The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
BY THE REV. FRANK DE WITT rALMAeE. D. D.

Russell Conwelrs church in Philadelphia and of the Park Presbyterian church of Newark, N J., and in one sense of the Moody church of Chicago Oh. why will not all of the churches, like those named, learn the value of doing their work by appealing to the social instincts?
 In the most congested parts of our cities the saloons have no difficulty to live. They appeal to mankind through the so- clal gate. Upon their windows I see these words advertised everywhere: Free Lunch" What does that mean? Have the saloon keepers suddenly become phi lanthropists? Are they animated with the gospel desire to feed the poor and care for the starving? Oh, mol The saloon keeper is a man shrewd and keen in bus mess. He says: If I with a sandwich can only entice my victims into my hell hole, then I can keep them here by the social instinct l will then surround them with my hirellngs and hold them in grips of steel" There Is an old saying in church circles. Give the people a free lunch and there Is no difficulty in collecting a crowd" If the saloon keep CTS can afford to give a free lunch every morning. noon and night in the service of the devil I do not believe it a poor policy once in awhile on a week night for the institutional church to give a free lunch in the name of Christ
 Evil Influences to counteract.
 When some months ago went through the Chicago slums in company with the officers of the law, hunting for the de- bauched husband of one of my church members. I found in many of these evil resorts that free vaudeville shows were given in order to decoy and draw in crowds. If the Satanic proprietor can af- ford to do that do not believe 1t out of place for Christians on the week nights to offer refined social entertainments to gather the great unchurched masses into a church fellowship in the name of Christ.
 When I go down the street of a Monday night, past church after church, tomblike and silent and dark on account of their closed doors. and find the billiard halls in full illumination and crowded with the young men of our land, know then that there Is something wrong. I know that these young men are not being appealed to In the name of Christ through the so- cial gate I know that the institutional church is right when to counteract that evil influence. it throws wide open its church buildings and offers to the young men and women of it's neighborhood li- brares in which they can read the best books, and gymnasums in which they can develop their muscles, and places in which they can be brought into the best of Christian association. You would decry the mission of the institutional church. did you ever stop to realize that in the congested districts of your tenement building there is hardly public place for @ workngman to go and get warm ex- cept to a saloon. there is hardly a place where he can go to meet the most sacred wants of his physical nature except in saloon? Therefore can we and dare we decry the mission of the institutional church in furnishing wholesome and ele- vating amusement for the worlSingman and a resort in which he can spend a pleasant social evening?
 But" some one says, "how then do you distinguish between the work of the social settlement and the work of the institutional church?' They are dia- metrcally different. They are as far apart as the arctic and antarctic poles. They have entirely different purposes. The institutional church believes that the 'social gate should be the strait gate leading directly to the foot of the cross. While the social settlement is in nearly every instance managed by Christians and while 1t is inspired by Christian prin- ciples and motives. it is compelled by the exigencies of its work to keep creed and denomination in the background. Its op- portunities of getting in touch with men and women of every faith and of no faith would be restricted, if not altogether lost, If it became known as a proselyting insti- tuition. The institutional church believes in being all things to all men so that Je- sus Christ can be glorifed. It Is trying to carry out the command of Christ which says, And l if I be lifted up will draw all men unto me" The social settlement can never take the place of the church, though 1t may prepare the way for 1t. Its work, valuable as it is, does not reach it's true continuation until the people whom it strives to influence have found in the gospel of Jesus Christ the panacea for all their afhctions and in Jesus him self the bearer os Ali their burdens. So the institutional church. strong in its con viction of the efficacy of its remedy. makes Jesus its motto presents Jesus al the social gate, Jesus in our libraries, Je- sus in our gymnasiums, Jesus with us in caring for the children, Jesus the coun- tersign with which we shall commune on the Sabbath day. Jesus the name of fellowship with which we shall associate together on the week night. Jesus, Jesus only!
 Sabbath Day Observance.
 Another means of benefitlng the work ingman is to insist on the observance of the Lords day. The Sabbath day as a sacred rest day is to be great factor in teaching the laboring classes how rightly to spend their evenings. It Is not only, as William sI1. Gladstone once expressed it, to be "the great conservator of phy- sical health" but also the golden gate which shall open to let the laboring man into the higher and nobler life of the Spirit It is to be the foundation stone of the sacred church It is also to be the foundation stone of the pure home and of the pure place of evening entertain- ment.
 An Oriental legend in a very graphic way taught the truth of Ralph Waldo Emerson's terse saying, '"rhe Sabbath day is the very core of civilization" both spiritual and temporal. It pictured King Solomon on his way to visit the Queen of Sheba While journeylng along he came to a valley filled with a peculiar tribe of monkeys By inquiry from the neghbor- ing people he found that this tribe of monkeys was the direct descendants of Jewish colony which long ago had settled in that valley. This people as a people had started on their social degeneracy when they, through avarice, had learned to despise the Sabbath day. Sabbath de- secration always means the human race descending from the godlike to the brute like. On the other hand, the indirect les sons of this legend are also true Teach a man how to worship God alright on Sunday and you stiffen his backbone. You will raise his forehead's dome. You will also teach him how to live alright. both during the week day and the week night
 "But" again says some one to me. "whv do you use the future tense? Why do you say. The Sabbath day Is to be the golden gate which shall open to let the laboring man into the higher and the nobler life of the Spirit? Why do you not use the present tense or even the past