Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1897-07-09

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cities IA. home interests need % make i'm
uloration. The family circles % the city
must Inevitably be affected by the moral
character or immoral character Of those
who rule over them.
Twill 90 further and say that the religi-
Gus interests Of a city ara thus affected.
The church to-dsy has 20 contend with
evils that the civil law ought 20 smite, aud
while I would not have the civil govern
mnnt In any wise relax it, energy in the ar
rsst and punishment Of crime | would have
a thousandfold more energy put forth 10
the driving up Of the fountains 81 iniquity.
The church Of God asks no pecuniary aid
from political power but does ask that In
addition to all the evils we must necessarily
contend against we shall not 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 shipl Instead Of giving so
mu n time TO national politics give some Of
your attention to municipal government.
| demand that the Christian people who
have been standing aloot from public AZ
fairs come back, and in the might OF God
try to save our cities. IL things are or have
been bad, IL Is because good people have lot
them be bad. That Christian man who
merely goes to the polls and casts his vote
''fN hFA W. hAN huNNs 1t II Utl lut ihAAhA
box that decides the election: II T. the
political caucus, aQd IL at the primary
meetings OF the two political parties unit
aud bad men are nominated then the bal
lot box has nothing to do save to take its
choice between two thieves. In our
churches. bv reformatory organization, 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
10 ., Ia ali ka al
hearted men stand aloof from politics be-
cause they despise hot partisanship. just so
long in many Of our cities will rum make
the nominations, and rum control the bal
lot box, aud rum inaugurate the officials.
| take a step further in this subject, and
ask all those who believe in the omnipo-
tence Of prayer. day by day, and every day.
present your city officials before God for
blessing. Ifyou live in city presided over
by mayor. pray for him. The chief ma
gistrate Of a city is in position Of great
responsibility. Many of the kings and
queens and emperors of other days had no
such dominion. With the scratch OF pen
he may advance benehcent institution or
balk a railway confscation. BY appoint
ments he may bless or curse every hearth
stone in the city. II in the Episcopal
churches. by the authority Of the litanv,
and in our nonepiscopate churches we
every NubIhlll pray ltI Lllt lTtsllPul OF Ltlt
United States, why not, then, be just az
hearty in our applications for the chief
magistrates of cities, for their guidance,
for their health, for their present and their
everlasting morality?
But go further and pray for your COM
mon council II your city has common
council. They hold in their hands a
power splendid for good or terrible for
evil. They have many temptations. In
-. = ~. l
mon councilmen have gone down in the
maelstrom Of political corruption. They
could not stand the power of the bride
Corruption came In and sat beside them
and sat behind them and sat before
them They rocklessly voted away the
hard-earned moneys of the people. They
were bought out, body, mind and soul,
so that at the end of their term of office
they had not enough of moral remains
left to make a decent funeral. They
went into office with the huzza Of the
multitude. They came out with the ana
thema Of all decent people. There IS not
one man out of hundred that can endure
the temptations OF the common council
men in our great cities If man in that
position have the courage OF Cromwell,
and the Independence of an Andrew Jack
son, and the public spiritedness OF John
Frederick Oberlin, and the piety of an Ed
ward Payson, he will have no surplus to
throw away. Pray for these men. Every
man likes to he prayed for. Do you know
how DR.. Norman Mcleod became the
queens chaplain2 1t was by warm
hearted prayer in the Scotch kirk in behalf
of the royal family one Sabbath when the
queen and her son were present incOgnito.
Yes, go further, my friends, and pray for
your police-their perils and temptations,
best known to themselves. They hold the
order and peace of your cities In their
grasp. But for their intervention YOU
would not be safe for an hour. They must
face the storm. They must rush In where
it seems to them almost instant death.
They must put the hand of arrest on the
armed maniac and corner the murderer
They must refuse large rewards for with
drawing complaints They must unravel
intricate plots and trace dark labvrinths
of crime and develop suspicious into GER
tainties They must be cool while others
are frantic. They must be vigilant while
| Others are somnolent, impersonatng the
very villainy they want TO seize. In the
police forces Of our great cities are to-day
men Of rs thorough character as that of
the old detective Of New York addressed TO
whom there came letters from London ask
ing for help ten years after he was dead
letters addressed to Jacob Hayes, High
Constable Of New York" Your police need
your appreciation, your sympathy, your
gratitude, and, above all, your prayers.
Yea, want you to go further and pray
every day for prison inspectors and jail
keepers work awful and benefcent
Rough men, cruel men, impatient men,
are not fit for those places. They have
| under their care men who were once as
good as you, but they got tripped up.
Bad company, or strong drink, or
strange conjunction of circumstances
flung them headlong. Go down that prison
| corridor and ask them how they got in, and
about their families and what their early
prospects in life were, and you will find
that they are very much like yourself, ex-
cept in this, that God kept you, while He
did not restrain them. Just one false step
made the difference between them and YOU
They want more than prison bars, more than
Jail fare, more than handouts and hopples.
more than vermin covered couch, to re-
form them. Pray God day by day that the
men who have these unfortunates in charge
may be merciful, christianity strategic, and
the means of reformation and rescue.
Some years ago city pastor in New York
was called to the city prison to attend n
funeral. A young woman had committed u
crime and was incarcerated, and her
mother came to visit her, and died on the
visit. The mother, having no home. was
buried from her daughters prison cell.
After the service was over the imprisoned
| daughter came up to the minister of Christ
aud said, Wouldn't you like to see my
poor mother?" And while they stood at the
| imprisoned soul, Don't you feel to-day,
| in the presence of your mothers dead
| body, as if you ought to make a vow
I before God that you will do differently
and live better life?" She stood for a
few moments, and then the tears rolled