The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1892-05-27

number Of gambling houses was placed
at thirteen.
Two special places were spoken of as on
Main street and furnishing two extremes,
the one a costly affair at which hundreds
of dollars were expended by those old in
the sin, while at the other tae children and
young men Of the city were being edu-
Gated. The gentleman asked why, in open
violation of the claw, these houses were
permitted to run.
The social evil was likened to the
disease of leprosy and as in the olden
times those afflicted with the latter disease
wore forced to cry out, Unclean! Unclean!
these moral lepers in our midst should
make themselves known. There are three
houses of illfame running in our city un-
molested. Ono railroad system was men
toned whose management refused to have
men in their employ who f%requented such
places. This was done on business, not on
principles. The liquor question
was considered at greater length. Its in
sidious growth upon the country was liken-
ed to the growth of African slavery
At one time slavery could have been easily
abolished, but the love of gain forced it
upon the nation and in time it became SO
firmly established that it took a civil war
to uproot 1t. The persecution of the pio-
neers in the abolition Of slavery was liken-
ed to the abuse heaped upon the temper
ance worker of today. The cost of the
traffic and the misery caused by it were
and the fact that our general
government fostered it in its permits
while our city government by the granting
of licenses, contrary to law, became a
party to the evil business, was brought out
and severely condemned.
The growing evil OF divorce. The Sc
Of Jul fair state as the one in
which to accomplish their desires, was
dwelt upon and the growing sentiment
toward an uniform law commended.
Ourreport is successfully imperfect being
given entirely from memory. Elder
earns invited us to be present and 10
freely criticise his effort. We could Offer
one criticism. He might have gone
1t is too true that the loa!er abounGs
our city i'll great numbers Many arc
luborers brought here through
m ! srp ~ tosat, fa inn nf ,.n iI,n3I anp,rn,,ioS
or labor agencies. But many OF our
socalled loafers are steady laborers who
are on the streets or at the saloons dur
ing their leisure hours, others are those
not yet come to the years OF labor,
thrown on the streets after schoolhours.
what has the church or the moral ele-
ment of our community done for these?
In this line it would seem that as the
law defying element has increased, the
law abiding element have decreased their
efforts at reform. Years ago tile city
had IL flourislling Good Templars lodge.
That grand old order that sowcd the
seed for the temperance legislation Of
today. What have the youth, not the
children, OF today? Before the prohlbl-
bition law there was the reading room
and the circulating library OF the w. c.
L. L. Where are they today? Abolished
in the lace OF the enemy and their books
Offered for sale at Il song. Mel undb boys
will spend their leisure moments ONE
where. Home is the best OF all places,
but not all have homes. What Rapid
City needs is IL free reading room and q
public library. We would also favor il
genuine temperance saloon, Il place where
no strong drink was sold. no gambling
allowed and where mild drinks and
cheap lunches could be had andinnoccnt
gamss enjoyed.
All the saloons and at least one third
OF tie grocery houses are wide open On
Sunday. and within sound OF the breach
ers voice last evening could be heard the
puff OF the engine as one OF u printing
houses ran of their weekly edition.
What Is practical christianity? Cam Il
christian conscientiously p%atroniZe a
store on week days that is kept open
Sundays?
The greatest evil OF the age is glmbling
and the seed bed is found at the cigar
cast OF many otherwise respectable
grocery houses where the merchant cl
n OF his clerks are always ready to
throw dice for the cigars. In the rearoi
many confectionery and cigar stores the
gambling Of the young is carried on.
Gambling is the business and the front
room only the cover. Do the moral ele-
ment look closely to this and refuse to
lend their support to this growing evil:
Well did the gentleman llken the social
evil to leprosy. But here the great dan
ger does not come from the seen, but the
unseen. The houses on Rapid street
are indeed foul sores on our thrifty city,
but the people must go to them to be.
come diseased, while the libertinc who
stalks the streets in his dress suit is adj,
mitted into the best OF society, and
carries disease into every circle. Rapid
has more than her share OF this class,
More than one famil circle has been
blgnted within the past year and Ill.
though rumor only have got afloat and
the facts her been assidiously covered
to protect the innocent, yet the Williams
have been spotted and the UNION will be
only too glad to write them up when the
proper time comes. This evil never vii
be curtailed until society shuus tile cor
rupt man as lt:now abhors the corrupt
woman. Well may we cry out against
our lax divorce laws which are bringing
reproach upon the state and weakening
the morals Of the people. Senator KYLE
should receive the warm commentator
of all classes for his efforts toward /;
national law.
We do not Offer this III criticism but
as an appendix to ElderCarns' discourse
Our preachers dealtoo much with gener
al and not enough with specific sins ant
when the curtain is b Idly pulled aside
although the view may be limited, W,
have only praise to offer.