The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-12
THE GOSPEL OF THE BODY
A SERMON ON SANITATION AT ST.
JOHNS CHURCH.

tery Conditions - Some Food for
Thought for Officials and Voters.
Rev. Charles Fl. Strong, pastor OF st.
Johns Episcopal church, preached a very
earnest, practical and somewhat sensational
sermon yesterday morning to very large
congregation. His subject was handled
fully and showed much study, and in view
OF the discussions now going on, political
and otherwise, his sermon was the subject
of much comment yesterday. His subject
was 1.-THE Gospel Of the Body" He showed
in his introduction that the body was
worthy Of all consideration, being,
as ID is, the shrine of the
immortal spirit-the tabernacle of the Holy
Ghost. There 10 In scripture none of the
unworthy contempt of the body and our
material organization which you see in as
celtic theology.
CARE OF THE BODY COMMANDED.
The word OF God taught long before
science that the bodies OF men deserved
their best care, as the instruments of the
| immortal spirit. Science, with
her wonderful teachings, confirms this
testimony. Body and soul are intimately
| woven, and IL the smallesT fiber Of the COR
poreal man is touched in some infnItesmal
way may be seen the effect on the moral
man. Since this connection is SO intimate,
no man can deny that sanitation and the
healthy environments in which bodies shall
| grow is a theme outside the teachings,
proper and legitimate, of the pulpit of the
church Of Christ.
| CONDITION AND NOT THEORY.
''In the third place" Mr.. Strong said, "a
condition and not q theory confronts u.s.
There is no occasion for alarm, only for
| wise and prudent action. 1t is a fact that
typhoid fever is q disease which heretofore
has existed in this city In sporadic cases,
| but number of such cases are said by
capable medical authority to ba in existence
here now. 1t is hardly worth while to discuss
whether IL had local origin or not, but il
certainly has a local existence at the present
| moment We may admit that the uni
| versal prevalence OF the disease is adverse
to a local origin. still that does not
relieve the situation. II we admit
the disease had not a local origin
and that its seeds did not come from this To-
cslity, still the conditions are such that the
seed once lodged has found ample opportu-
mites 20 grow"
Mr.. Strong then related visit he made to
the archaeological laboratory Of Johns
Hopkins University, Baltimore. he went
in doubling Thomas to the germ theory
OF diseases, but come out firm believer.
THE CAUSE OF DISEASE.
Mr.. Strong said that the fact faces the
community that there is a hospitable soil
here for the foul visitor, and why stop pre-
venttve measures TO argue where it came
from.
"Disease comes from dirt and uncleanness,n
he continued. "If the mixed water Of the
artesian wells and Savannah river contains
the matter that develops germs. that Is one,
reason; the turning up Of the streets last
summer and deposittng decaying oyster
shells containing fetid matter is
another agent. No man can put his finger
on the exact cause but any man who will
take the trouble 90 ride along the banks Of
the Ogeechee canal or to inspect the stopped
up drains, overrun by vegetation on the
White Bluff road, while foul water after
this long dry spell lines the road,
can tell without science some very simple
facts: First, that the drvins are not draining
at all second that they are covered with
filth and slime; third, that they are the
nurseries Of many forms of foul disease. II
a corporation owns the Ogeechee canal
then surely there must be some way 10
make that corporation drain Off the foul
matter aud let the limpid waters flow. II
there 10 a commission charged with the
duty Of county drainage. then certainly
sense OF duty OF their high ofiioe should
cause them to drain those swamps by con-
vtct labor, 90 once they did, and TO see that
they are kept drained"
Mr.. Strong here paid compliment 10 the
work done by Engineer Blandford and the
county commissioners In what they had al
ready accomplished.
"There is trust-in-providence sort Of
way that operates with most men. We
viii let these things 60 aud trust In provi-
dence TO take care OF us when danger
COMES" MIR. strong did not believe IN that
way Of doing, nor did he believe that
prayers to avert the consequences of folly
and willtully violated sanitary laws would
amount 10 much. The time 20 pray is be-
torehand, aud the best kind of prayer is
work.
THE DUTY OF CITIZENS.
As TO the duty of citizens In the premises,
Mr.. Strong said that summer, with thu
black visage of cholera hanging over the
horizon Of the world, could not be faced
under present conditions. There is no
cause for panic nor any place for the SEN
| sationalist or agitator, but there is need of
good, careful and intelligent citizenship;
both the citizenship that votes and the cti-
zenship that is TO be seated In the chairs Of
authority. The citizen that votes should
| look out for the best men In our midst to
ill every responsible position; men intelh-
| gent enough 10 Keep barrooms closed and
swamp canals open; wise enough to briug
| pure water into our homes and take
foul drainage out of them. And for the
| citizenship that seeks our votes, let the
seekers after our suffrage know that this is
no time for the seeking OF personal ambi-
tlon or the qualification Of personal spleen.
We want men, not because they belong to
this district or that district, but because
they belong to the city OF Savannah, and
have the interests of the city at heart
not because they belong TO the working class
or the capitalist class, but TO that numerous
class among us who take a great pride in
the honest discharge Of duty, and the giving
to every man, be he rich or poor, his Just
rights under the law, and in exacting from
every man, be he rich or poor, the proper
respect for the laws on which the Sc
curity OF health and society depends. He
referred to the number Of deathbed scenes
that he had witnessed during the past few
months, and said that he did not believe
them the result of divine providence, but of
human folly.
In concluding, Mr.. Strong said "Let us,
with wise and quiet determination, set our
selves 90 see that the men who govern US
shall at least govern us with wisdom and
intelligence, in all the elements that concern
our health and happiness"
At the First Presbyterian.
Rev. Mr.. Myers, agent OF the American
Bible Union, preached at the First Presby-
| terrain church yesterday morning and at the