The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1904-10-21
WHAT OF THE NIGHT? ?
Rev. Or. Talrhage breaches OF
Dangers to the Young.
The Modern Tendencies of the Dance
aud of the Stngc-God's Watch
man Tells of the
Perils.

the besetting sins of modern society
and warns Christians against yielding
to their aIlurements The text is Isa-
iah xxi. II, "Watchman what Of the
nlghtT
Have you an active imaginationi If
so, you do not need TO 20 to Palestine
the land in which the ancient prophet
wrote. for an illustration of the words
of my text. There are watclmen
everywhere men who at night. while
others sleep. are on guard protecting
property and by their vigilance foil
ing the plans Of thieves ana consplra-
tors who prowl around in the darkness.
1t is merely formal routine duty that
the British sentinel Oh the Tower now
has TO perform, but In former times
there was need Of all his vigilance.
From his watchtower he might see
the approach Of foreign foe. or in
some part Of the great slumherlng
city spread out on all sides below him
he might witness the outbreak Of in
surrectiOn. We can imagine how anX-
ious in those unquiet times might
be the tone OF the officer of the guard,
who, visiting him, would ask, watch
man. what Of the nightV That
means: How goes the nightl What
is the newsf Tell me what you have
seen. What are the prospects aheadF
This Is the symbol Of the watchman.
II is thus that the ancient prophet
represents himself as observing the
signs Of the times. The people cry to
him, "What have you SEEM And he
answers them not only by describing
the spectacles he has witnessed, but
warning them Of the Judgment i'm
pending over them. II Is so that every
minister Of the present day is com
missioned. 1t Is his duty 10 observe
the habits and customs Of his time
and warn the sinner Of the evil Of his
way. II the question Is asked him.
"What Of the nightT he must often
give a sad and painful report When
men have left their daily tasks and Civ
en- free rein TO their incllnations, what
do they do? How do they spend the
hours Of darkness?
As see the sun sink behind the Los
Angeles hills | see ignted one by one
the different lights Of the many places
Of pernlcious amusement These DIFF
ferent lights, as destroying flames, be
gin to beckOn the young men and the
young women into their fascinating
haunts. see the stage curtains lifted
before many an alluring group of
actresses and chorus girls. such rs was
seen in the wealthy capital of Samarla
on the night when disreputable dane
ing girl, Salome by name, danced
among the licentlous guests Of her step
father, Herod, and by sinuous move
ments Of limb and suggestive look of
sin SO captlvated the drunken king that
he promised her anything that she
might ask Of him, even TO the half OF
his kingdom.
John the Baptist lost his life on ac
count OF that dance. But many a man
not. like John, I'm prison, but In orches
ira chair. has lost his head, both moral
Iy and spiritually, as the result Of an
immoral show on the theater boards
There may be good theaters. l know
that some people whom l respect at
tend the theater. But | know there
are also vile theaters. | also know
some OF these vile theaters are attend
ed regularly by some so called GOOD
people. And l also know that these
vile shows are the haunts Of spiritual
and physical death.
But as a watchman / must not al
low my eyes TO follow only one class
OF people. While the theatcr audi
ences are moving through the streets
70 witness these distorted and Otter
impossible plays, through the open
doors of the saloons can see th'
stages on which are being enacted
scores and hundreds and thousands oi
tragedies In real life. Each one OF
these tragedies is as pathetic as tina
Of a Hamlet an Othello. a Merchan
of Venice. Each one has more OF pa
thos within it than could ever be foun'
in the misery and woe Of Dickens
"Tale of Two Cities" or Seton
Thompson's Autobiography Of Griz
zly Bear" In these tragedies Of rea
life enacted upon the stage OF th'
saloon we do not always find thu
voung men and women led as lambs t
the slaughter. But we sometimes fn'
them as wild tigers fighting for thei
lives when their fore feet have beer
caught in the street traps, or as stag
nj bay. for a little while holding of
the hounds. yet, like mad dogs at th'
sight Of water they become ABSOLUTELY
helpless at the sight and smell OF rum
oh. the tragedies Of the saloons! Al
n watchman on Gods watchtower wh'
can ever refrain from sympathizini
with them and shedding tears Of deep
est sorrow for them? "Oh, no" ex
claims some cynical man, 81 have NJ
sympathy for the drunkard. If mai
wants to stop drinking he can stop
The only reason why the drunkards "
not stop is because they do not wan
TO stop" All, my cynical friend, yo'
nre wrong. l have no sympathy 10
that egotistlc and self inflated youni
man who TO be smart loafs about 81
loon and deliberately cultivates a tast
for drink. But there are thousands o
men who do not want to drink. The,
do not know how to stop drinking
They have never yet heard OF tn
grace OF God which viii save them /
they would only let him save them. Aye
I 90 further than that | believe Their
are thousands Of drunkards tonigh
who would be willing to take an a.
and with II cut or their right hands
they could only be freed from the cur
Of drink. They are fighting drink ey
cry day Of their lives. but in their owi
strength they cannot stop. And so "a
night as a Waterman on Gods tower
see thousands of the finest Drained me
and women going to destruction
through the rapids which head iewar
the awful Niagara OF delirium tremen'
| hear them shouting and cursing an