The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-06-08
CHURCH DEFIANT.
Pastor Scudder Says the
Crusade Against Saloon
Keepers Will Con-
tinue.
EVIDENCES OF WEAKENING
All the Churches Will Declare
Persistent Warfare Against
Sunday Violation.
EVIDENCES OF WEAKENING

Rum Sellers Getting Excited, was
the theme yesterday evening in the Tab
ernacle, and the Rev. Joh L Scudder in
his TRADE against them said
1.-The s~aloonkeepers of Jersey City have
broken the Sunday laws with impunity
so many years that they regard them
selves as occupying a position superior to
all law. They thought they owned the
Governments ard could do as they pleased,
but recent events have dispelled this vain
6elusicn, and now they feel like a man
recovering from a debauch. They are UNI
happy and cross and disposedeto free their
minds. During the past few weeks many
Of them have been made to feel the error
Of their ways, and at presenr they whine
and complain OF being prosecuted.
"If being forced to obey the law is per-
secutien, prosecuted they will be as long
as religion stands for something more
than cant or pi5us gush. This socalled
persecution is the normal result Of several
years of agitation among the churches
upon the subject of Christian citizenship
and good government, and as yet the
movement is in its Infancy. The churches
CT America are quietly changing their
tactics with reference to fighting iniquity.
Hereafter they win restrain it by aggres-
s,ve measures. No longer Will they give
evildoers unbrialed license and content
themselves with denouncing sin from the
pulpit and praying G5d to fight their bait
ties for them.
The latter course is a mixture of cow
ardien and cant, which the Church is fast
outgrcwing. and will soon become obso-
lete. The signs of the times indicate that
the churches Of America are TO make a
oh rnr~ r1 ~,1% 49,, 49, Il
looms, recognizing chem as the principal
foe and the prime cause of the moral de-
eerioration Of our nation. Crime is in
cleas4ng faster than the population in
these United States, and last year the
murders in4this country numbered 10, 500.
These. homic des were largely due to drink,
ard this country condition of affairs was
the indirect outcome of the let alone poll
icy of the churches touching the liquor
traffic. But Christian eyes are open and
battle Of righteousness in a warfare that
IS practica: and real. Even the Catholic
Church, through Father Ireland and other
temperancelgtants, IS beginning to dis
eounteHance tbs, salo9n and make liquor
seaTng thoroughly ~arsreputable. This new
and active wal against the liquor traffic
3Pas only COMMENCED, and the late skir-
& universal movement against the ginsnill
ny Cnrist!an citizens. The issue between
he churches and the saloons is being
mere closely drawn and the hostility be-
tween them is rapidly increasing.
That the rumsellers of this city are
pretty thoroughly frightened is a graft
tying fact. Their futile efforts to- coun-
teract the influence OF the Law and
order League are increasingly amusing.
At first they had a sudden attack Of
piety and read US lectures on the inn
proprlety ana meanness of obtaining evil
dence aga INST them by sending detec-
tlyes to sample their liquors. When
they found us too hard-headed to be af-
fected by such mawklsh sentimentalism,
they abandoned their p3ous talk and be-
gan to threaten our Christian Endeavor
detectives win loss Of business. En-
pioyers were to De interviewed and all
E.ndeavorers were to be discharged at
enee, because they dared to oppose the
sa-oons. When this pretty bubble burst.
they resolved to investigate the past
lives of these Endeavorers and hold them
up to public r.dieule and scorn. in case
tany weak spots could be found. AS yet
4iiotbsng alarming has been unearthed
along this line. The latest movement.
according to the newspapers, will be to
arrest all the organists who dare to
play an the churches on the Sabbath
day. Whether any such arrests have
been made today I cannot say: I see
that epr Tabernacle organist is vet I'M
n1o-ested and works the keyboard and
petals without fear Of being thrust into
a prison cell. Now, I would suggest to
the sa~lconkeepers that they arrest the
nest.enrous preachers inc be done with
it. Why not nip this crusade in the
nud! working on Sunday is against
law and preachers work harder ON
Sunday than any other day in the week.
Why not jail them in company with the
~organists2 Why discriminate against the
musicians and let the ministers go free?
Then there are the sections and the
deaeons who work SO hard taking up the
collections. Why not run them in
also2
we offer these suggestions to the
enemy, because we pity them in their
present plight. They are becoming nm
duly excited and their childlike innplll-
siveness. is running away with their
Judgment. Apparently they are suffer
ing from Inflammation of the brain. and
while their delirium increases, the Law
and Order League will keep uD the nro-
cession of crimina saloonkeepers to
the County Court House, and IL the
rulnsellers persist in violating the sta
tute. the league will start another pro-
eession towards the penitentiary.,