known drunkard He sound
cd the first note Of the old music of inebri-
acy. An Arab author of A. d. 1910 wrote:
Noah, being come out of the ark ordered
each of his sons to build house After
ward 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 informed
thom that the deyil had desired It, and in
deed had some right to it. Hereupon Noah
summoned him TO appear In the field and
said to him. Oh. accnrSedt Wly hast thou