Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-02-03

have excused themselves for while from
the domestic circle that they may enjoy
the larger sociability Of the clubhouse.
These are from dismembered households,
and they have a plain lodging somewhere,
| but they come to this club-room to have
their chief enjoyment One blackball
amid ten votes will defeat mans becom-
enness, for gambling for any kind OF
misdemeanor, member is dropped out.
| Brilliant clubhouse from top to bottom.
The chandeliers. the plate. the furniture.
the companionship, the literature, the
social prestige, complete enchantment.
But the evening is passing on. and so
we hasten through the hall and down the
steps and into the street, and from block
to block until we come to another style OF
clubhouse. Opening the door, we find the
thing almost 1ntolerable These young
men at this table, it Is easy to understand
| what they are at, from the flushed cheek.
the intent look, the almost angry way OF
| tossing the dice. or of moving the "chips."
They are gambling. At another table are
| three-fourths Intoxicated, and between IL
and 1 O'Clock they will 60 staggering.
| hooting, swearing, shouting on their way
home.
| AS the hours OF the night go away. the
conversations becomes imbecile and more
debasing. Now it is time to shut up. Those
who are able to stand will get out on the
| pavement and balance themselves against
the lamppost. or against the ratings oft
| fence. The young man who is not able to
stand will have bed improvised for him
in the clubhouse, or two not quite so
overcome with liquor will conduct him to
| his fathers house. and they will ring the
door bell. and the door will open, and the
| two imbecile escorts will introduce into the
hallway the ghastliest and most hellfsh
| nto toa1n hat apta
| drunken son.
| But / make n vast difference between
clubs. have belonged to four clubs: A
theological club. a ball club. and two liter
| ary clubs. got from them physical reiu-
| venation and moral health. What shall be
the principle? If God will help me, I will
| lay down three principles by which you
| may judge whether the club where you are
m ember, or the club to which you have
been invited, is u legitimate or an illegitf-
mate clubhouse.
| First Of all, I want you to test the club
| by it's influences on home, If you have
home. I have been told by q prominent
man in club life that three-fourths OF the
| members Of the great clubs of these cities
are married men. That wife soon loses her
| influence over her husband who nervously
and foolishly looks upon ali evening
absence as an assault on domesticity. How
are the great enterprises OF art and litera-
| ture and benef1cence and public veal to be
! carried on If every man Is to have his
world bounded on one side by his front
doorstep, and on tho other side by his
back window. knowis pothing higher
| than his own attic OF hing lower than
his own cellar2 That p who becomes
| Jealous Of her husband, II Antion to art or
| literature, or religion, Srity, Is break
ing her own Scepter e Ajugal power.
Let any Christian wifee Zee when her
husband consecrates tngs to the
service OF God. or to CHI Cor to srt, or
to anything elevated; b, : let not men
sacrifice home life to club life. I can point
out to you great many names of men who
are guilty of this sacriege. They are as
genial as angels at the clubhouse, and as
| ugly as sin at home. They are generous
| on all subjects of wine suppers, yachts and
| fast horses, but they are stingy about the
wife's dress and the childrens shoes. That
| man has made that which might be a
healthful recreation an usurper Of his affec-
tions, and he has married it, and he is
guilty of moral bigamy.
Another test by which you can find
whether your club is legitimate or illegiti-
| mate-the effect it has on your secular oc-
cupation. 1 can understand how through
such an institution man can reach COM
| mercial successes. 1hnow some men have
formed their best business relations through
such q channel If the club has advantaged
you in an honorable calling it is a legitimate
club. But has your credit failed? Are bar
| gain-makers more cautious how they trust
| you with bill of goods? Have the men
whose names were down in the commercial
| agency Al before they entered the club,
| been going down ever since in commercial
standing? Then look out! You and I
every day know of commercial establish
ments going to ruin through the social ex-
cesses OF one or two members.
| third test by which you may know
whether the club to which you belong, or the
club to whose membership you are invited,
| is legitimate club or an illegitimate club,
| is this: What is the effect on your sense OF
| moral and religious obligations? Now, here
| are two roads into the future, the Christian
and the unchristian, the safe and the un-
| safe. An institution or any association
that confuses my idea in regard to that
| fact is bad institution and a bad associa-
| tion. I had prayers before I Joined the
club. Did I have them after? I attended
| the house OF God before connected myself
with the club. Since that union with the
! club do absent myself from religious in
| fluences? Which would you rather have
| in your hand when you come to die, pack
| of cards or Bible? Who would you rather
| have for your eternal companions, those
| men who spend their evening betting,
gambling, swearing, carousing and telling
vile stories, or your little child, that bright
| girl whom the Lord took?
l am going to make very stout rope.
You know that sometimes rope-maker
| will take very small threads and wind them
| tOS0tuoI, uutll aICer dWnlle Cuoy become
ship cables. And 1 am going to take some
very small, delicate threads and wind them
together until they make very stout rope.
l will take all the memories of the marriage
day, thread oflaughter, a thread of light.
a thread Of music, a thread of banqueting,
a thread of congratulation, and 1 twist
them together and have one strand. Then
I take thread of the hour of the first ad-
vent in your house, a thread OF the dark
ness that preceded and thread of the light
that followed, and q thread OF the beautiful
scarf that little child used to wear when she
bounded out at eventide to greet you, and
| then thread of the beautiful dress in
which you laid her away for the resurrec-
| tion. And then 1 twist all these threads
| together and have another strand Then
l take thread of the scarlet robe Of tho
| suffering Christ, and thread Of the white
| raiment of your loved ones before the
throne, and string OF the harp cherubic
twist them all together and 1 have third
| strand. "Oh!' you say, "either strand is
strong enough to hold fast world" No,
r ,,,fI FOL y hasa nek~a L.. = =