Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1901-10-17

watch of the night! Gods slumberless
eye will look. Let one great wave OF
refreshing slumber roll over the heart
of the Great town. submergiag care and
anxiety and worriment and pain. Let
the city sleep.
Those Who Sleep Not.
BIT, my fri nds, be not deceived.
There will be toni ght thousands who
will not sleep at ALL Go up that dark
alley, and be cautious where you tread
lest you fall over the PROSTATE form
of drunkard lying on his own door
step. Look about you, lest you feel the
garrotar's hug. Look through the bro
ken winlow pane AMI see what you can
see. You say, Nothing" Then lis
ten. What is it? God help us!" No
footlights, but tragedy & astlier and
mightier than Rstori or Edwin Booth
ever enacted. No light, no fire, no
bread, no bore. Shiveying in the cold,
they have had no food for twenty-four
beg?" They do, but they get nothing.
You say, why don't they deliver
themselves over to the almshouse?'
All, you would net ask that If you ever
heard the bitter cry of a man or child
when told he must go to the aims
house! "oh." you say, they are vici-
GUS poor, and Therefore they do not
deserve our sympathy" Are they vici-
Gus? So much more need they your
pity. The Christian poor, God helps
them. Through their night there
wrinkles 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 gene out.
You excuse yourself from helping them
by saying that they are so bad they
brought this trouble on themselves. /
reply, Where l give ten prayers for
the innocent who are suffering / will
give twenty for the guilty who are suf-
fering.
The Open Door.
Pass on through the alley. Open the
door. "Oh." you say, lit is locked"
No, it is not locked. 1t has never been
locked. No burglar would be tempted
to go in there to steal anything. The
door is never locked. Only broken
chair stands against the door. Shove
it back. Go in. Strike match. Now
look. Beastliness and rags. See those
glazing eyeballs. Be careful now what
you say. Do not utter any insult. do
not utter any suspicion, If you value
your life. What is that red mark on
the wall? 1t is the mark of murder
er's hand! Lock at those two eyes
rising up out of the darkness and out
from the straw in 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
these beautiful children presented in
baptism. This little one never smiled;
it never will 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.
Strike another match. All, is 1t pos
sible that the Scared and bruised face
of that young woman was ever looked
into by maternal tendsrn IS? Utter
no scorn. Utter no harsh word. No
ray OF hope has dawned on that brow
for many year. No ray of hope ever
will dawn on that brow. But the
light has gone out. Do not strike an
other light. 1t would be a mockery
to kindle another fight in such a place
as that. Pass out and pass down the
street. Our cities are full OF such
homes, and the worst time the third
watch of the night.
The Criminals Hour.
Do you know that it is in this third
watch of the night that criminals do
their worst work? 1t is the criminals
watch. At half past s o'clock you
will find them in the drinking saloon.
but toward ~ 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 q
burglar, and the false ky will soon
touch the store lock. This Is an incen-
diary, and before morning there will
he light in the sky and cry of
Fire, fire!" This is an assassin, and
tomorrow morning there will be dead
body in one of the vacant 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 thsir eye is keen,
their brain cool, their arm strong,
their foot fleet to fly or pursue. they
are ready. Many of these poor crea-
lures We're brought up that way. They
were born in thieves garnet. Their
childish toy was burglars dark Ian
tern. TIE first thing thy remember
was their mother bandaging the brow
of their father, struck by the police
club. They began by robbing boys
pockets, and new they have come to
dig the underground passage to the
cellar of 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
desperadces. Some one, wishing to
make good Christian point and to
quote a passage of Scripture. expecting
to get ScriptuIal passage in answer.
sad to one of these poor lads. cast out
and wretched, when your father and
mother forsake you, who viii take you
up?" and the boy said. The perfect"
In the third watch of the night also
drunkenness does its worst. Tie
dr;nLiuo u,ilt he rasDootobla ~ Q