Morning journal and courier., 1889-02-11
REFORM FOR THIS EVIL AGE.

ssWhaS Are You Going to Do About It',
 Answered by Rev. A. y. Wheeler
 Sensation and StagnatIon Ministers-
 Many Practical Reforms Necessary
 i'm Church, Family and City Officials
 Help for Fallen Women.
 Standing room was difficult to obtain at the little Beers street church last evening when Rev. A. J. Wheeler began the last lecture of his series on 'New Haven After Dark" Before beginning his address he an- swered many questions which had been put to him by letter. He said he thought New Haven as free from dens of iniquity as any city in New England, but that vice in high life was more prevalent than in aBy place he knew of.
 "What are you going to do about it" was
 the text for his remarks. "It is not only the
 duty of physician to tell a man he is sick,
 but to help him to get well," he began. 'I speak not for the purpose of advertising
 vices, but to stir good men to action. The increase of temptation and crime in this age
 is alarming. Yet there are bright sides as
 well ss dark ones. tell you tonight that I sincerely believe, however unwilliDgly, that
 temptation and iniquity are of faster growth
 than the Christian church. I took New
 York paper to-day and clipped out every-
 thing relating to crime. This is what was left (showing sadly ventilated newspaper) hardly anything but advertisements, base
 ball and polo. We live in an age of tele-
 graph and telephone and the same wire that
 bears the tale of crime might flash visions of
 righteousness and revivsls.
 Speaking of current literature, he said:
 "If there is any one in my church with so
 small brain as to have it twisted by snch
 display of language as is in Robert F1ismere
 I am heartily sorry for them.
 Some say don't know what missionaries
 are doing in foreign lands. A msthmatician
 has figured that 1t costs ninety cents to con- vert heathen. have figured further from our statistics. In the United States it costs Sd. 20 to convert @ man. There are, it seems, necticut. know all the ministers in the city are against me. But mark: publicly challenge any one of them to debate with me upon the subject. Resolved, that iniquity and crime are increasing faster than right eousness in this city, I taking the afdrma- tive. Professors of Yale and easy city pas tors, mark it.
 What are we going to do about itq First, there is need of practical reform in the city. We must look to the fallen, those already in the clutch of vice and almost beyond reform. Persons fallen to-day are fortunate if they ever rise. A good move would be to give the old State House to the Y. M. c. A., and
 
 dens of vice, last Saturday five policy dens were raided, and the city attorney says it was all due to me.
 How are we to work this reform, to lift the fallen man and woman. We must first reform the churches by breaking down de- nominational walls. I am astonished at the walls of differences between churches in this city. once asked @ man at @ revival "are you Christian?" ''No," he answered, "I am Baptist" Secondly, churches should be more active. We have too many brothers who say much, and too few brothers do much. The ministers say am sensational. If it were in my nature to reply would say they were stagnstiona1.
 There should be reform in officials. Our officers should be spotless. Ever since Judas sold his Master for thirty pieces of silver men have been selling themselves. 1 remember few years ago ssme newsboys and liquor dealers were arrested for selling on Sunday. The sober judge declared that the honor of the court should be preserved and fined the newsboys $1 each; he thought the court should be lenient with the liquor dealers and let them off.
 Our customs must be reformed. We laugh
 at the old Puritans, but we could learn much from them. Our Sunday laws should be
 more enforced. At this rate it won't be five years before our places of amusement are open on Sunday, as in some of our large cities.
 Speaking of summer vacation. he said that more people lost their religion during the summer than at any other time in the whole year.
 Our family relations should be reformed. Whenever you see father and mother at variance, their children are always unruly. Keep watch of your children, shield them from bad company and never let them on the street after dark without proper guardian. have received numbers of letters from pleading, heart-broken mothers whose daugh- ters have almost hopelessly been drawn into the dizzy whirl of the city's darker life. The gospel of Jesus Christ is safeguard to every one that believeth, but infdelity is the power of the devil to dsmnation. If anyone has been slighted by a Christian, come to me and will promise the hand of Christian man.
 If you have family of boys and girla, ! make home the hsppiest place on earth, the place loved best. It is in the power of wives l to exercise an overponderatine influence. What are we going to do about thisi Breth- | ren, place yourself under Christian influence and your lives will be blessed with that calm I and tranquility which is the star of every no ble life.