The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-02-24
.noANoK ELS NEEDS IN A MAYOR"


Is the Inference One Would Gather From
Reading Extracts OF Sermon Published
Some Days Since Correct:
To THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES: From
the text of an article which appeared in
the columns Of an afternoon paper sew
eral days ago, being Introductory re-
marks TO sermon delivered by an
eminen; divine of this city, ono would
imagine himself living in one of tho
precincts of Hades, surrounded by the
devil and full corps of his angels.
Now, the reverend gentleman has either
been misinformed or he has talked
through his hat" to use q slang ex.
preston.
Roanoke is young. scarcely out of it's
infancy, cosmopolitan city, inhabited
by people from every part of the Union,
and could not be expected to have
settled down in the ruts and usage of
much older one in so few years. Your
writer has travelled considerably. and
has never seen place of a proportionate
population more quiet, orderly and law
abiding.
Watch the streets. and how many
drunks do you see? Few, very few.
How many street fights and brawls?
They are rare. At night any lady or
gentleman, however timid they may be,
can, without fear Of being molested,
promenade our business streets; and l,
as citizen, have never seen anything
t. lead mo to the belief that Roanoke
was .'hell-hole."
Riots, of course, occur everywhere.
The mayor and police cannot be held re.
sponsible for the temporary insanity OF
an unruly lot OF people commonly called
mob They have not the power to
strike them down at one fell blow; pos
sessing no supernatural strength they
cannot command Thorn to stand still
when overpowered and outnumbered.
The gentleman has surely looked upon
the dark side OF the question and mas
doubtless committed to memory the old
poem which reads TINS:
"nc either fears his fate too much,
Or his deserts arc small,
That darcs not put 1t to the touch
To gain or lose ii ALL"
Cheer up, brother: gaze on the flu lure,
though cloudy to you it may seem, and
remember the old maxim.
There Is tide III tho affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune"
No, we don't like to have it said that
Roanoke is the Sodom of the nineteenth
century, with New Orleans as the ex-
ception Because we don't believe it is
true, Because it does the city and citi.
zens an injustice, especially when
coming from one of our own pulpits.
II the gentleman, who has not, | be-
enough to acquire citizenship, finds our
young Sodcn too "boomy" and vile;
why, he has the privilege accorded to
every American, migrate and seek
moro genial cline. l believe Mr..
Broughton means WE'LL but has evi
IDENTIFY commenced on the wrong trail.
Ministerial duties, as disinterested
person sees them, are not to abuse and
bull-doze, but to assist the fallen and
pour oil on the troubled waters.
II Mayor Trout, as he insinuates,
closes his eyes to meanness, why don't
he. as brother Christian, pray tor him
and with him, ana show him the error
Of his way Doubtless the mayor has
made mistakes; who has not? But no
one can truthfully say ought of his
character. He ia man, fair minded
and upright. and holds the respect and
confidence Of those who have known
him for years, and no one would believe
for moment he would shut his official
eye to meanness and corruption.
The ministers, if they would run our
city politics, should choose one from
their body as a suitable parsonage for
the mayors chair, and let him hold the
reins OF justice for one term. Then,
and not till then, let his epitaph be
written Why characterize one OF your
number IA Sunday school superintend
ent) as thing without a backbone,
devoid of fairness and brains, Give
him church trial before he is con-
demned, and then, ( he is proven guilty,
brand him as hypocrite, dismiss him
from your church, aad the public will
endorse your action
Some mem bers OF the city clergy have
openly charged and repeatedly made as.
sertions that our officials were not doing
their duty and that all kinds Of law
breaking is allowed Hearsay evidence,
gentlemen, don't g. in the courts, and
when you fail to NIL 20 out case do not
put the blame Oh the mayor, police
force and the commC lwealth's attorney
Ministers should not assume the role
OF regulators from a political point of
view, but should preach the gospel
mot to judge but save tho world"
very respectfully r. 5. G..
Roanoke, Feb. 30, 1894