The Indianapolis journal., 1898-10-24
SIGNS IN INDIANAPOLIS
REV. II. j. VILLERs's FIRST TOPIC
PERTAINED TO SALOONS.
He Pictures the Evils of DrinIx-Rev.
DIR. Goodwin at Meridian-Street
vi. T.. Church.

tist Church, last night began a series of
sermons on Signs in Indianapolis The
topic Of last nights discourse was 1.-The
Falling of the Saloon Sign" and the text
was Drink ye, and be drunken, and spew,
and fall'-Jeremiah XIV q. The preacher
said in part: Your sign has fallen down.
exclaimed man, as he opened the door of
saloon and called to the proprietor. Step
ping into the street, the red-faced vender
looked over the door Oh said the in
formant, did not mean that / meant
this and he pointed to a drunken wretch
lying at their feet. Such sign recently
fell on the street in front of this church.
Out of a gilded hell he staggered toward
his own hovel until few steps from where
l now stand he toppled over, with profanity
and mad ravng, disgusting advertisement
or the devils favorite business.
Looking at the fallen sign, L saw there
prostrate manhood God made man upright
and intended him to maintain that dignifed
posture. When Ezekiel saw the glory of
the Lord he humbly fell upon his face, but
out of the fiery brightness came a voice:
Son Of man, stand upon thy feet and
will speak unto thee Erectness is one
distinguishing feature of men as contrasted
with brutes. So even the heather teach.
He who drinks, and is drunken. and
falls, makes of himself what the Scriptures
call "a british man who knows not the
work of God He dethrones reason, that
heaven-lighted lamp in man. He petrifies
the heart and hardens the feelings. He de-
files the body, which is the temple of the
Holy Spirit.
In the PROSTATE man on Pennsylvania
street / saw also wrecked ambition. Few
are the young men who have not hoped to
gain for themselves some honorable place
in the world. Possibly this had been the
boyhcod dream of the poor creature who
fell yonder. His first glass the first
invidious bar to nobility. Success and So
briefly are inseparable.
THE CASE OF FARRAGUT.
'At the age Of ten David Glasgow Farra-
gut thought that he was man because he
could smoke and swear and drink and
gamble. After dinner one day his father
turned everybody out of the vessels cabin,
locked the door, and said. David what do
you mean to do?' Follow the sea- Yes
said the father, be a poor, miserable,
drunken sailor before the mast. kicked and
cuffed about the world, and die In some
foreign fever hospital No, father, / will
tread the quarterback and command as you
do. Never, David; no boy ever trod the
quarterback with such habits as you have.
You will have to change your whole course
or HE If you ever become man. He was
the thought of being drunken fever
patient. He resolved never to gamble
again, never to utter another oath, never
to drink another drop of liquor. He became
a Christian; was rapidly promoted until he
trod the quarterback and commanded not
one vessel, but the largest fleet that ever
ficated the American flag. He captured
New Orleans. He was commissioned rear
admiral, and swept on to Mobile Lashing
Hartford, he began an attack whose
vehement and armed thunder struck terror
to the hearts of the oldest veterans: High
up, amid the port main rigging, through
smoke and fire. Farragut, the Christian,
rode on to victory. Congress created for
him q new rank, that of admiral. Citizens
of New York, not satisfied with giving him
a. home, added $4,000 in gold. Young man,
about the world and at last to die amid the
wreckage of your hopes Would you sue
ceed? Then, like Farragut gamble not,
swear not, drink. not Goodness is profit
able unto all things, having promise of the
life that now is and of that which is to
come.
''The sign which fell on Pennsylvania
street contained two other words-incarnate
grief. Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow?
Who hath contentious? Who hath wounds
without cause? They. that tarry long at
the wine. OF drinking man George Her
bert said; All kinds of i'll did with his
liquor slide into his veins In drunkenness
there is no gladness unmixed with grief
There may be the laughter of fools. but it
is brief. like the. cracking of thorns under
pot He who drinks and is drunken falls
into temptation and snare and into many
foolish and hurtful lusts, which pierce him
through WITH many sorrows.
The sign that fell on Pennsylvania street
was good specimen Of windowed ragged
ness. God says that the drunkard shall
cothe a man with rags. During the recent
hard times l noticed that men whose
pockets could least afford to buy drink were
spending their money for that which is not
bread, and their labors for that which
satisfieth not. The blood that ought to be
in the faded cheek of the wife is in the red
nose of the husband.
''On the fallen sign of which have been
potentai i crime. Crazed by drink. that alma man
was capable of almost any foul deed.
prison chaplain defines crime as condensed
within the past twelve months I suspect
that nearly all were addicted to intoXicants.
THE BACILLUS OF DRINK.
Zone Sunday morning l watched a father
enter a saloon. His better nature was con-
sumed. A French physician, DR.. Sax, tells
us that all liquors-wine, brandy, beer, con-
tain parasitic life. Drink bacilli had eaten
away this mans truthfulness, for he
a prince among liars. They had eaten
away his honesty, for he stole from his
benefactors. They had eaten away his
natural affections, for his family covered
in fear when they heard his approaching
footsteps. He came into my study while
his broken-hearted wife was appealing to
me for advice. He Sharpened his tongue
like serpent. He drew iniqulty with cords
and sin as it were with a cart rope. He
added vice to crime until one night that
long-suffering woman taking advantage of
the brute's absence, fled with her children
from the city Envy. maliciousness, muir
der is in the cup.
I'm that fallen saloon sign l saw also a
prophecy of assured damnation. In Paul's
awful category of those who shall be ex-
cluded from salvation the drunkards name
is written. Be not deceived said he;
neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor
adultererS, nor effeminate, nor abuSers of
themselves with men, nor thieves, nor covet-
Gus, nor drunkards. nor revilers, nor ex-
tortioners. shall inherit the kingdom of
God NabaIs death was fourfold. First
was gone out of him. his heart died: third,
God smote him and his body died; fourth
the devil gripped his departing soul and it
died. The saloon bar is a bar indeed. The
saloon door is door indeed.
"A word to vendors. There may be some
but detest your business. 1t is the mean
est business this side of hell. Many of you
are capable of something nobler. ] know
some who are. By stress of circumstances
or environment you have been led into this
abomination. Change your occupation. God
has cursed it. Upon you too he has pro-
nounced his woe, and that woe has back
Listen to his word lest You experience his
woe. Woe unto him that gsveln his neigh
Dor drink, that putteSt thy bottle TO him
and makest him drunken also
"A word to tipplers. Drunkards are manu-
factured out of moderate drinkers. Do you
over young men? If you would think many
of them would never drink. Instead Of
scorning a tippler'S company J have seen
some of you walking the street with your