The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1897-01-23
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Discourse on the An-Powerful Song
Of the Drunkards-
The Vast Army of Choiristsrs Who sins
TIA. sVnE-A Curse Which Has lie
Hand Upo. the Throat
OF the Nation


dissi patton. The text was:
was the song Of the drunkArds-Psalu
lxiX., u
Who sa d that? Was it David or wa
it CAr.st? L. was both. These Mes
sianic Psalms are like IA telescope. PuI
the Instrument to a certain range, an0
1t shows You an object near by. Pull
1t TO another range, and it Will sho"
you objects far away. David and
Christ were both, each in his own
time, the song of the drunkards. Holt
ness Of doctrine aud life always did ex'
cite wicked merriment Although
David had fully refored and written
psglinody in which all subsequent ages
have sobbed out their penitence, his
enemies 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 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 earth it might be said:
The bywoEd OF the passing tarong
The earth fitted up for the human
race, in congratulation the morning
stars sang song. The Israeiitish
army safe on the bank of the Red sea
and the Egyptians clear under the re-
turned water, Moses sang a song. One
IF the most important parts OF this
great old Book is Solomons song. At
the birth of our Lord the Virgin Mary
and Ole Simeon and angelic prima dom
mas in lowering clouds sang a song.
What enrichment has been given 10
the worlds literature and enjoyment
by the ballads, the canticles, the dis
Giants, the ditties, the roundelays, tue
ep,cs, the lyrics, the dithyrambs- But
nv ;vAt calls attention TO a style OF
song that | think has never been dis
coaTsed upon. You sometimes hear
this style OF music when passing sa-
Loon, or q residence in whicA dissipa-
ton is ascendant, or after you have re-
tired at nigh; you hear it coming out
of the street from those who, having
tarr!eG long at their cups, are on their
way home-the ballad of the inebri-
ate, the serenade of the alcoholized. or
what my text calls the song of the
drunsards.
Fox. practical, and saving, aud warn
ing, and Christian purposes, l vii! an
,nource 10 you the characteristics Of
that well-known cadence mentioned ia
my text First, l remark that the
Song of the Drunkards Is an old song.
Much of the music of the world aud
OF the church is old music First
came the music of percussion, the
clapping cymbal, which was suggested
by hammer on an anvil, aud
then the signing of the wind across
the reeds suggested the flute, and then
TIE strained sinews of the turtle
across its shell suggested the harp
But far back of that, and nearly
our first parentage, is the Song of
the Drunkards." That tune was sung
at least 4,2i3 years ago, when. the
de.nge past, Noah came ont of the ark
anu as if Disguised with too much
prevalence of water, he took to strong
drink and staggered forth. for al ages
the first known drunkard. lie sounded
the nrst note of the old music of in.
ebriacy. An Arab author of A. d.
1910 wrote: Noah, being out of the
ark, ordered each of his sons to build
a house. Afterward they were occu.
pied 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 dis
cover IL Gabriel then informed them
that the devil had desired it, and iu-
deco bad some right TO it. Hereupup
Noah summoned MIN TO appear in the
field, and said To him: -, accursed.
Why hast thou carried away the vine
from me-? Because replied the
devil, II belonged TO me. Shall l
part it for you7 said Gabriel. i con-.
sent, said Noah, and will leave him a
fourth. That is not sufficient for
him, said Gabriel. We'll, will take
half, replied Noah, and he shall take
the other Il hat is not su efficient yet
responded Gabriel. He must have
twO-thirds ana thou one, and when
thy wine shall have boiled on the fire
unit. two-thirds are gone, the remain
der small be assigned for thy use. A
iaSAc NbdS bIusSTdttS now tue vine mas
been mlsappropriated.
AZ ain, this song of the drunkards is
an expensive song. The Sontags and
the Parepa Rosas and Wilson's and the
other renderers of elevated and divine
solos received their thousands of dol
lars per night in coliseums and acad-
emies of music Some of the people
OF small means almost paupe rized
themselves that they might sit few
evenings under the enchantment If
those angels of sweet SQUADS. paid
seven dollars to hear JennJ Lind sing
when it was not very easy to afford
the seven dollars. Very expensive is
such music, but the costliest song on
earth is the drunkard's song. 1t costs
rum of body. 1t costs ruin of mind.
IL costs ruin OF soul. Go right down
among the residential streets of any
city and you Gun find once beautiful
and luxurious homesteads that were
expended in this destructive music.
The lights have gone out in the draw
Ing room, the pianos have ceas ed the
pulsation of their keys. the wardrobe
has lost it's last article of appropriate
attire. The Belshazzarean feast has
left nothing but the broken niecae 81