St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-08-07

Inc 0te99lnf
or. COVIl
nicipal government became 4 hissink
and . byword in the whole earth. and
then the Christian merchants saw their
folly, and they went and took possess
sion of the ballot boxes Iwish all COM
mercial men to understand that they
are not independent of the moral char
acter Of the men Who rule over them.
but must be thoroughly, nightly af-
fected by them.
So also of the educational interests Of
= city. Do you know that there are In
this country about 10000 common
schools. and that there are over S,OOO,-
600 pupils, and that the majority of
those schools and the majority of those
pupils are in our cities? Now this great
multitude Of children will be affected
by the intelligence or ignorance, the
virtue or the vice of boards of education
and boards of control. There are cities
where educational affairs are settled in
the low caucus In the abandoned parts
of the cities by men full of ignorance
and rum. 1t ought not to be so, but in
many cities II is so. Ihear the tramp Of
coming generations. What that great
multitude of youth shall be for this
world and the next will be affected very
much by the character Of your public
schools. You had better multiply the
moral and religious influences about
the common schools than to subtract
from them. Instead of driving the
Bible out, you had better drive the
Bible further in. May God defend our
glorious common school system and
send into rout and confusion all its
sworn enemies.
I have also to say that the character
OF officials in city affects the domestic
circle. In city where grbgshops have
<heir own way and gambling hells are
not interfared with. and for fear Of los
Ing political influence officials close
their eyes to fostering abominations-
in all those cities the home interests
need to make imploration. The family
circles OF the city must inevitably be af-
fected by the moral character or the inn.
moral character of those who rule over
them.
/ will 60 further and say that the
religious interests of city are thus af-
fccted. The church to-day has to con-
tend with evils that the civil law ought
to smite. and, while l would not have
the civil government In any wise relax
its energy In the arrest and punishment
OF crime, would have thousandfold
more energy put forth in the drying up
Of the fountains of iniquity. The church
Of God asks no pencuniary aid from po-
liticial power. but does ask that III ad-
dtion to all the evils we must necessar-
lily contend against we shall net have
to fight also municipal negligence. Oh,
that in all our cities Christian people
would rise up, and that they would put
their hand on the helm before piratical
demagogues have swamped the ship!
Instead OF giving so much time to ma
tional politics. give some of your atten-
ton to municipal government.
l demand that the Christian people
who have been standing aloof from
public affairs come back, and in the
might Of God try to save our cities. II
things are or have been bad, 1t ID be-
cause good people have let them be bad.
That Christian man who merely goes
to the polls and casts his vote does not
do his duty. 1t is not the ballot box
that decides the election; it is the po-
litical caucus, and If at the primary
meetings Of the two political parties un-
fit and bad men are nominated, then the
ballot box has nothing to do save to
take its choice between two thieves
In our churches, by reformatory or
ganization. In every way let US try to
tone up the moral sentiment in these
cities. The rulers are those whom the
people choose, and depend upon it that
in all the cities, as long as pure hearted
men stand aloof from politics because
they depise hot partisanship, just so
long In many Of our cities will rum
make the nominations, and rum control
the ballot box, and rum inaugurate the
officials.
take step further in this subject
and ask all those who believe in the
Of prayer, day BY day and
every day. present your city officials
before God for a blessing. If you live
In 4 city presided over by mayor,
pray for him. The chief magistrate Of |
. city y in position Of great response
bility. Many of the kings and queens
and emperors Of other days had no such
dominion. With the scratch of a pen he
may advance beneficent institution or
balk . railway confiscation. By ap-
pointments he may bless or curse every
in thecity. II in the Episco-
pal churches. by the authority Of the lit
my, and in our nonepiscopate churches
We every Sabbath pray for the president
If the United States, why not, then, be |
ust as hearty in our supplications for
he chief magistrates of cities. for their |
guidance, for their health, for their |
present and their everlasting morality?
But go further. and pray for your
,ommon council, If your city has a
common council. They hold in their
lands power splendid for good or ter
.ible for evil. They have many temp
ations. In many of the cities whole |
boards of common council men have |
rome down in the maelstrom of po-
itical corruption. They could not |
tand the power of the bribe. Corrup-
ion came in and sat beside them, and
at behind them, and sat before them. |
They recklessly voted away the hard |
earned moneys Of the people. They |
we're bought out, body, mind and soul.
% that at the end Of their term Of Of |
;r> thev had not enough Of moral re