The Iola register., 1891-04-17
APlea for the rnfortunate.


Cities" preached yesterday or
1.-THE Plague OF Crime H
took for his text Exodus vii, 20; All the
waters that we're in the river Were
turned to blood"
Among all the Egyptian plague:
none could have beer worse than this
The Nile is the wealth of Egypt. 1t:
fish the food. Its waters the irrigation
of garden and fields. Its condition de.
cides the prosperity or the doom of the
empire. What happens to the Nile
happens to all Egypt. And now in The
text that great river is incarnedin ed
1t is a red cash across an empire. In
poetic license we speak of wars which
turn the rivers into blood. But my text
is not poetic license. 1t was fact. a
great crimson appalling condition, de-
scribed. The Nile rolling deep OF
blood. Can you imagine a more awful
plague?
The modern plaque which nearest
corresponds with that is the plague OF
crime in all our cities. 1t halts not for
bloOdshed. 1t shrinks from no carnage.
1t bruises. and cuts, and strikes down,
and destroys. 1t revels in the blOod-of
body and soul. this plague of crime ram
pant for ages. and never bold and more
rampant than now.
The annual police reports of these
cities as | examine them are to me more
suggestive than Dantes Inferno" and
all Christian people as well as reform
ers need to waken to present and tre-
mendous duty. If you want this
'Plague OF Crime" to stop, there are
several kinds of persons you need to
consider. First, the public criminals.
You ought not TO he surprised that
these people make up large portion in
many communities. The vast majority
of the criminals who take ship from
Europe. come into our own port. In
1869, of the $4,000 people who were in
carcerated in the prisons OF the country
1900 were OF foreign birth. Many OF
them were the very desperadoes OF So
ciety, OOzing into the slums of our
cities, waiting for an opportunity to
riot and steal and Gebauch. Joining the
large gang of American thugs and cut
throats.
There are in this cluster of cities
New York. Jersey City and Brooklyn
1000 people whose entire business in
life is to commit crime That is as
much their business as jurisprudence or
medicine or merchandise is your bust
ness. To they bring all their ener-
gies of body. mind and soul. AMI they
look upon the intervals which they
spend in prison so much unfortunate
loss of time, Just as you look uDon an at
tack OF influenza or rheumatism which
fastens you in the house for a few DAYS
1t is their lifetime business to pick
pockets. and blow up safes. and shop
lift, and ply the panel game, and they
have as much Tride of still in their
business as you have in yours when you
upset the argument of OF an opposing
counsel. or cure a gunshOt fracture
which other surgeons have given up,
or fOresee turn in the market as you
buy goods Just before they 90 up -
per cent. 1t is their business 10 Gem
nit crime, and | do not suppose that
once in a year the thought of the i'm
morality strikes them. Added to these
professional criminals, American and
foreign. there is a large class of men
who are more or less industrious in
crime. In enc year the police of this
cluster OF cities arrested 10000 peODle
for theft and 1900 for assault and bat
terry aud $4,000 for intONication. Drunk
enness is responsible for much of them
since it confuses mans ideas Of property
and he gets his hands on things that do
not belong 10 him. Rum is responsible
for much Of the assault and battery in
spring men to sudden bravery. which
they must demonstrate though il be on
the face of the next gentlema
You might as well think 10 stand in
closely confined room where there are
fifty people and yet not breathe the
vitiated air. as to stand in q community
where there is such a great multitude
of the depraved without somewhat BE-
ing contaminated. What is the fire thai
burns your store dewn compared with
the cOnhagration that CONSUMES your
morals: What IS the theft,Ct the gold
and silver from your money safe com
pared with the theft of your children's
virtue?
We are all ready 10 arrai gn criminals. |
We shout at the top OF our Voice, '.Stop
thief" and when the police get on the |
track we come out. hatless and in our
slippers, and assist in the arrest. We
come around the bawling ruffian and !
hustle him of to justice. and when he |
gets in prison, what DO we do for him: |
With great gusto we Put on the hand !
cuffs and hOEpels: but shat preparation |
are we making for the day when the |
handouts and hopples come of? So
clety seems to say to these criminals, |
''Nillain, go III there and rot" vixen il |
ought to have said. ''You are an Of
fender against the law, bet We mean to
give you an opportunity to repent: we
mean to help yoB. Here are bibles and
tracts and Christian influences. Christ
died for you. Lock and live"
You say, Il have no patience with
these rogues." l ask you. in reply. hCw
much better would you have been under
The same circumstances? Suppose YOUR
mother had been biasphemer and your
ather sot. and you had started life
With body stuffed with evil proclivi-i
les, and you had spent much of your .
line IN cellar amid Gbscenities and !
'ursing. and if at 10 years Of age ycsl had
)een compelled to go out and steal, hat l
cred and banged at night if you came ;
n without any spOils. and suppose YOUR /
'arly manhood and womanhood had been ,
covered With ragS and filth, and decent ?
ociety had turned its back upon. and
eft you To conSort with vagabonds and =
wharf rats-hGW much better would Won / .
lave beea: l have no sympathy with /
hat executive clemency which would n
ct crime run loose or which would 81. Y
n the gallery of court room weeping +
'ecause some hard-hearted wretch is h
rought 70 justice; but I dc say that the =
afety and life OF the community demand :
lore potential Influences IN behalf of :
ublic offenders. r
l saw in one prison 2 woman. with a h
hid almost blind. who had been ar q,
ested for the crime of poverty. who was "
'aiting until the slow law could take a
h oh IL l. L :.