Omaha daily bee., 1892-01-10

years. This conclusion, we are tOld,
was reached from experience and per
sonal observation. Without disparag-
ing the faculty possessed by our sensa-
tional divine TO make observations that
arc more than superficial, mis- assump-
tion is refuted by the fact that his
Omaha congregation has quadrupled in
membership and built a church MT n cost
of over 800, 900 within the period Omaha
is represented as ON the high rotd to
perdition. The only basis cited for this
belief that Omaha has increased in
wickedness is the Sunday theater and
Sunday bnse ball game. Coming from
Il source so we'll known, however, the
statement deserves more than II general
denial. What is the truth?
In 1881 Omaha had a population OF
3 5000. Dives and low dens tlour-
ished and the social evil was
rampant. A. respectable woman could
scarcely walk the streets east of Twelfth
street unmolested. Gambling dens
were numerous and open day and night.
Saloons we're never closed day or night,
week days or Sunday. Election day
was Il golden harvest TO bar keepers.
Thore were 1874 saloons and but twenty
eight churches. With few exceptions
Christian congregations were struggling
against serious financial embarrass-
ments. The newspapers were filled with
reports OF bloody trays and beastly
scandals from the slums. Low dance
houses, wine rooms and resorts for
crooks and footpads were very common.
Old citizens have not forgotten the
Buckingham and the Gold Dust estab-
lishments. These low variety theaterS
were in full blast nightly and on Sunday.
1t is true that several theaters give
Sunday entertainments and hat IN the
season base ball games are played on
that day. This is not an evidence of in
creasing wickedness, but of increased
population and metropolitanism. 1t
does not show that the churches are
neglected or the young people becoming
demoraliaed. 1t is merely evidence that
the number of people DESTROYS of patron
iZing Sunday entertainments has in
creased. The proportion of patrons has
not been enlarged. The city has simply
grown and where there were but 500
persons in 1881 who regarded Sunday
amusements with favor there are now
1000 or perhaps 1000.
The actual figures show the truth Of
these conclusions. We now have more
1881 there were five small Methodist
congregations in Omaha; in 1891 there
were fifteen, and nearly all strong and
vigorous. The former year but three
Presbyterian pastors were employed in
the entire city; today there are eighteen
churches maintained by that denomina-
ton. Then the most of the Catholic
people worshiped in St. Philonena's,
though there were three other small
chapels; now there are nine strong
churches. 1t is so with nearly all the
other leading denominations. The Con
greg%ationalists have grown from one
church to u dozen and the Baptists from
three to fourteen, showing that the
material religious growth has greatly
outstripped that of the population and
of Omaha.
With q population of $4,000 in 1881
the number of liquor dealers in Omaha
was l24, or one to every 800 inhabitants.
In 1891 there were 252 licensed liquor
dealers and the population was 100000,
or one saloon to 800 inhabitants. The
number today is considerably less than
during last year. In 1881 the gambling
bells were undisturbed so long as they
paid regular fines into the city treasury.
Today there is not an open gambling
den in the city. Gambling may still be
to conduct their business behind doubly
barred doors, and nobody now falls into
the temptation to patronize faro or
other gambling devices, because he must
be an expert known"to his pals in order
to secure the opportunity.
The statistics of the penitentiary for
1881 are not at hand, but in 1885 there
were thirty convicts sent to Lincoln
from Douglas county, or one for every
1000 people in Omaha. In 1890, with
South Omaha added to increase the
number and u large additional popula-
tion in the county, there were
forty-three sentenced from the county.
Assuming for arguments sake that these
all learned and committed their crimes
in Omaha. the ratio is only | in 3,257.
In 1881 the Young Mems Christian as
ISOLATION was a small affair. Today it is
one of the strongest organizations of the
kind in the country. Then we had no
hospital except St. J%oseph's, and no
other charitable institutions of any con
sequence saving the City Mission ana
some benevolent societies. Now we
have five Protestant hospitals and st.
Joseph's has been enlarged and inn
proved. The development Of library,
literary and other associations for intel
lectual improvement has been also re-
markable. The public schools have in
creased in number and efficiency. In
1881 there were but II schools aud 81
teachers. In 1891 there were 81 schools
and 276 teachers. Several colleges, som.
inaries and parochial schools have been
added in the last ten years. The whole
moral tone of the city has been elevated,
and, in spite of the reputation which