The age-herald., 1898-02-10
WHERE REFORM
 IS MOST NEEDED

should 1t? If the preachers had it in their
 power they would make every day Sun
 day, and every hour of the day spent in | Sunday school. I believe in churches and
 the influence of churches. I do not believe | that this country would be nearly so pro- | gressive If 1t were controlled by the minis ters. The average clergyman lives in the past. He lacks breadth of thought. His ideas are narrow. He sees but one side of all questions. He would make the people bend to his will. Mardi Gras celebrations | have been one of the customs of the south | for many years.
 Why should the preachers want to tear down everything as quickly as built up? There is no reason to believe there will be
 any more evils at the forthcoming Mardi Gras celebration than has been witnessed in many southern cities on like occasions
 Preachers want to purify everything and everybody. I would suggest that the preachers first attempt to purify their own congregations There is no end of scandal
 in church circles. There are some very
 bad preachers in this country. Within the past months there have been more than half a dozen cases of preachers having
 "gone wrong." I have always noticed that this class of news never gets into church papers. If preacher is bad man it is
 the duty of all to aid in exposing him.
 
 The Brown case in San Francisco, about which more than LOGO columns have been printed in newspapers, was one. of the
 most disgraceful church trails that the present generation has knowledge of. Brown was a clergyman of Thigh stand ing" He was confronted with many charges of immortality but he denied them all. When positive proof was submitted which he could not contradict he then ad- mitted the truthfulness of every charge and also admitted that he had deliberately lied when denying them. Brown asked forgiveness. Those claiming to be his friends stated that Brown was ''eccentric," and his crimes must be charged to "eccen- tricity'' rather than anything else. In the case of Brown "eccentricity" must have been deliberate lying anl all of the charges of immortality placed against him. I am a firm believer in upholding every thing that's good and moral. There are very few people in the world who do not have a great respect for the Christian re- ligion. They do not all agree, however with the doctrines taught by number of
 the preachers. Every person has a right to his own religious belief. I am sure voice the sentiment of every community in the United States when I say clergy men would make things too strict if they had it in their power. All people do not think as ministers do. It's a good thing they do not.
 Speaking of reform I am reminded of the fact that there is ample opportunity for the ministers of Birmingham to bring about great deal of reform in their own churches. This city is possessed of a great
 many card clubs the members of which belong to the churches and the "oldest and best families" There may be harm in playing cards. As I never played more than a half dozen games in my life, can truthfully say I know absolutely nothing about card playing. At a meeting of one of the card clubs not long ago quite a dissension of opinion arose among those playing to the effect that some members were cheating. It came very near break ing up the game. There were none pres ent but ladies. The majority of those pres ent were members of some church. If the ladies of Birmingham must play cards for amusement and recreation, the ministers should take hand and see that they play the game without cheating. If a man cheats at cards he is regarded as a low type of humanity, but when woman,
 who is in fact morally the superior of
 man, descends to cheating at friendly
 game of cards, 1t is far worse than if the
 same is practiced by man.
 
 Perhaps men are responsible for their wives playing cards. I heard a lady of one of the "oldest and best familes' re- lNark a few days ago, that she did not play cards for fun, meaning that there must be something to play for, as she ex- pressed it, "she would prefer playing for money than anything else" Perhaps this lady was taught to gamble by her hus- band. If that is true the ministers should send missionaries among both men and women of Birmingham and institute re- form where it is most needed.
 1t is indeed a sad commentary upon the
 progress of the age, as concerns education
 and refinement, that the drink habit has become one of the customs of the country among women. It Is bad enough for men to drink, but when women contract the habit it is threatening to the Christian in fuence of every home in the United States. It has grown to be custom that women cannot give a reception and make it suc-
 cessful without the punch bowl. It seems innocent to say the punch bowl" The modern punch as it is served at a ladies'
 reception will make drunk come as quickly
 as raw whisky over the bar. The woman
 who induges in strong drink will transmit
 that appetite to child in a more dan-
 gerous form than will a man. Science has
 proven this to be a fact. If this is to be- come a nation of drunkards, the women are
 going to be more responsible for 1t than
 the men. I am told that there are great
 many women In this city who believe that
 their systems demand that they "drink be-
 fore breakfast in order to give them an
 appetite. There are few women who do
 not like champagne. It is the most se- ductive drink known to the human family
 It has ruined more homes, and caused more