Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-10-18

door. "Oh." you say, lit Is locked"'
No. II Is not locked. II has never been
locked. No burglar would be tempted
TO go In there to steal anything. The
door is never locked. Only a broken
chair stands against the door. Shove
IL back. Go In. Strike a match. Now,
look. Beastliness and rags. See those
glaring cyeballs. Be careful now what
you say. DO not utter any Insult, do
not utter any suspicion. IL you value
your life. What Is that red mark on
the wall? Ii Is the mark of murder
cr's hand! Look ut those two eyes ris-
ing up out OF the darkness and out
from the straw i'm the corner, coming
toward you, and as they come near you
your light goes out. Strike another
match. All, this is a babe. not like
those beautiful children presented IN
baptism. This little one never smiled.
1t never VIII smile. A flower flung on
an awfully barren beach. o Heavenly
Shepherd. fold that little one in thy
arms! Wrap around you your shawl
or your coat tighter, for the cold wind
sweeps through.
AcnelecS BS0Ny.
Strike another match. An, Is II pos
sibie that the Scared and bruised face
Of that young woman ever was looked
Into by maternal tenderness? Utter TO
scorn. Utter no harsh word. No ray
of hope has dawned On that brow for
many year. No ray OF hope ever VIII
dawn on. that brow. But the light has
u <sfr rfe,t~
1t would be mockery to kindle an
other light in such n place as that.
Pass out and pass down the street.
Do you know It Is I'm this third watch
OF the night that criminals do their worst
work? 1t Is the criminals watch. At
half past 8 O'Clock you will find them
in the drinking saloon, but toward L.
o'clock they go to their garrets. they
get out their tools. then they start on
the street Watching on either side for
the police, they go to their work of
darkness. This Is a burglar. and the
false key will soon touch the store lock;
this Is an incendiary. and before morn
Ing there will be light on the sky and
n cry OF "Firel Firer' This is an as
sassin, and tomorrow morning there
will be dead body in one of the va
cant lots. During the daytime these
villains In our cities lounge about. some
asleep and some awake. but when the
third watch OF the night arrives. their eye
keen. their brain cool. their arm strong.
their foot fleet to fly or pursue. they are
ready. Many OF these poor creatures
were brought up in that way. They
were born In a thieves garrett Their
childish toy was a burglars dark Ian
tern. The first thing they remember
was their mother bandaging the brow
OF their father, struck by the police
club. They began by robbing boys
pockets, and now they have come to
dig the underground passage to the cell
lar or the bank and are preparing to
blast the gold vault. Just so long as
there are neglected children OF the
street. Just so long we will have these
desperadoes. Some one, wishing to
make n good Christian point and to
quote passage OF Scripture. expecting
TO get Scriptural passage In answer,
said 20 one of these poor lads, cast out
and wretched, "When your father and
your mother forsake you, who. then.
Will take You upg" And the boy said.
1.-THE pcrlice,"
The Way OF Destruction.
In the third watch OF the night gam
bling does It's worst work. What
though the hours be slipping away and
though the wife be waiting In the cheer
less home? Stir up the fire; bring on
more drinks; put up more stakesl That
commercial house that only n little
while ago put ont n sign of copartner-
ship will this winter be wrecked on n
gamblers table. There VIII be many n
money iii that will spring leak. In
the third watch OF the night pass down
the streets OF these cities, and you hear
the click Of the dice and the sharn,
keen stroke OF the balls on the billiard
table. At these places merchant princes
dismount. and legislators, tired of maxi
Ing laws, take q respite In breaking
them. All classes Of people arc robbed
by this crime-the importer OF foreign
silks and the dealer In Chatham street
pocket handkerchiefs. The clerks Of
the store take a hand after the shutters
are put Up. and the officers OF the court
while away their time while the Jury
IS out.
In Baden-Baden. when that city was
the greatest of all gambling places on
earth. IL was no unusual thing the next
morning, In the woods around about
the city, TO find the suspended bodies
of suicides. Whatever be the splendor
OF surroundings, there is no excuse for
this crime. The thunders of eternal
destruction roll in the deep rumble of
that gambling tenpin alley, and as men
come out to join the long procession of
sin an the drums OF death beat the
dead march of thousand souls.
In one year In New York city there
was S7,OOO.OO0 sacrificed at the gam
irg table. Perhaps some of your
friends have been smitten OF this sin:
perhaps some of you have been smittcn
by 1t; perhaps there may be stranger
here from some of the hotels. Look
out for those agents OF iniquity who
tarry around about the hotels and ask
you, would you like TO see the cityY'
Yes" Have you ever seen that
splendid building up town. "No."
Then the villain Will undertake to
show you what he calls the ''lions" and
the elephants" and after a young
man, through morbid curiosity o.
through badness Of soul. has seen the
lions" and the elephants" he will be
on enchanted ground. Look out for
these men who move around the hotels
with sleek hats-always sleek hats
and patroniZing air and unaccountable
interest about your welfare and enter
tainment. You are fool IL You can
not see through It. They want your
money.
Gambling and Drunkenness.
In Chestnut street, PHILADELPHIA.
while I was living In that city, an in
cident occurred which was familiar to
us there. In Chestnut street a young
man went into a gambling saloon, lost
all his property, then blew his brains
out, and before the blood was washed
from the floor by the maid the COM
rades were shutting cards again. You
see, there is more mercy in the high
wayman for the belated traveller on