The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-02-08
A CRUSADE IS DECLARED
Butte Ministers Will War on the
Social Evil.
A MASS MEETING CALLED
The Ministerial Association Listens to a
Paper by Rev. E. J. Groeneveld and
Determines to Act at Once
in the Matter.

The Butte Ministerial ASSOCIATION helu
a meeting yesterday morning with a
good attendance. Municipal reform and
the social evil were discussed, and the
suggestion was advanced and received
with favor that a mass meeting be
called for an early date, to be held at
the Auditorium for the purpose of con-
sidering the question of municipal re-
form and bringing it before the people
of Butte. 1T was decided 10 call such
a meeting or to have the subject form
the text of sermons to be delivered at
all the churches on the same Sunday.
The matter was referred TO a commit
tee consisting of Rev. +. b. Lounsbury,
Rev. De Putron Gliddon and Rev. j. T..
Noftsinger to decide upon what action
is best TO be taken. The sentiment of
the ministers was that the time had
come when something should be done.
Rev. +. J. Groeneveld read an inter
esting and timely paper on THE Social
Evil which was afterwards discussed
by the ministers and unanimously APP
proved. The paper is As follows
l am to say a few words to-day con-
corning one of the three horrors of civ
ilization, viz: the social evil 1t is not
a popular subject for public discussion,
but one from which the public teacher
usually shrinks, and to which | adj
dress myself to-day with considerable
reluctance. If a comparison may be
made, this study will present a darker
page in human history and life than
the results of gambling and inehrety.
The student of social science finds here
revealed a depth of iniquity and woe
from which he is tempted to turn away
with a shudder. This evil penetrates
every condition of life, sezes with its
1eprous fingers the fairest i'm every
community. works an irreparable dam
age at many a hearth. and leaves to
of woe. 1t will be impossible to dis
cuss the social evil without stirring
up the ill-will and opposition of some.
vet i trust there will also be words
OF encouragement from those who
stand ever ready to sustain those who
place themselves in opposition to this
fearful evil, which, eating like a can
Ger, is consuming the virtue and
strength of society. 1t is easy enough
to shut the eye to an unpopular sub
ject. but that will not mend the evil
in question. Neither will it mend mat
tiers by expressing things disagreeabl BILE
in elegant circumlocutions Stealing is
theft, not misrepresentation; lying il
lying, not prevarication, and social inn
purity is not a foible. but Ii stands for
power which, more terrible than the
tabled goddess Nemesis will DESTROY
root and branch. the entirety of man
hoods and womanhood's being. The
damnation of Faust may be seen on
the mimic stage. but the damnation of
character is going on apace in actual
life.
Social impurity is not confined to one
age. one country or one civilization.
History reveals a dark picture. The
prevalence and infamy of this evil in
ancient Babylon are almost beyond be-
lief. The gods and goddesses of Egypt.
syria, Phoenicia and neighboring eoun-
tries were Worshiped i'm ways of un-
n
Greece, especially in the so-called gold
en- age, a horrible social degradation
was regarded as a matter of civic
glory and religious gain. Even the
Jews We're repeatedly led astray by
surrounding peoples, and such terms
as "groals" and pillars" in the old
Testament simply hide the enormity of
their sins in this regard, as expressed
in the Hebrew original. In Rome vice
was utterly unbridled. The temples,
many OF them, We're dedicated to i'm
purity. and the stage to obscenity and
leWdness. A disastrous power has dis
i0rted at various times the strongest
characters, contaminated the lives of
men and women, poisoned the purity
of family life. A fearful Inheritance
OF evil has come down to US. Angus
tine thought that some fearful form
of this sin brought on the deluge and
the destruction of Sodom and Gomor-
rah. What has been called the self
repeating action of humanity" has car
ried on the legacy to this day. and
communities as well as individuals find
themselves confronted constantly with
grievous manifestation of the same
evil. Not only IN the homes of power
~ and misery is impurity found but
also in the homes Of the rich and If
those who have investigated this mat
ter and published statistics may be be-
lieyed, this scourge is assuming the
proportions OF calamity and threat
ening the most precious achievements
OF present-day civilization. The mod
ern Babylons are honeycombed with it,
and though the number of those who
are pure in life has greatly increased,
the cancer is eating under the surface
FAR more than is generally supposed
The strength of a nation or community
is not In its material resources but in
the purity and uprightness of the life
of it's citizens. What folly then and
how suicidal the conspiracy of silence
which would cast veil over the vice
which Will destroy, if not checked the
welfare of the people? If il be true
that there are 500 fallen women in our
own city and eight times that number
of fallen men: ii unspeakabIe forms of
iniquity and nameless social Vices are
rampant among Us, ii Is every honor
able citizens duty TO inform himself
in regard to the danger and then cour-
ageously deal with il as hindrance TO
It is not necessary to institute COM
parison between this evil and others
found in social life. Says Prof A. O.
Warner: Careful observers believe il
10 be more constant and fundamental
cause OF degeneration than intemper-
anee." Intemperance is. however. all
but universally the companion of the
social evil. A fast life is all but i'm
possible without drink. Physically
speaking, this EVIL may at any time
and repeatedly does, reduce youth 10
premature. helpless old age; transform
the body into rotten she'll: affect not
only the individual but his posterity,
and make the kiss of love the means
of carrying conlagion and foul disease
10 pure brides and innocent children"
Morally speaking, this evil will rot
ones self-resDect- IT "eatefh like a
eanker, like a gangrene, spreading to
all adjacent parts. IT pollutes the
memory. john b. Cough was wont TO
bot H.