The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-05-17
DR.. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.

Subject: "The Plague of Alcohol"-The
Drunkard's Woe Depicted in Strong
Colors-Rum's Mission IL to Destroy
All Good-A Call to ChriStians.
TEXT: "And there shall be great CRY
throughout all the land Of Egypt."-EI-
odus xi., 6.
This was the worst Of the ten plaques.
The destroying angel at midnight tapped
bis wing over the land, and there was one
dead In each house. Lamentation and
mourning and woe through all Egypt.
That destroying angel has fed the earth,
but u far woree has come. He sweeps
through these cities. It is the destroying
Angel Of strong drink. Far worse devasta-
rion wrought by this second than by the
first. The calamity In America worse than
the calamity in Egypt. Thousands Of the
slain, millions Of the slain. No arithmetic
can calculate their number.
Once upon a time four fends met in the
Z lost world. They resolved that the people
Of our earth were too happy, and these
four iniernals came forth to our earth on
embassy Of mischief. The one fend said,
"I'll take charge OF the vineyards" An
other said, "I'll take charge OF the grain
fields" Another said, "I'll take charge Of
the dairy" Another said, "I'll take charge
of the music" The four fiends met in the
great Sahara desert. with skeleton fingers
cIutehed each other in handshake of fdel-
ity, kissed each other goodby with lip Of
The fend of the vineyard came in one
bright morning amid the grapes and sat
down on q root OF twisted grapevine In
sheer Encouragement. The hend knew
not how to damage the vineyard, or,
through It, how to damage the world.
The grapes were so ripe and beautiful
and luscious. They bewitched the air with
their sweetness. There seemed to be so
much health In every bunch, and while
the 1lend sat there In utter indignation
and disappointment he clutched cluster
his hand was red with the blood Of the
vineyard, and the fend said: "That re-.
minds me Of the blood OF broken hearts.
I'll strip the vineyard, and I'll squeeze out
NIL the juice Of the grapes, and I'll allow
the juices OF the grapes to stand until they
rot. and I'll call the process fermenta-
tion." And there was great vat pre-
pared, and people came with their cups
and til cir pitchers, and they dipped up the
blood VI the grapes, and they drank and
drank and went away drinking, and they
drank until they fell In long lines OF death,
so that wher the f1end Of the vineyard
wanted to urn to his rome in the pit
he stepped from carcass to carcass and
walked down amid great causeway Of
The dead.
Then the second flend came into the
graiDfeld. He waded chin deep amid the
talking about bread and prosperous bus-
bandry and thrifty homes. he thrust his
long arms into the grainfleld, and he pulled
up the grain and threw 1t into the water,
and he made beneath It great fres-fres
lighted with spark from his own heart
and there we're grinding and mashiDg
and stencil, and the people came with their
bottles, and they dipped up the fiery liquid,
and they drank, and they blasphemed, and
they staggered, and they fought, and they
rioted, and they murdered, and the f1end of
pleased with their behavior that he changed
his residence from the pit to whisky bar
rel, and there he sat by the door Of the
bunghole laughing In high merriment at
the thought that out OF anything so harm
less rs the grain Of the field he might turn
this woild into a seeming pandemonium.
The fiend Of the dairy saw the cows COM
Ing home from the pasture field, full nd.
dered, and as the maid MIXED be said, "I'll
soon spoil all that mess, I'll add to 1t
brandy, sugar and nutmeg, and I'll stir it
into milk punch, and children will drink
1t md some Of the temperance people will
drink 1t, and II can do them more harm
I'll give them headache, and then I'll
Of the satanic delegation" And then the
hend Of the dairy leaped upon the shelf
and danced until the long row Of shining
mllkpans almost quaked.
The fend OF the music entered a grog-
chop md fbara ruara huf faru oIparo
Finding few: customers, he swept the. cir
cult of the city, and he gathered up the
musical instruments and after nightfail he
marshaled q band. and the trombones
blew and tie cymbals clapped and the
drums beat and the bugles called and the
people crowded in, and they swung around
in merry dance, each one With wlpeglass
in his hand, and the dance became wilder
and stronger and rougher, nltil the room
shook and the glasses cracked and the floor
broke and the crowd dropped into hell.
Then the four fends-the fend OF the
vineyard and OF the grainGeld and OF the
dairy and OF the music hall-went back to
their home, and they held high carnival
because their work had been so we'll done,
and satan rose from his throne and an
nourced that there was no danger OF the
sarth's redemption so long as these four
fends could pay such tax to the diabolic.
And then oil the demons and all the sprites
and oil the fends filled their glasses and
clicked them and cried: "Let US drink
drink to the everlasting prosperity OF the
liquor trafficl Here's TO woe and darkness
and murder and deathl Drink Drink"
But whether by alle2ory or by appalling
stntistic this subject Is presented you know
rs we'll as that 1t Is impossible to exag.
Rerate the evils Of strong drink. A plague!
A nj al In fnahriafa
suffers from the loss OF good name. God
has so arranged 1t that no man loses his
reputation except by his own act. The
world may assault a man, and all the
powers OF darkness may assault him-they
cannot capture him so long as his heart Is
pure and his life is pure. All the powers
of earth and hell cannot take that Gibral.
tar. II a man Is right, all the lombard
ment Of the world for 8. 10, 20, 10 years
will only strengthen him in his position.
So that all you have to do is to keep
yourself right. Never mind the world. Let
It cay what It will. 1t can do you no
damage. But as soon rs 1t is whispered,
HE drinks" and 1t can be proved, he
begins to 90 down. What clerk can get
position with such a reputation? What
store wants him? What church OF God
wants him for member? What dying man
wants him for m executor? "He drinks!"
I stand before hundreds OF young men
and say 1t not in hattery-splendidy young
men who have their reputation as their
only capital. Your father gave you good
education, or as good an education as he
could afford to give you. He started you
in city life. He could furnish you no
means, out lie has surrounded you with
Christian influences and good memory OF
the past. Now. young man, under God you
are with your own right arm to achieve
your fortune, and as your reputation Is
picion by going in and out OF liquor estab-