The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-05

The only Pills to take with Hoods sarsaparilla.
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tence-these are questions that strike your
countng-rooms TO the center. You may
not throw It off. In the city of New
York, Christian merchants for a great
while said: Wen have nothing to do
with the management of public affairs, "
and they allowed everything to go at
loose ends until there rolled up in that
city a debt of nearly $l20000000. The mu-
nicipal government became a Kissing and
a byWord in the whole earth, and then
the Christian merchants saw their folly,
and they went and took possession of the
ballot boxes. ] wish all commercial men
to understand that they are not independ-
ent OF the moral character of the men
who rule over them, but must be thor
oughly, nightly affected by them.
So. also, of the educational interests of
a city. DO you know that there are ia
this country about seventy thousand com
mon schools and that there are over eight
millions of pupils, and that the majority
of those schools and the majority of those
pupils are in our cities2 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 cit
les, by men full of ignorance and rum. II
ought not to be 50; but in many cities il
is 50. l hear the tramp OF coming gen.
erations. What that great multitude of
youth shah be for this world and the next
will be affected very much by the charac-
ter of your public schools. You had bet
ter multiply the moral and religious infiu-
ences about the common schools rather
than subtract from them Instead OF driv-
ing 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.
/ have also to say that the character of
officials in a city affects the domestic cir
Gle. In a city where grogshops have their
own way, and gambling hells are not in
terfered with. and for fear of losing polit-
zeal influence officials close their eyes to
fostering abominations-in all those cities
the home interests need to make implora-
ton The family circles of the city must
inevitably be affected by the moral char
acter or the immoral character of those
who rule over them.
1 will go further and say that
the religious interests of
city are thus affected. The
church to-day has to contend with evils
that the civil law ought to smite; and
while I would not have the civil govern
ment in any wise relax it's energy in the
arrest and punishment of crime, 1 would
have a thousand-fold more energy put
forth in the drying up of the fountains of
iniquity. The Church of God asks no pc
cuniary aid from political power; but does
ask that in addition to all the evils we
must necessary contend against we shall
not have to fight also municipal negli-
gence o. 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. In
stead of giving so much time to national
politics, give some of your attention to
municipal government.
l demand that the Christian people who
have been standing aloof from public af-
fairs come back, and in the might of God
try to save our cities. If things are, or
have been bad it is because 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;
IL is the political caucus; and if, at the
primary meetings of the two political par
ties unfit and bad men are nominal ted,
then the ballot box has nothing to do save
to take its choice between two thieves!
In our churches, by reformatory organi-
cation, in every way let us try to atone
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 despise
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.
I 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 a blessing. If YOU live in a city
presided over by a mayor. pray for him
The chief magistrate of city is in a
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 a
5enehcent institution or balk a railway
confiscation. BY appointments he may
bless or curse every hearth-stone i'm the
city. If in the Episcopal churches. by the
authority of the Litany and in our nom
Episcopate churches we every Sabbath
pray for the President of the United
States, why not then, be just as hearty
in our applications for the chief magls-
trates of cities. for their guidance. for
their health, for their present and their
everlasting morality?
But so further and pray for your COM
mon council If your city has common
council They hold In their hands a now
er splendid for good or terrible for evil
They have many temptations. In many
OF the cities whole boards of common
councilmen have gone down IN the
maelstrom of political corruption. They
could not stand the power of the bride.
Corruption came in ana sat beside them.
and sat 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.
so that az the end Of ,heir term of Of
nee they had not enough OF moral re-
mains left TO make 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 "A hundred that can en-
durc the temptations Of the common coun-
cllmcn IN our great cities. II "a man I'M
that position have the courage of a Crom-
we'll, and the independence OF am Andrew
Jackson. and the public spiritedness of a
john Frederick Oberlin. and the piety OF
an Edward Paygon he will have no sur
/ plus TO throw away. Pray for these men.
Every man likes TO be prayed for. DO
you know how Or. Norman Mcleod be-
/ came the queens chaplain II was by "A
warm-hcarted prayer in the Scotch kirk.
| in behalf OF the royal family. one Sab
! bath when tho queen and her son were
| present incognto.
Yes, so further, my friends. and pray
| for your police Their porils and tempta-
/ fi0ug EunNgn Ia thauaDnfs... sfst...