The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-05

to seize. In the police forces of our great
cities are to-day men Of as thorough char
acter as that Of the old detective Of New
| York. addressed to whom there came let
ters from London asking for help ten
years after he was dcad-letters addressed
to Jacob Hayes high constable of New
York" Your police need your apprecia-
ton, your sympathy your gratitude, and,
above all, your prayers. Yea, / want you
to go further, and pray every day for
prison inspectors and jail keepers-work
awful and benefcent Rough men, cruel
men, impatient men, are not fit for those
places. They have under their care men
who were once as good as you, but they
got Uipped up. Bad company, or strong
drink. or strange conjunction of circum-
stances, flung them headlOng. Go down
that prison corridor and ask them how
they got in, and about their families, and
what their early prospects in life were,
and you will find that they are very much
like yourself, except in this-that God
kept you while he did not restrain them.
Just one false step made the difference
between them and you. They want more
than prison bars, more than jail fare,
more than handouts and hopplers, more
than a Vermin-covered couch to reform
them. Pray God day by day that the
men who have these unfOrtunates in
charge may be merciful, Christianly STRAIT
egic, and the means of reforma-
ton and rescue. Some years
a
called to the city prison to attend a flu
neral A young woman had committed
a crime and was incarcerated, and her
mother came to visit her and died on the
visit. The mother, having no home, was
buried from her daughters prison cell
After the service was over the impris-
oned daughter came up to the minister of
Christ, and said: Wouldn't you like to
see my poor mother?" And while they
stood at the coffin, the minister Of Christ
said to that imprisoned soul: Don't you
feel to-day, in the presence Of your moth
er's dead body, as if you ought to make
a vow before God that you will do diff
ferently and live a better life?" She stood
for a few moments, and then the tears
rolled down her checks, and she pulled
from her right hand the worn-out glove
that she had put on in honor of the OBJ
sequies. and. having barred her right hand,
she put II upon the chill brow of her dead
mother, and said: by the help of God,
I swear i viii do differently. God help
me-" And she kept her vow. And years
after, when she was told of the incident.
she said: when that minister of the
Gospel said: Cod bless you and help you
to keep the vow that you have made I
cried out, and 1 said You bless mel Do
you bless me? Why, that's the first kind
word I've heard in ten years. and 1t
thrilled through my soul, and 1t was the
means of my reformation, and ever since,
D9 the grace OF ArOI L We lIieu 10 i've a
Christian life" o, yes. there are many
amid the criminal classes that may be re-
formed. Pray for the men who have
these unfortunates in charge; and who
knows but that when you are leaving this
world, you may hear the voice of Christ
dropping to your dying pillow, saying: Il
was sick and in prison, and you visited
me-" Yea, I take the suggestion of the
Apostle Paul, and ask you to pray for all
who are in authority, that we may lead
quiet and peaceful lives in godliness and
honesty.
My word now is to all who may come to
hold any public position of trust in any
city. You are Gods representatives,. God
the king, and ruler, and judge, sets you
in his place. 0, be faithful in the dis
charge of all your duties, so that when
all our cities are in ashes, and the world
itself is a red scroll of flame. you may be
In the mercy and grace of Christ rewarded
for your faithfulness. 1t was that feeling
which gave such eminent qualifications
for Office to Neal Dow, mayor Of Port
land, and to Judge Mclean of Ohio, and
to Benjamin F. Butler, attorney general
of New York and to George Briggs, gov
ernor of Massachusetts, and to Theodore
Frelinghuysen, senator of the United
States. and to William Wilberforce, MEM
Der of the British parliament. You may
make the rewards of eternity the emolu-
ments of your Office. What care you for
God on your side? The one, or the two,
or the three years of your public trust
will pass away, and all the years of your
earthly service. and then the tribunal will
be lifted before which you and l must
appear. May God make you so faithful
now that the last scene shall be to you eX-
hilaration and rapture. / wish now to eX
hort al good people, whether they are the
governors or the governed. TO make one
grand effort for the salvation, the purif-
cation, the redemption of our American
cities. DO you not know that there are
multltudes going down to ruin, temporal
and eternal, dropping quicker than words
drop from my lips? Grogshops swallow
them up Gambling hells devour them.
Houses of shame are damning them. .,
let us toll, and pray and preach, ana vote
until all these wrongs are righted. What
we DO we must do quickly. With our
rulers and on the same platform we must
at last come before the throne of God 20
answer for what we have done for the bet
tering of our great towns. Alasl II on
that day it be found that your hand has
been idle and my pulpit has been silent.
o. We who are pure, aud honest, and Chris
uan. go TO work and help 20 make the
cities pure and honest and Christian
Lest it may have been thought that /
am addressing only what are called the
better classes, my final word is TO some
dissOIute soul to whom these words may
y
al crimes, though you may be smltten
with an leprosies, though you may have
gone through the whole catalogue Of in
iquity. and may not have been in church
for twenty years YOU may have your ma
ture entirely reconstructed and upon your
brow hot with Infamous practices and be-
sweated with eXhausting indulgenccs,
God VIII place the flashing coronet Of
Saviours forgiveness. 20. nor! you say,
"if YOU knew who am and where / came
from. you wouldn't say that 20 me. I don't
believe the Gospel you are preaching
speaks of my case" Yes, II does, my
brother. And then when you tell me that,
/ think of what ST. Teresa said when re-
ducod TO utter restitution having only
two pieces OF money left she jingled the
two pieces Of money in her hand and said:
st Teresa and Two pieces OF money are
! nothing: but ST. Teresa and two pieces Of
money and God are all things" Ana I
tell YOU now that while a sin and a sin
ncr are nothing. sin and a sinner ana an
ali-forglving and all-compassionate God
| are everything.
Who Is that see coming? ! know his
| step. ] know his rags. Who IS IL? A
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