Los Angeles herald., 1892-12-18

of Christ, (which was neighbor to that
man," suggests itself most pertinently.
Perhaps the best results in the line OF
philanthropic effort can be expected in
the reclamation, and, where possible,
the protection OF the young.
Communities at times are overtaken
by strong spssms OF virtue, and it is
just as we'll that they should be in GER
tain lines. Pittsburg, Baltimore and
Boston have been the centers of recent
ebullitions in this direction. We use
the word ebullition because, as a gen.
eral thing. these reformatory impulses
are sporadic and intermittent, and have
about them nothing of continuity. They
represent a good motive that quickly
spends it's force, and very frequently
presents aspects of cruelty rather than
of reformation. A striking exempli6ca-
ton OF this kind was afforded the other
day in the raid upon the fallen
women of Pittsburg. They were per-
emptorily hidden to leave that city.
Quite naturally the poor wretches, nine
out OF ten of whom had absolutely
no pecuniary resources, appealed to the
authorities to know what they should
do. They thus appealed to the mayor,
who avowed himself unable to assist
them. They next directed their inn
plorations to the clergymen, owing to
whose earnest denunciations the reform
atory crusade was undertaken. These
gentlemen also had nothing to offer in
the way OF aid. In the only instances
on record in which the Saviour had
ought to do with this class of unfortu-
nate women he was merciful and prac-
tical. He extended his charity in both
cases, protecting one SHINING woman
from the brutality of the mob and adopt
ing the Msgdalen into the sainthood Of
the Christian church.
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in
which Pittsburg is situated, was
settled by lot of Scotch-Irish
Presbyterians, in many respects
one of the most valuable populations
that ever came to the United States.
1t was hardy and pious. and embodied a
later immigration that had much in
common with the crew of the May flower
that landed at Plymouth Rock, a
century and more before. The old
John Knox Calvinism frequently crops
IN in that o;t,, Eyorv pou nd fhou q
determined effort is made to stop the
running Of the street cars on Sunday.
Something over twenty years ago it was
sought to prevent a man driving to
church in his carriage in that pious
burg, ON the ground that to admit of his
doing so necessarily compelled his stable
men to work on the Lords day. Piety
in Pittsburg is of the sublimated sort.
And yet it would be supposed that such
a community would have something OF a
more religious and Christian character
to say to a SHINING woman than to tell
her to go out into the highways and
starve. These people assume to be the
special representatives. of Christ, and
yet they adopted of all things, in their
treatment of the social evil, the very
course that the Saviour would have rep
rotated. A fair analysis of the II
am better than thou" gentle men
who turned the fast women of
Pittsburg into the streets, without lodg-
ing and without bread, would be to
group them in the category of hypocrites.
Simply that and nothing more. As
Christians-nay as humane men-they
ought not to have precipitated a crisis
on these poor and despairing creatures
until they had perfected a scheme Of
reformation and given the erring women
at least a chance to amend their lives.
When they applied to the mayor and to
the clergymen Tor relief they were told
to leave the city. "But how can we
leave the city," they naturally answered,
"when we don't know where to 60, and
have no money to pay our fares, if we
did?" This was a clinching PROPOSE
tion, and we have seen no record of it's
having been answered, either by the
mayor or the ministers.
Resuming the opening topic of this
article, the gro Sth of crime in Los An
geles is as rapid as it is revolving. The
newspapers of this city were obliged, a
short time ago, to give guarded accounts
of the wrong doings of an old miscreant
named King with a lot OF young girls.
OF course these things are exceedingly
unpleasant, and for our part we would
like to keep them out of the HERALD
altogether. But it is probably right
that the news should be given as it
occurs. While coarse narratives Of
crime. often of nameless character, 3,
offends the susceptibilities of the vir-
tuous and of the innocent, the knowl-
edge that the newspapers and the
officers of the law are on the track of
the offenders is perhaps the most effec-