Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-10-16
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no fire, no bread, 40 hope Shivering in
the cold, they have had no food for TWEEN
ty-four hours. You say, why don't they
beg:' They do, but they get nothing.
You say, why don't they deliver them
selves over to the almsh3use?' 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, anu there
fore they do not deserve our sympathy. .
Are they vicious? So much more need
they yot'r pity. The Christian poor. God
helps theln 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 u j.e to be pitied. Their
last light has gone oat. You excuse your
self from helping them by saying they
are so bad they brought this troubl, on
themselves. l reply. Where | give ten
prayers for the innocent who are suffer
ing will give twenty fer the guilty who
are suffering.
fhe Open Door.
Pass on through the alley. Open the
door oh" you say, sit is locked" No.
1t 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 a broken chair stands
against the door. Shove it back. Go in.
Strike match. Now, look. Beastliness
and rags. See those glaring eyeballs.
Be careful now what you say. Do not
utter any insult, do not utter any sus-
picicc, if you value your life. What is
I rod ~ nm fhn Hvaflp 10 40
mark of lnurderer's hand, Look at
those two eyes rising up out of the dark
ness and out from the straw in the cor
ner. coming toward you, and as they
come near you your light goes out. Strike
ar other match. All, this is a babe, not
like those beautiful children presented IL
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 it posi-
bic that the Scared and bruised face of
that young woman was ever looked into
by maternal tenderness? Utter no scorn.
Utter no harsh word. No ray of hope
has dawned On that brow for many a
year. No ray of hope ever will dawn on
that brow. But the light has gone out.
Do not strike another light. 1t would be
a mockery to Aindle another light in such
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.
Do you know it is in this third watch
of the night that criminals do their worst
work? 1t is the criminals watch. At
half past o'clock you will find them in
the drinking saloon, but toward IL 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 burglar, and the false key will soon
touch the store lock. This is an ineen-
diary, and before morning there viii be a
| light on the sky and a cry of Fire, fire."
/ This is an assassin, and tomorrow morn
ing 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 their
eye is 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 that way.
| They were born in a thieves garrett
| Their childish toy was burglars dark
| lantern. 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 under
| 70 ba oaItor nf H.
! and are preparing to blast he gold vault.
Just so long as there are neglected chill
dren of the street, just so long We will
have these desoeradoes.
Hour of Great Temptation.
In the third watch of the night gam
bling does its worst work. What though
the hours be slipping away and though
! the wife be waiting in the cherries
| home? Stir up the fire. Bring on more
| drinks. Put on more stakes. That com
nercial house that only a little while ago
put out sign of copartnership will this
| winter be wrecked on a gamblers table.
There will be many a money till tnat will
irng a leak. In the third watch of the
night pass down the streets of these cities
and you will hear the click of the dice
! and the sharp, keen stroke of the balls
! on the billiard table. At these places
merchant princes dsmount and legisla-
| tors, tired of making laws, take respite
! in breaking them. All classes of people
are robbed by this crime-the importer of
| foreign silks and the dealer in Chatham
1 street pocket handkerchiefs. The clerks
/ of the store take a hand after the shut
| tiers 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, it was no unusual thing the next
morning. in the woods around about the
/ city. to find the suspended bodies of sui
| cides. Whatever be the splendor of sur
| roundings, there is no excuse for this
| crime. The thunders of eternal destruc-
ton roll in the deep rumble of that gam
| bling tenpin alley, and as men come out
to join the long procession of sin all the
drdrns of death beat the dead march Of a
thousand souls.
In one year in New York City there
were seTen million dollars sacrificed at
the gaming table. Perhaps some of your
| friends have been smitten OF ehis SIN.
Perhaps some of you have been smitten
by it. Perhaps there may be a stranger
here from some of the hotels. Look out
for those agents of iniquity who tarry
about the hotels and ask you. would
you like TO see the city? Yes" Have
you ever seen that splendid building UP
town. mo" Then the villain VIII