The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1880-06-15
REV. WHITAKER'S SERMON.
WHICH WAS DELIVERED AT THE METHODS
CHURCH LAST SUNDAY EVENING.

| ChURCh LAST SUNDAY EVENING.
Rev. Mr.. Whitaker delivered az
aggressive and therefore, interesting ser
mon last Sunday evening. 1t was ca!cu
lated to arouse the slumbering energies o.
the reform element of the city, and since il
made special reference to the various insti
tutions, both moral and otherwise in the
city, we deem it not out of place to publish
a few OF its most important points. We dc
not remember the text, nor is 1t neces.
sary to produce it, for, as the speaker him.
self said, it can be dispensed with withou,
injuring the substance of the discourse in
the least After some appropriate prelimi-
nary remarks the speaker proceeded at
once to the consideration of the more prom
inent portions of his address. He thought
that there were in Cairo numer-
GUS impediments in the way of religion,
the most formidable of which he placed
under five heads, viz: Sabbath desecra-
ton, infdelity, the saloons, careless Chris
tians and the drinking masses. He had
visited numerous cities and observed
closet the manner Of keeping the first day
Of the week, and found that while much
looseness in this regard prevailed every
where, it was more general here. A greater
per cent. of our people were guilty of Sab
bath Dissertation in one form or another
than he had found in any of the cities he
had ever visited. In every other city,
at least the better class of
merchants kept their business
houses closed the entire Sabbath. He
would not say that the better class Of them
here did not do likewise, but he found in
those places distinct line Of demarcation
between those who studiously obeyed the
teachings of the church in respect
to Sunday and those who did
not. He thought that the
Sabbath decorators were made up
largely Of foreigners and referred to one
place in particular, where nearly every bust
ness house was not only apparently, but
actually closed, not even book keeper at
work at the rear window. But where he
had observed large procession of working
men, coming up one Of the principal
streets, composed of the different working
mems unions, displaying their several ban
ners and notices, and booms tor picnic
ground several miles distant. He
had observed that this pro-
cession was composed of almost entirely Of
foreigners of every nationality which sur
prised him somewhat Infdelity, he SAID
was not very aggressive in Cairo. There
being very few, if any, who openly and in
writing denounced Christianity, but
whose influence was nevertheless exerted
and felt though almost impreceptiby.
The saloons he considered one of the most
dangerous Of all the impedimsnts.
He had heard number of speak
ers, while addressing the Temperance club,
speak alphabetically of the rum seller as
though they deserved pity rather than con-
domination. He did not believe in this
kind of warfare and denounced in an elo-
auent manner the man who would lure to
destruction our friends and relatives. He
thought that our Reform club should
be more aggressive and draw
q distinct line between themselves and
their adherents, and the saloonkeeper and
their supporters. He had been told by
gentleman who had been behind the scenes,
that in the last election the latter element
had spent hundreds of dolla,s and worked
diligently to elect their favorites,
and they had succeeded, while the temper
ance element had been crimnaly passive
He thought thai, instead ofabandoning tenn
perance principles during elections, they
should be more firmly upheld both by
word and action But, by far the greatest
and most obstinate impeachment with which
the churches Of Cairo had to deal were the