The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-05-16
From the Chicago Inter Ocean
VrIIIS sNs,,..,,,

THE LAMENT The last sermon a, nr
" ~" HILLS uron public at
PREACHER. fairs, HE the one tina,
preceded 1t, crrs in this: It falls to com
prehend that the most remarkable revela-
ton of modern times Is the qulckened con
science OF the people. rte learned and
eloquent doctor dcscsnts upon the evils OF
life, and asserts them to be marks OF de
generacy. lie is wrong, All such evils
as society now complains OF have been
common from the beginning hut in the old
time men accepted them as Inevitable. now
they protest against them. and re solve on
their extinction.
The time was" says the doctor, when
merchants sold their goods having full
confidence In customers and clerks; now
detectives in citizens garb must watch
the buyers" Very true, hut when that
time was" the largest store was crowded
when twenty customers were inside it; the
clerks We're able to do tho Watching that
the detectives now do But when that
time was public hanging drew thou
sands, and pockets Were picked. Nowadays
two or three thousand people often are
in ono store at one tiine. and the oppor-
tuniues of theft are transferred from the
public hanging 10 the public store. Theft
is about as Old as tho universe; there are
more thefls now than a thousand years ago
partly because there arc more people and
partly because there is more loose and
tempting property To steal Fifteen years
ago, says tho doctor, our bankers banked
on mon. nov they bank on collateral
We are Inclined to believe, indeed, WI
know that II was quite as hard 10 borrow
large sums without collateral security nj
teen years ago az it's now There never was
IL time when money lenders by profession
made practice Of granting loans without
security Nor was there ever time when
1t was easier FOR man OF good rcpute|
to borrow upon mere personal security than
now
Financial honor is not lower todny than
formerly Let Or Hills peruse his New
gate Calendar aud read of the Rev Or
Dodd, hanged for forging the name OF
Lord Chesterfield, let him read OF FAINT
leroy. the banker, and later on OF Sir John
Dean Paul sun more than fifteen years
ago let him remember the American
case of culver, banker and member OF con
gross. We still have fraud, connivins. aud
sharp practice, but the public conscience
resenIs such vices far moro keenly than
"hfteen years ago"
Fifteen years or say, twenty Ave ago
riches like charity, covered n multitude
OF sins. Nowadays the fierce light OF pub
lNltF b'alS elcdully upon tnN rlcn' III Dr
Hills Will take the trouble to think he can
cali TO mind several dozens of very rich
men throughout the country who are held
in very high esteem. Twenty five years
ago Jim Fisk was sort of hero. Today he
would be regarded as n colossal sneak thief.
Crime accompanied by violence increases
II is true and the cause is not easily as |
siGpahle. But the tone OF public morals
is higher than "hfteen years ago much
higher The star route and Credit Mobiller
episodes could not be re-enacted today.
Finally wa arc very far from being what |
we ought 10 be, But II is a most encourag- |
Ing circumstance that We know our short |
ooInEss, confess them and scourge our |
selves because Of them. n Was not thus !
fifteen years ago" Because the con |
conscience OF tho American PEOPLE is
quickened the attention Of the americas
people Is given to preachers who point out
the evils Of the day. But .here always is |
danger lest lamentatlon shall degenerate
intn snusntinnnifap,