The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1904-05-01
The BULLETINS SUNDAY SERMON
BY REV. FRANK DE WITT TALMAeE, D. D.

10 us prey, as the leaplng Tiger comes
nearer and nearer to q clumsy, lum-
bering buffalo. Then the Whit Of
smoke, then the murderers clambering
over the gunWalcs Of the doomed ship
then the wounded ANA dying men be-
ing pitched overheard; then with the
dramatic effect Of contrast Father Tay-
lor described how these cutthroats hes
itated before striking down the last Of
those on the mcrchantman the cap
tain'S helpless wife and his innocent,
weeping child. "What did the piratical
leader thCndo| said hcrTaylor. "He
ordered grog to be served, Even those
murdercrs of men had heart until Il
gill of rum and mOlnsSes apiece took ii
away. No sooner was the rum swal-
lowed than this mother and her child
were struck down by the men. whose
inhamed hearts and brains We're with
out mercy" All, yes; the drunkards
sins are scarlet They are sins which
make men capable of fiendish work,
even to the death Of a helpless mother
and her innocent babe.
Drink Destroys Spiritual Life.
Some people will tell YOU that men
drink to drown their sorrows. | tell
you that when men drink they stain
their souls, No sooner is the drunk
ards poisonous draft taken into the
blood than the man seems TO be pos
sessed With rabies and must go forth
TO scatter death wherever he can The
human being inoculatcd With the poi
son OF intoXicants seems to be endowed
with the power to destroy spiritual and
often physical life, as was the inocu-
lated rabbit of Australia to destroy the
physical life of beast bird ana man.
Many years ago an Australian colonst
was homcsick for the sight of the Eng
lish rabbit He had one OF his friends
ship him couple as pets TO his farotf
southern home. Those rabbits escaped
from their master and began to breed
Their progeny increased until they
were almost as countless as the sands
of the sea. The Australian rabbit
plague destroyed the crops. They be-
came rs great Il curse as is the seven.
teen year locust to the American farm
or They were numbered by the mil
lion. The Australian parliament was
beWildercd with the problem. \ re-
ward Of 100000 was offered for any
man who could devise practical plan
to eXtcrminate them Wire fences were
built across that island continent. The
rabbits were hunted with guns ana
dogs and entrapped everywhere but
still their numbers grew At length, as
q last resort. some rabbits were caught
and inoculated with the fatal serum of
hydrophobia, Then a greater danger
than before meuaced these southern
c0lonists. These mad rabbits not only
bit other rabbits, but they bit dogs and
sheep and cattle. and even bit men and
drunkard's blood is once inoculated
with the poison it seems to create in
its victim mad passion 70 destroy life
1t seems TO make a man absolutely in
different now he might crush out the
heart of his wife, his child or his
friend. \ man drinks to drown Soi-
row? Oh, no! lie drinks to crafty his
Unsuitable craving, reckless OF the con
sequences. though they may involve his
becoming Iecrcant TO his duty TO the
helpless woman and the innocent chill
dren who are dependent on his eXer-
tions and have the strongest of all
claims Oh his loyalty, his truth and his
honor.
Rcddcst OF All Sins.
The drunkard's sins, without doubt,
must be classcd among the rcddcst Of
all scarlet sins. Now comes the prac-
teal question, VIII God cleanse the
drunkmd's sins? When we say he is
Il loathsomc, heartless, good for notn-
ing drunkard do we mean, "'rhcrc is
no hope for the drunkardY Some Of
us have such Il lack of faith that we
do mean this; but God never meant
nor said It, purge me with hyssop
and | shall be clcan wash me, and
| shall be whittier than SNOW" is a di
rect rcfutation Of the charge that
Christ win not forgive the drankarl's
sins. Oh, man, though by drunken
ness you have sold your home under
the shoriff's hammer. though yen have
wrecked your business and had your
eyes horror struck with the knlcdo-
scope Of deirium trcmcns. yet there is
even pardon and peace for you! There