The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-12-17
STRONG, EARNEST SERMON.
by Rev. Warren g. Partridge OF
Damn lyauua Church

Delivered by Rev. Warren q. Partridge OF
Penn Avenue Church.
Rev. Warren G. Partridge preached
powerful sermon at the Penn Ave-
nue. Baptist church, yesterday morn
ing, upon the subject of "Cities and
Neglected Children" and based his
theme on Matthew, xviii, IA: at is not
the will of your Father in heaven that
one Of these little ones should perish"
During his sermon the reverend gentle
man said:
1.-TWO facts should ever be remem-
bered by every friend of childhood:
First, the phenomenal growth of cities
is a menace to childhood, and, secondly,
the wonderful increase of crime finds
an army. of recruits among the young.
One of the perils of our nation Is the
number of great cities. During the
present century there has been a colos-
sal migration, unparalleled in the his
tory of mankind, among all civilized
nations, from the country to the large
towns and cities. New problems con-
front the philanthropist and the Chris
tian. The tenement house, the saloon,
the factory, the streets and the slums,
are dangerous foes to children. Are the
churches adopting new methods to
cope with these perils of childhood?
Are our churches adequately aroused
to a sense of the dangers that threaten
the very existence of the nation, in the
vast horde of neglected children that
swarm upon the streets and alleys of
every city?
again the increase of crime in our
generation has an awful lesson for
every Christian patriot. In 1850 there
was one criminal to every. $500 of the
population but the criminal class has
increased to such an alarming extent
that in 1890 there was one criminal to
every 1856 persons in this country. In
other words, during the last forty years
the population has increased 10 per
cent, while the criminal class has in
creased 445 per cent.
"The children Of these crowded dis
tricts are turned loose upon the streets,
and thousand of them are stepped in
vice and Righteousness before they are
10 years of age; so the children of the
street soon reach a social and moral
equilibrium of a complexion and char
acter not far removed from the death
gendering dregs, from which the city
must be cleansed. Girls and boys crowd
the curb stones and door steps late
into the night, corrupting one another
and famliariZing themselves with sin
before they reach their teens, so that
the very source and springs of social
life are poisoned.
"We have many agencies for serving
the children; the family the church
with its Sunday schools, Industrial
classes, the public schools, but are we
doing all that Is possible to do for the
thousands of little neglected children
of our cities who have never felt the
benefits of one of these safeguards of
childhoor-the home, the church or the
public school,"
The reverend gentleman then made a
powerful appeal on behalf of the kin
dergarten system and gave quotations
and figures to prove the marvellous
work which was being accomplished.
There was glorious opportunity for the
church to develop her practical work.
And, in conclusion, he remarked:
'There must be cooperation among the
different denominations in an orga-
nized and continuous effort to bring
every child into the Sunday school.
The Sunday school Is not only the
nursery Of the church, but the nursery
of good citizenship. The church must
adopt modern ideas Of work, we need
modern methods, modern buildings,
and modern life and progressiveness,