Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1892-12-11
PARKHURS1pS methods
THEY ARE CONDEMNED BY THE MINISTERS
OF WHEELING,
Who, However, Do Not Question his Motives
Opinions of the Clergy Upon the Proper
Means to Combat the Social Vice.

" W buo pASSSuI SOulAONOlSg DOeNSS- -
Parkhurst and Inspe ctor Byrnes, Of the
police. With view TO ascertain
ing the opinions of the local clergy upon
methods, REGISTER report
er yesterday called upon a number of min
tiers, several of whom are quoted below
There is probably not one minister IN the
city who approves Of his course.
Rev. DR.. w. H. Cooke, of the Second Pres.
byterian Church, said: cit Is hard, hard
problem. l 6on'tquestion Dr. Parkhurst'
motives, but have no sympathy with his
methods. To a Christian the thought OF
Christ ever seeking the company OF women
of a certain class is so repulslve that nc
would not entertain it for moment. Vel
what reason have we to do things which
God would not dol We have no right &c
ourselves, and TO encourage
sin. no matter who may be benefited by IT,
Women should be virtuous and chaste. ell
DR.. Parkhurst paid them money TO give
their lewd performances. He had no moral
right to do evil for somebody else's oeneht
His visits were unnecessary, as the pubic
generally knew that the evil exists IL
every large community. Yet Dr. PARK
hurst seems to have accomplished nothing
from the crusade at Pittsburg.
''As to the proper means TO combat this
great social evil, that is a most difficult
question. The root Of the evil lies in the
passions of man, and as long as they exist,
he will find some uncomfortable means Tor
characterization. 1t is too often the case
that one orstnBe houses is driven out, but
il is not one house lRss, as it is started IN
another place. We labG IN wheeling un-
der the Disadvantages Of bong river
town, and an Industrial community, Ia
every industrial city there are many youhs
men, and immortality of this kind is charac-
teristic of such communities, One method
for lessening the evil, which occurs 10
me is to publish the names or the men
caught by the police in those houses, along
with the women, and make it obligatory
upon the police officers to give the correct
names if they know them. The fear OF
public shame would keep many out Of the
houses. But back of it all is the gospel OF
Jesus Christ, and it is through the instru-
mentality Of his church that this great evil
must be, if not entirely eradicated, at least
modified and kept within certain limits"
Rev. a. b. RIker, of the Fourth street
church, was seen. DR.. Riker had a very
decided opinion, but he was averse to
having his views published IN Sunday
newspaper.
Rt. Rev Bishop J. J. Kahn was seen at
the Cathedral. Bishop Kain said ne mad not
given the matter of DR.. p rkhurst's course
enough thought to express an opinion on /.
"Of course, every good Christian must dis
approve of DR.. Parkhursts course, no mat
ter what his motives may have been. l
also think the action of the Pittsburg au'
=
ton of the correct names Of the men who
are arrested for freQuenting these houses
might have the effect of lessening to some
extent this great social evil, and the impos'
ing of heavier fines upon those who rent
the houses to impure women would also
have a tendency 10 check the evil"
Rev. DR.. j. A. Fullerton, Of the Zane
street NJ. E. Church, had thought over the
matter, and will probably preach sermon
upon the subject next Sabbath evening
Il do not approve he said, 'Of DR.. Park
bursts methods. He is one of those sensa-
tional ministers who are pure and honest,
but vainly hope by their own Ell
forts to reform an entire com
His inteRtions were right; his
methods wrong. We hold that the end
does not Justify the means when the means
are improper. SensatiOnalism always re-
acts on the sensationslist. You can't drive
a man to do right. Forceis sometimes sue
but the man fears punishment. III
he has any manhood about him he returns
TO his sins. 1t is foolish for one
man to set himself up as
paragon of excellence, and try TO reform
community. To be successful, he must
be aided by the law, the officers, and an en-
lightened public sentiment Dr. Park
hurst employed private detectives, him
self visited the homes OF harlots, and after
all accomplished nothing beyond securing
notoriety. SensatloLallsm
should find no place in the pulpit When
a man or an evil is attacked in such man,
ner, il usually creates a sympathy and
does more harm than good. -
"There is no fault with the law. 1t /:
all right, but it should not be enforced a;
it has been. What we want is not harsh
stern, despotic law, but law Of persua
sion. The evil passions Of men are the cen
tral point about which the whole evl
revolves, and 1 suppose they vii
always exist. We must use per
suasion, educational and repnedla
measures to combat it. The remedy lle'
in the evangelization Of our cities WE
must lift men to higher and purer lives
and fortify them against this social eyll
1t is a question which must be met by tn'
churches, rather than by civil law, out j
is a most difficult problem"
Rev. A. j. Trey, pastor Of the First Bap
fist Church, was not familiar win the his
tory of DR.. Parkhurst and his work, anC
did not care to express an opinion upon IL
"The social evil is the greatest prooleI
which confrOnts the church to-day, ana
regret TO say that some ministers DO no
appear to realize its enOrmity. The solu
ton Of the problem lies more In the church
than in civil law, and more in the nome
than in the church, IL is perhaps lmpos
sible TO entirely eradicate IL, but mucE
can be done 10 lessen il. From false no
tons Of indelicacy, many parents fail to
instruct their children upon this subject,
and thew gain their first knowledge from
the outside world. The father should take
the son, the mother the daughter, anc
warn them in a kind and loving way as
Of the great evil Then the younl
men should Join the Sabbath schools, anc
different societies Of the church, and kent
out of the reach OF temptation, in the path
Of rectitude. He should be taught TO honor
woman for her purity"
Aneut the subject under discussion, the
Banner, Of Pittsburg, under
the caption, "How Not 10 Do IT, severely
criticises the action Of the police authori
ties of that city in closing the disreputablt
houses and turning the inmates out in the
street without shelter II takes the posi-
ton that the Chief of the Department Of
Public Safety took this course in order tC
arouse public Indignation, and prevent the
very thing which he ostensibly sought tC
accomplish. IL further states that he VIC
lated the law, inaSmuch as it only provides
fine and Imprisonment as punishment
and he exceeded his authority in turning
the women out Of their houses.
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