The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-04-15
A SURE REMEDY.

A SURE REMEDY.
Rev. Mr.. Duncan preached an able {
and interesting sermon Sunday morn
ing in the First Methodist Church.
He touched upon a subject as old as
time, and discussed a sin that will last
as long as sin lasts, perhaps. No
BODY who knows Mr.. Duncan will
doubt his piety or question his hon
esty of purpose; but without intending
to criticise him at all, we do question
whether more good than harm is
done, either by the pulpit or the press,
in handling this subject too plainly.
That the sin is a grievous one and
should be condemned, goes without |
saying; that it cannot be too severely |
condemned, we agree with the rever- |
end gentleman. But that the truths
concerning it should be plainly told to
a mixed audience, of both sexes, young
and old, or that these facts should be
plainly set forth in family paper, we
question. 1t may be that to discuss
some vices too plainly in the hearing
of the young, is productive of more
harm than good.
That feature of the case, however,
we did not intend to dwell upon. Our
purpose in referring to the sermon at
all is to suggest to Mr.. Duncan and
other devout men, another course to
persue. Before reaching that point,
we will remark, parenthetically, that
we endorse his structures upon socie-
ty. Society makes a wOeful mistake
in it's tolerance of vices among men.
If society would Ostracise, as it should,
men who visit houses of bad repute,
young men who value their social pc
sition-and most young men do
would be saved from a downward
course. We believe that it is possible
for society and christianity combined,
to make men nearly as virtuOus as
women.
In prevention, we think, lies the
only hope to control this great nation
al, moral curse. 1t is christian like to
try, but statistics tells us there is little
encouragement for the efforts to re
form fallen women. When they aban
Ion themselves, it seems they are pasI
redemption in this world. God may
Judge them according to their weak
| ness.
But the ranks of this most unfortu-
nate and wretched Ofall classes can be
wonderfully depleted for future years,
by preventive remedy the law al
ready provides.
In that portion of Columbia famous
Tor its immortality, to which Mr.. Dun
can made reference, it is a notorious
| fact that the majority of the women
were born and raised there. Born to
poverty, surrounded by the vilest Gil
cumstances that can surround a hu-
man life, barricaded from virtue, shut
out from all moral and Christian in
fuences, they grow to womanhOOd
with positively no chance to be other
than they are. They are more to be
pitied than condemned.
This is a sad commentary upon this
| Christian community. The deplor-
able condition exists to-day. Another
generation is growing under the same
lark skies. Children to grow up and
lead the abandoned lives their mothers
have led. The only hope in this world
for them, is that some influence may
be brought upon the County Court 10
do it's duty to them and TO common hui
maniiy by taking them away from
| Cheir dissolate and depraved mothers
and finding them homes where when
they grow older they may see the
sunshine of hope and have chance
in the battle of life.
The law allows this to be done with
out the consent of the parents.
Then why not do it? And who is
a better man to undertake the work,
than Mr.. Duncan? Organize club
or society to do the work. Take them
at the tender age when they will for
yet the curse of their birth, and find
homes for them where their paren-
tage is unknown. Surround them
with Christian influences, give them
Christian training, and many of them
will grow to be Christian men and
women.
This is lawful, this is practical, this
can be done. But without some such
practical measure as this, neither
preaching nor praying nor writing
will do any good. They must be re-
moved from the pOlluting atmosphere
that surrounds them, from the hate
full miasma that infests them, or they
are lost.