The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-02-05
CONSEQUENCES PUT TO SLEEP.
Rev. A. B. Medium Preaches on
Moral Anaesthetics.

Rev. A. b. Meldrum preached before
large audience at the Central Presby-
terrain church last evening on sMoral
Anaesthetics.' DR.. Meldrum, after dis
cussing the various means through which
the mind, and even body, sank into a
somnolent condition, through inactivity.
or otherwise, said: But it is not the in
tellectual faculties only that are liable
to lapse into a state Of lethargy. Our
moral organs or senses may likewise be
reduced to contatose condition. in
which they may continue for an alarm
ing length of time. 1t seems strange that
the human heart should have the power
Of turning one Of its chambers into
sort of sleepy compartment where 1t may
hull to slumber all "reminiscences Of
painful or disagreeable kind. Yet the
history Of all ages and the experience Of
every day show that there is nothing
more common than this. The result is
what we cali sleeping conscience.
Taken literally, the phrase is a contra
diction, but 1t is q short and easy way
of indicating the conscience OF man
who has to a certain extent succeeded
in rendering himself oblivious to his own
guilt. Conscience has been lilkened unto
an infant, which, when it becomes fret
full and persists in annoying people py
it's crying. is put into its cradle and
given a dose of soothing syrup, and un-
der the influence of that and the accom-.
paniment of a sweet lullaby Is rocked to
sleep. So there are men who, when con-
science troubles them, administer some
soothing sophism, by which they seek
to pacify the troubled moral sense. and
under the charm Of which vice comes to
wear the guise of virtue. Black seems
white. Wrong seems right, or some evil
deed comes to be regarded as mere
mistake, under the circumstances quite
pardonable, and hardly worth troubling
about So remorse is assuaged. The
troublesome babe Is hushed to sleep and
matters may go on as smoothly as ever.
So it was with David. For months after
his great sin David's conscience was
sound asleep. And it was only under
the hard hit of Nathans "Thou are the
man that it woke up with the shout OF
life, 4 have sinned against the Lord
"Anaesthetics in the province of med
icine are comparatively recent discov-
cry. But anaestheties in the realm IF
morals are as old as sin itself Wonder
7 full things our doctors can do with us
nowadays, when they have hardened
our sensibilities by their powerful drugs
They can cut US almost to bits and patch
us together again, and we never know
the thing is done until we wake up. Yet
strange and terrible deeds man can do
seem to realize the awfulness Of his do
ings until something wakes him up. 1t
is one Of the most terrible things to
think of that a man can sin fasrantly,
violently against God and himself and
never seem to realize, never seem to
care what he Is doing. One Of the saddest
sights to be witnessed is that Of a young
man subjecting himself to the deadening
influences that must ultimately reduce
him to a condition of moral insensibiltty,
gradually inhaling the poison that IS giy-2
en- to put conscience to. sleep. He has
come up to town, to strike out for him
self. He has been taught from his. earli-
est childhood the old-fashioned doctrine
that right is right, acknowledges no mod -
ification of circumstances, but is pure and
Interchangeable as the throne CT God. That
Is the conviction with which he struck
out. If he only held on to that idea he
would prove man Of the noblest type.
For a time he stalwartly plants himself
on his instincts. But he Is young. He
wants to enjoy himself. And what Dung
man is there here that does not know
how difficult it is not to go with the null
titude to do evil? All honor to the boy
brave enough to resist the allurements
Of evil and dare to stand alone. II need
be- alone with God and the truth.