Blue-grass blade., 1894-11-11
How Religion and Vice 60 Hand ir
Ham IN Lexington.

am the enemy OF religion heWse Te.
ligion is the friend of -
: 1 propose, in this artici.,.9 show that
immortality increases, in Lexington, just
in the ratio that religion does, and so
far as l know, the same is true else
where.
This is exactly what an intelligent man
would expect to be true. All religion is
false, and all of its effects must, there
fore be false and immoral.
There are some religious people who
are good, but they are good in spite of
their religion rather than as a conse-
quence of it.
Lexington is a religious stronghold
and yet with only about 10000 inhab1-
tants, it exerts an immoral influence not
second to Chicago or New York City.
This distinction of this city is its
churches, theological university, distil-
leries, saloons, race tracks, gambling
dens, houses ofprostitution, and tobacco
trade.
The two men who are, to-day admired
by more people than any other two men
in this city, are Billy Breckinridge and
Bill Owens, the first having national
reputation as ibertive and the latter as
gambler.
The most influential church here is
that known as the Christian" Camp
bellite" or Reform" but now generally
recognized as the christian" church.
That denomination has, within the
last five years, built three churches here,
and is now beginning to build another
house to increase its already extensive
facilities for educating young men for
the ministry. In these depressed times
that institutson is flourishing.
Two of the three new buildings erected
by this denomination are very large and
handsome, and one is palatial- the
handsomest thing of the kind in the city,
and suppose the finest church building
in the State The Presbyterians and
Episcopalians have within the last four
or five years, built additional churches
here, and the Methodists are building a
new one now.
The church and religion are greatly
venerated here. A few evenings since,
saw crowd that was gathered at the
door of the largest Episcopal Church of
this city. The house was so packed that
the people filled the aisles solidly while
standing, and ladies' and gentlemen
filled the street in front of the church to
the opposite side.
A rich bankers daughter was being
married to rich Cincinnati banker.
The Young Mems Christian Associa-
tion is in full blast in this town, and l
am the only man in the town who will
dare, ,publicly,to say anything disparaging
to religion. There never was any town
more thoroughly dominated by any in
fuence than is this town by religion,
and this town is shining example of
what a community will be when religion
gets contral of it.
1t only remains then to show what is
being done here now, to show the legiti-
mate consequence of religious influence,
and l will simply mention the new
buildings.
One of the handsomest new houses in
the city, built on the stlye of baronial
castle, and to the permanency and sta
bility of which have unusual opportu-
mites to certify, is the Jail,
1t is a very attractive building and
should have been built in prominent
position, as an ornament to the city.
The capacity of the new Jail over the old
one, is increased in just about the same
proportion that the capatity of the
churches has been increased.
A saloon has recently bean started in
splendid new building in this city that
overshadows anything ever before seen
here. When can first remember, these
saloons were called bar rooms; then the
name saloon became the more elegant
name, and now this new establishment
in gold letters on plate glass calls itself
cafe.
Saloons; hitherto, have generally been