The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1901-11-29

M 4
never viii smile. A flower flung on an
aWtully barren beach. o Heavenly shep
herd, fold that little one in Thy armal
Wrap around you your shawl or your coal
tighter, for the cold wind sweeps through
Strike another match Alb, il IL possi
bic that the SCARED and bruised face Of
that young woman ever was looked into
by maternal tenderness? Utter no scorn
Utter no harsh word. No ray OF hope
has dawned on that brow for many q
year. No raw Of hope ever will dawn on
that brow. But the light has gone out.
Do not strike another light. II would be
a mockery 10 kindle another light in such
place az that Pass out and pass down
the street.
Do you know IL Is IN this third watch
| OF the night that criminals do their worst
work? II is the criminals watch. At
! half past o'clock you will find them IN
| the drinking saloon, but toward u o'clock
| they 90 10 their garrets, they get out
! their tools, then they start on the street
| Watching on either side for the police,
they 90 TO their work Of darkness. This
Ia a burglar, and the false key viii soon
| erv, and before morning there viii be 9
Hight on the sky and cry OF "Firei Birel@
| This is an assassin, and tomorrow morn
ing there will be dead body in one q
the vacant lots.
During the daytime these villains IN odE
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 feet b
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 q bur
sYovpo IawIr 1nwkav5a The AraA Nh9wy khnag
remember was their mother bandaging
che brow Of their father. struck by the
police club. They began by robbing boyS
pockets, and now they have come TO dia
the underground passage 90 the cellar OF
che bank and are preparing TO blast the
cold vault,
Just - long IS there are neglected ehn-
dren OF the street, fust 40 long we VIII
have these desperadoes, Some one, wish
ing to make a good Christian point and
10 quote passage Of Scripture, expecting
20 get Scriptural passage IN answer, said
TO one of these poor lads, cast out and
wretched. SWhen your father and your
mother forsake you, who, then, viii take
iice!"
I rejoice before God that never are
sympathetic words uttered, never a PRAYER
offered, never a Christian almsgiving in-
dulged m but it is blessed There is q
place in Switzerland, I have been told.
where the utterance Of one word win
bring back a score Of echoes, and I have
TO tell you that a sympathetic word. a
kind word, a generous word, a helpful
vuopd- uttened IN the darn places Of the
town viii bring back 10000 echoes from
heaven.
7 could give you the history in a minute
OF one of the best friends ever. had.
Outside Of my own family I never mad q
better friend. He welcomed me to my
home at the West He was of splendid
personal appearance, but he had an ardor
Of soul and a warmth Of affection thaa
made me love him like a brother. saw
men coming out of the saloons and gamb-
ling hells, and they surrounded my friend, |
and they took him at the weak point-his |
social nature-and / saw him going down,
and I had fair talk with him, for |
never yet saw man you could not talk |
with on the subject OF his habits If you |
talked with him in the right way. .
said to him, why don't you give up your
bad habits and BECOME a Christian?"
remember now just how he looked, leaning
! could. Oh, sir, I should like 20 be a
Christian, but have gone so far astray
J. can't get back!" So the time went on.
After awhile the day of sickness came. I
was summoned to his sickbed. I fastened.
1t took me but very few moments to
get there. / was surprised as I went in.
] saw him in his ordinary dress fully
dressed, lying on top of the bed. I gave
him my hand, and he seized it convulsive-
ly and said: ooh, how glad am to see
you! Sit down there" I sat down, and
he said: 'Mr. Talmage, just where YOU
sit now my mother sat last night. She
has been dead twenty years. Now, don't
want you to think am out Of my mind
or that / am superstitious, but, sir. she
sat there last night, and she said. 'Ros-
well, wish you would do better, I wish
you would do better said: Mother,
! wish | could do better. I try to do
better, but | cant. Mother. you used to
help me; why can't you help me now?'
reality, and, went to her and threw my
arms around her neck, and I said. Moth.
er, will do better, but you must help
me. l can't do this alone" I knelt
and prayed. That night his soul went
to the Lord who made it.
Arrangements were made for the obse-
ques. The question was raised whether
they should bring him to the church.
said, "You cannot bring such
2 absolute man as that into the church"
! said: You will bring him in church.
He stood by me when he was alive, and I
will stand by him when he is dead, Bring
him" As stood in the pulpit and saw
them carrying the body up the aisle I
felt as if ] could weep tears Of blood On
one side Of the pulpit sat his little child
Of eight years, sweet, beautiful little
girl. that I had seen him hug convulsively
IN his better moments. He put on her
all jewels and gave her all pictures and
toys, and then he would 20 away, as if
bounded by an evil spirit, to his cups and
the house of iniquity, fool to the cor
rection of the stocks. She looked up won
1eringly; she knew not what it all meant;
she was not old enough to understand
The sorrow of an orphan. On the other
side sat the men who ruined him. They