The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-05
SAVE THE GREAT CITIES.
DR.. TALNEAGE breaches OF SEA
PORTS AND COMMERCIAL MARTS.

Founders Upon the City-The PeriIs
and Temptations of the Police.
city Councils In Need of Especial
Prayer-EducatiOnaI Interests of
the Cities.
washington. July 4-This sermon Of Dr.
Talmage discusses, from moral and re-
lisious standpoint, the welfare Of all the
towns and cities Of our country. His text
Is: Ezekiel, z g; 80 thou that are stu
ate at the entry Of the sea"
This is a part Of an impassioned apos-
trophe TO the city of Tyre. It was
beautiful city-a majestic city. At the
east end of the Mediterranean it sat with
one hand beckoning the inland trade. and
with the other the commerce Of foreign
nations. It swung a monstrous boom
across its harbor to shut out foreign enc
mics, and then swung back that boom to
let in its friends The air Of the desert
was fragrant with the spices brought by
caravans to her fairs. and all seas were
cleft into foam by the keel of her laden
merchantmen. Her markets were rich
with horses and mules and camels from
Togarmah; with upholstery and ebony,
and ivory from Dedan; with emeralds and
agate. and coral from Syria; with wine
from Helbon; with finest needlework from
Ashur and Chilmad. Talk about the
splendid state-rooms of your Cunard and
1nman and White Star lines Of interna-
tionaI steamerswhy-, the benches of the
etate-rooms in those Tyrian ships were
all ivory, and instead Of our coarse can
tn - ba
had the finest linen, quilted together and
inwrought with embroideries almost mi
raculous for beauty. Its columns over
Swallowed all nations. Distant empires
felt its heartbeat. Majestic city! situate
at the entry of the sea"
But where now is the CLEAN Of her
towers, the roar of her charots. the masts
of her shipping? Let the fishermen who
dry their nets on the place where she
once stood; let the sea that rushes upon
the barrenness where she once challenged
the admiration OF all nations; let the bar
barians who build their huts on the place
where her palaces glittered answer the
question. Botted out forever! She for
got God, and God forget her. And while
our modern cities admire her glory, let
them take warning at her awful doom
Cain was the founder of the first city,
and / suppose it took after him in morals
1t is a long while before a city can get
over the character Of those who founded
IL. Were they criminal exiles, the filth,
and the prisons, and the debauchery are
the shadows of such founders. New York
will not for two or three hundred years
escape from the good influences of its
founders-the pious settlers whose prayers
went up from the very streets where now
banks discount and brokers shave. and
companies declare dividends, and snug
glers swear custom house lies; and above
the roar OF the drays and the crack of the
auctioneers' malets is heard the ascrip-
tion we worship thee, O thou almighty
dollarr The church that once stood on
Wall street still throws its blessing over
all the scene of traffic, and upon the
ships that fold their white wings in the
harbor. Originally men gathered In cities
from necessity. 1t was to escape the in
cendiarys torch or the assassin's dagger.
Only the very poor lived in the country,
those who had nothing that could be stol-
en-, or vagabonds who wanted TO be near
their place of business; but since civiliza-
ton and religion have made il safe for
men 10 live almost anywhere, men con-
gregate in cities because of the Opportu-
nifty for rapid gain. Cities are not neces-
sarily evils, as has sometimes been ar
gued. They have been the birthplace of
civilization. In them popular liberty has
lifted up its voice. Witness Genoa, and
Pisa, and Venice. The entrance of the
representatives OF the cities in the legisla-
lures of Europe was the death-blow TO
feudal Kingdoms. Cities are the patroniz-
ers of art and Observation-Disclosures
pointing to its British museum in Lon
don, its royal library in Paris, its vatican
IN Rome. Cities hold the worlds scepter
Africa was Carthage, Greece was Athens
England is London. France is Paris, Italy
Is Rome, and the cities in which God has
cast our lot viii yet decide the destiny of
the American people.
AT this season of the year, ] have
thought II might be useful TO talk little
while about the moral responsibility rest
ing upon the office-bearers In all our cit
ies-a theme as appropriate to those who
are governed as to the governors. The
moral character of those who rule a city
has much to do with the character Of the
city itself. Men, women and children are
ali interested in national politics. When
the great presidential election comes,
every patriot wants to be found at the
ballot box. We are all interested IN the
discussion of national finance. national
debt, and we read the laws of congress,
and we are wondering who will sit next
In the presidential chair Now, that may
be all very wells very well; but II Is
high time that we took some OF the atten-
ton which we nave been devoting TO ma
tlonal affairs and brought II to the study
of municipal government. This II seems
60 me now is the chief point 20 be taken.
Make the cities right, and the nation viii
be right. / have noticed that according
20 their opportunities there has really
been more corruption In municipal gov
ernments IN this country than In the
state and national legislatures Now. is
there no hope? With the mightiest agent
IN our hand, the glorious Gospel OF Jesus
Christ. shall not an our cities be REFORM
ed and purified. and redeemed? ] believe
the day will come. / am In fun sympathy
with those who are opposed 20 carrying
politics into religion. but our cities viii
never be reformed and purified until we
carry religion into politics / look over
our cities and ] see that an great inter-
ests are TO be affected In the future. as
they have been affected in the past by
the character OF those who in the differ
ent departments rule over us, and ] pro-
pose 10 classify some Of those interests:
In the first place ] remark: CONNER
cial ethics are always affected by the
moral or immoral character OF those who
have municipal supremacy officials that
wink az fraud. and that have neither CEN
sure nor arraignmCnt for glttering dis
honesties. always weaken the pulse 81