The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-12-15
OBSCENE PICTURES.
CONTINUED from LIST page.l

art there Put art that Will Suggest hu
evil and no unclean thought to the purest
woman or boy. / protest against the
obscene art there is in the business
houses Of this town. | have Tune anu
again seen, sent out by the insurance
agents of this town, calendars that were
not fit to go into respectable famiiy.
.Hold up higher ideals by the advertise
ments YOU allow on your streets. There
are advertisements on the streets of Raj.
eigh to-day have seen them for the
last two weeks-that ought to have
raised the protest of every christian man
and woman in this house-pubiic adver-
nts-advertisements of ladies' wear
on every corner of our streets. | appeal
to the modesty of the christian women
of this town. | appeal to your wives
and daughters to protest against II, as
christian mothers TO protest against IL,
and see that these boards shall be cleaned
Of. every unclean picture upon them
.The same way with the show bills
and opera company advertisements post
Cd on every side Protest after protest
has been made against it and still here
they are. What is the christian sentiment
of this town worth when you cannot
clean the bill boards of your town. Ii
they are cleaned you have got to do II
by your moral protest. You can do 1t
before tomorrow night and you can
have it distinctly understood that you
wish it never again repeated under
penalty of the law.
use your personal influence" he said,
with business houses for purity. | went
into a business house of this town and
saw picture that shocked me. The
clerk told me it was nude art. | said,
= ysn1arcfanH fhaf
family trades in no house that has nude
art in it, / went to the floor walker of
n house here yesterday and said. i want
to congratulate you. There is not an in
decent picture in your house, nothing
that would shock the modestly and de.
cency of anyone / went to still another
house and protested and the picture was
sflken down; the same thing at yet an
other. If there is anything of this kind
in a place Of business that can be OBJ
ieeted to ask the proprietor TO take it
down.
.Where are You going to draw the line?
Where shall you begin it? ] viii tell yon
where | would begin. and just how j
would cut the gordian knot II | had 10
execute the laws of this city, / would
say that nothing shall be allowed on the
bill-boards, nothing shall be allowed in
any place in this city-no costumes shall
be hared before us in the theatres IN
which man or woman would not be al
lowed to walk the streets of the city
You would not allow n man or woman
indecently clothed to walk the streets of
Raleigh Draw your line right there.
and what would not be allowed in the
men or women walking these streets
is unclean and indecent, and say right
there Down you 60 | would clean
the bill boards the theatres the advertise
ments in your stores and in the tobacco
business Just that way That is what |
would do and public sentiment would
stand behind me, and it will stand be-
hind you.'
The preacher said there was another
way in which purity in public sentiment
might be secured-the root of the whole
matter-select men of proper ideals to
make and execute the laws. He asked
what community could expect of god
less law-maker but goddess laws. IL
men are put in charge who cannot distin-
guish what is decent and what is indie
cent, he declared that the moral sense
of the community would often be shocked
and gross immortality would flourish.
1.-TWO months ago the Christian people
of this city asked that the saloons be clos
ed up from 10 to o'clock. At first they
higgled with us. Then they made it IL
to 5 and passed it. But what does it
amount to? At the last meeting of the
Board of Aldermen they postponed the
time for the ordinance to go into effect
until after the session of the Legislature.
And then, as if to complet the solemn
comedy-it makes me weep to think of
it-they pass another ordinace, and a
companion piece it is, prohibiting men and
women from begging on the street. What
a travesty ON justice! The gin mills, the
internal machines that make beggars,
to be kept open day and night, never
ceasng in their nefarious work, but the
beggars that they make must be put as
far from public gaze as possible
Later DR. Simms stated from the pull
Dit that the only two Aldermen voting
against keeping the saloons open at the
last meeting, were Messrs. Iyey and
Drewry.
"Can you be relied upon to help purify
the morals of rs town. he asked, III
closing. III you can, go to work fo-mor-
row and use your influence In that direc-
ton. Write the Mayor a letter protest
Ing against the indecent shows that have
come and still seem to be coming and
demand that the obscene pictures that
line our streets be covered up. Don't let
men fool you by talking about your med
ding with what you've got no business.
The religion that pleases the world is not
the kind that saves the world. Christian
ity is held on to because it has life In IT.
aggressive devil-daring life-and when
it loses that men will spew it out OF their
mouths-it will lack that saline quality
which saves"
DIR. Pittinger, at the morning service of
the Church of the Good Shepherd, also
referred to the two last theatrical per-
formances here, and denounced them in
the most unmeasured terms. lie said
they should neither be patronized nor toll
Grated by Christian people and congratu-
lated the citizens of Raleigh that there
was religion and moral courage here
sufficient to have already raised a protest
41,x-~a