The Monitor-register., 1897-07-09
SAVEALL THE CITIES
HOW THE MORALS OF OUR BIG
TOWNS MAY BE MENDED.

TOWNS MAY BE MENDED.
DIR. Talmage Points Out the Way to Mu-
nioipa1 Purity - Good Men Must BE
to Improve City Life.
WASHINGTON, July 4.-This sermon
Of Dr. Talmage discusses from a moral
and religious standpoint the welfare of
all the towns and cities of our country.
His text is Ezekiel xvii, 8, 80 thou
that art situate at the entry of the sea"
This is part of an impassioned apos-
trophe to the city of Tyre. 1t was a
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. 1t swung mon
strous boom across its harbor to shut
out foreign enemies, 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 keels 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 Hell
bon, with finest needlework from Ashur
and Chilmad. Talk about the splendid
staterooms of your Cunard and Inman
and White Star lines of international
steamers-why, the benches of the state
rooms in those Tyrian ships were all
ivory, and instead of our coarse canvas
ON the masts of the shipping they had
the finest linen, quilted together and
inwrought with embroideries almost
miraculous for beauty. Its columns
overshadowed all nations. Distant en-
pires felt its heartbeat Majestic city,
"situate at the entry of the sea-.
But where now is the gleam of her
towers, the roar of her chariots, the
masts of her shipping? Let the fisher
men 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 barbarians who build
their huts on the place where her pal
aces glittered, answer the question.
Blotted out forever! She forgot God,
and God forgot 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 NOR
ais. 1t is long while before city can
% get over the character of those who
founded it. Where they criminal exiles,
the filth, and the prisons, and the de-
bauchery are the shadows of such found
ers. New York will not for 200 or 800
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 smugglers swear custom house lies,
and above the roar of the drays and the
crack of the auctioneers' mallets is
heard the ascription, "We worship thee
o thou almighty dollar" 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 incendiary's torch
or the assassin's dagger. Only the very
poor lived in the country, those who had
nothing that could be stolen or vaga-
bonds who wanted to be near their place
of business, but since civilization and
religion have made it safe for men to
live almost anywhere men congregate
in cities because of the opportunity for
rapid gain. Cities are not necessarily
evils, as has sometimes been argued.
They have been the birthplace of civili-
zation. In them popular liberty has lift
ed up its voice. Witness Genoa and Pisa
and Venice. The entrance of the repre-
sentatives of the cities in the legisla-
lures of Europe was the deathblow to
feudal Kingdoms. Cities are the patron
izers of art and literature-architectu
pointing to its British museum in Lon
don, its Royal library in Paris, its Vat
ican in Rome. Cities hold the world s
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 will yet
decide the destiny of the American peo-
pie.
Office Bearers In Big Cities.
At this season of the year I have
thought it might be useful to talk lit
tie while about the moral responsibility
resting upon the office bearers in all
our cities, theme as appropriate to
those who are governed as to the gov
ernors 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 all interested
in national politics. When the great
presidential election comes, ever patriot
wants to be found at the ballot box.
We are all interested in the discus
sion 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 it is
high time that we took some of the at
tention which we have been devoting to
national affairs and brought it to the
study of municipal government This,
it seems to me now, is the chief point
to be taken. Make the cities right, and
the nation will be right. have noticed
that according to their opportunities
there has really been more corruption in
municipal governments in this country
than in the state and national legisla-
lures Now, is there no hope? With the
mightiest agent in our hand, the glori-
of Cl,,,ie+ .l,,1 Ill
our cities be reformed and purified and
redeemed? l believe the day will come
l. am in full sympathy with those who
are opposed to carrying politics into re-
ligion, but our cities will never be re-
formed and purified until we carry re-
ligion into politics. l look over our
cities and see that all great interests
are to be affected in the future, as they
have been affected in the past, by the
character of those who in the different
departments rule over US, and propose
to classify some of those interests.
In the first place, I remark CONNER
cial ethics are always affected by the
moral or immoral character of those
who have municipal supremacy.
Officials that wink at fraud, and that
have neither censure nor arraignment
for glittering dishonesties, always
weaken the pulse of commercial honor.
Every shop, every store, every bazaar,
every factory in the cities feels the
moral character of the city hall. If in
any city there be dishonest mayoralty
or an unprincipled common council or
court susceptible to bribes, in that city
there will be unlimited license for all
kinds of trickery and sin, while, on the
other hand, If officials are faithful to
LII aG L.