The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1901-11-14
Is minister of religion who has been

is minister of religion who has been
giving the sacrament to dying Chris
tian. Here is physician pa assing along
in great haste. Nearly all the lights
have gone out in the dwellings, for it
is the third watch of the night. That
light in the window is the light of the
watcher, for the medicines must be
administered, and the fever must be
watched, and the restless tossing off
of the coverlid must be resisted, and
the ice must be kept on the hot tenn
Piles, and the perpetual prayer must
go up from hearts soon to be broken.
Oh, the third watch of the night!
What stupendous thought-a whole
city at rest! Weary arm preparing for
to-morrow's toll. Hot brain being
cooled off. Rigid muscles relaxed. Ex-
cited nerves soothed. The white hair
of the octogenarian in thin drifts
across the pillow, fresh fall of flakes
on snow already fallen. Childhood,
with its dimpled hands thrown out on
the pillow, and with every breath TAX
ing in new store of fun and frolic.
Third watch of the night! Gods slum-
berless eye will look. Let one great
wave of refreshing slumber roll over
the heart of the great town, submerg-
ing care and anxiety and worriment
and pain. Let the city sleep.
But, my friends, be not deceived.
There will be tonight thousands who
will not sleep at all. Go up that dark
alley, and be cautious where you
tread lest you fall over the pros
trate form of drunkard lying on his
own doorstep. Look about you, lest
you feel the garroter's hug. Look
through the broken window pane,
and see what you can see. You say:
Nothing" Then listen. What is
it? God help us!" No footlights,
but tragedy ghastlier and mightier
than Ristori or Edwin Booth ever en-.
acted. No light, no fire, no bread
no hope. Shivering in the cold, they
have had no food for "a hours. You
say: "Why don't they beg?" They
do, but they get nothing. You say:
"Why don't they deliver themselves
over to the almshouse?" All, you
would not ask that if you ever heard
the bitter cry of man or child when
told he must go to the almshouse!
''Oh," you say, they are vicious poor
and therefore they do not deserve oul
sympa thy" Are they vicious? Sc
much more they need your pity. The
Christian poor, God helps them
Through their night there twinkle,
the round, merry star of hope and
through the broken window they see
the crystals of Heaven, but the
vicious poor, they are more to be
pitied. Their last light has gone out
You excuse yourself from helping
them by saying they are so bad they
brought this trouble on themselves
reply: Where I give ten prayers
for the innocent who are suffering
will give 20 for the guilty who are
suffering.
Pass on through the alley. Oper
the door. "Oh," you say, "it i.
locked" No, it is not locked. 1t ha:
never been locked. No burglar would
be tempted to go in there to stea
anything. The door is never locked
Only broken chair stands against
the door. Shove it back. Go in
Strike match. Now, look. Beastli
ness and rags. See those glarine
eyeballs. Be careful now what yol
say. Do not utter any insult, do mo-
utter any suspicion, if you value YOU
life. What is that red mark on th'
wall? 1t is the mark of a murderer:
hand! Look at those two eyes rising
up out of the darkness and out from
the straw in the corner, coming to
ward you. and as they come near yol
your lights 60 out. Strike anothe,
match. All, this is babe, not lik'
those beautiful children presented
in baptism. This little one neve:
smiled; it never will smile. a fowe,
flung on an awfully barren beach
o Heavenly Shepherd, fold that littl
one in thy arms!
Strike another match. All, is i
possible that the SCARED and bruiset
face of that young woman was eve
looked into by maternal tenderness
u llcI uO SCOlH OttSl uo AdI Sh WI u
No ray of hope has dawned on tha
brow for many year. No ray o
hope ever will dawn on that brow
But the light has gone out. Do no
strike another light. It would be
mockery to kindle another light il
such a place as that. Pass out ant
pass down the street. Our cities ar
full of such homes, and the wors
time the third watch of the night.
My friends, you see all around abou
you the need that something radical b
done. You do not see the worst. L
the midnight meetings in London
great multitude has been saved. w
want few hundred Christian men an
women to come down from the highes
circles of society to toll amid thes
wandering and destitute ones and kin
die up a light in the dark alley, eve:
the gladness of Heaven. Do not G
wrapped in your fine fhrs and from
your well-flled tables with the ide
that pious talk is going to stop tn
gnawing of an empty stomach or t
warm stockingless feet. Take bread
| taxa raimept "a lSe medicine as we'll a