The Saint Paul globe., 1896-12-14
SAVING THE YOUTH
1T Is URGED ON ST. PAUL. PEOPLE
BY SECRETARY WEI4LING-
TON.
CHRISTIANS IN POLITICS.
THEIR PLACE is DISCUSSED AT
PLYMOUTH CHURCH BY D.
BELL.
CITIZENS
CHRISTIAN
MEET
To Discuss Ways and Means for I'M
proving the Morals of the
Municipality.


Plymouth Congregational church last
evening in the interests of the Christian
Citizens league was attended by a
fair-sized audience, which listened to
ADDRESSES by Rev. Watson B. MilIard.
ID. L. Wellington and David C. Bell of
Minneapolis. Each speaker dealt with
particular phase of the city's morals
and heartily commended the efforts of
the league in its work to bring about
an order Of things when there will be
less Of corruption and evil in the Saint
ly City
Rev. DR.. w. B. Millard, as president
of the league, outlined the results which
had already been accomplished in the
desired direction and urged all citI-
zens in favor of broad Christian
municipal government to assist the or
ganizatfon by affiliating with it and
laboring in it's interests.
ID. t. Wellington, secretary of the
Ramsey County Prison association.
spoke upon the subject, 1.-The City and
Its Relation to the Boys and Girls. .
He said in part:
The city is beautiful to look unon.
is healthful and charming for a. home
fine residences adorn the beaIItifll
iaWned and paved streets. and evil
oences of the wealth and culture of
her citizens are to be seen ON every
hand. But the way down from the
crowned hills of the city leads to lower
levels. where beauty is lost and an
unWelcome change greets the eye. The
streets or the city, under the bright
SKY ana giadSome sunshine, are check
cred with beauty spotS-the boys and
girls moving to and fro in all the yigor
md TAxrYa L
childhood. No sight more charming
and none so hopeful, as the innocent
froilc and pleasures Of the boys and
girls. We love to see them happy
and plan to keep them so.
The city and the boys and girls by
day, however, is quite another thing
from the city and the boys and girls
at night. There are dark and forbid
ding places in the depressions or our
city s formation and snar1ing Iynxes
lie hidden there ready to spring upon
the careless ones. These are the Sc
uuct1Ve pleasures, the strains of WITCH
ing music, that lure the lad and lass
and by their subtle influence poison
the soul like the night shade on the
foothllls of the mountain. Perils wait
our dear boys and girls, who but live
their nature out when they seek en-
Joyment and love play, and who, chas-
Ing each other in mad pursuit, thought
-ltd
save them if the lurking evil and the
covered pitfalls on the lower levels are
to exist forever? Charge not that they
seek danger. None so afraid as they
OF dark and noisome places, and not
one will lose himself willingly. Whose
hand leads? Men and women must
bear the blame if boys and girls get
lost
The fault Is at the door of wealth
and culture that the offspring of the
gentle dame and the charwoman go
down alike into the valley that lies un-
der the mansion topped hill and meet
the destroyer of their souls When
clubs and classes, societies and func-
tions shall receive the baptism of re-
generation and their deVotees come
away from the worship Of their idols
their own pleasure and qualification
then, perchance, the darling boys and
girls of the mansions and the novels
will receive the attention that is now
lacking in their lives, and there will
be fewer to mourn over them as being
lost to life and love.
I have seen upon the streets of the
beautiful city at night, time and again,
as late as 10 or IL o'clock, boys and
girls ranging in age from twelve to
seventeen years, strolling, playing. or
lounging, utterly Indifferent to the
lateness of the hour; and in some in
stances conducting themselves in a
sCandalouS manner. / have traced
them TO their homes, and have seen
them entering houses of pretentiouS
appearance, indicating to me the fact
that the parents of such girls and boys
Were not of the low and ignorant
classes, and certainly Well-to-do in the
world. l have called and endeavored
to rouse the mother TO a sense of the
fearful danger her girl is in, and in
some instances to bring about a change
in the girls conduct, but quite often it
happens that the parents of such chill
dren as are found on the streets at
night are themselves out on the par
ticular evening the children are attend
ing a function or history class or
lodge somewhere for their own grati-
fication For such children as these
the changing of the curfeW bell would
be a correction of their ways, as they
would hardly dare to risk the likeli-
hood of an arrest. And to such pa
rents as these, who allow their chill
dren to be on the streets evenings, a
curfew law would stir their pure minds
up to a sense of their duty as parents,
If not before, after the first arrest OF
their boy or girl.
The boys and girls of the city are
worth all, over and again, that we can
put into safeguards. laws and ordi-
nances for the assurance of their moral
safety And 1t is high time. as I well
know, that the fathers and mothers
of the city rub the dust from their
eyes and look squarely at the issue
that confronts them in respect to the
saving of their own and their neigh
bors children. Let none say they have
no interest In preventive and saving