The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-10-30
"THE CIVIC CONSCIENCE. y
DR.. Browns Sermon On the Citizens
Responsibilities.

Another serman on Civic Respon-
sibilities" was preached at the
Congregational church yesterday
morning by DR.. C T Brown.
The congregation was large in
numbers and appreciative in spirit. The
speaker expressed his pleasure in ac-
cepting the invitation of the Young
Peoples Christian Union to preach
upon this topic, for he saw in the invi-
tation hopeful sign of the times
There is no Mace" added the
speaker. where practical patriotism
counts for more than among the young.
Wherever in history you look at great
forward movements YOU find at the
heart of them the YOUTH
DR.. Brown rejoiced in, the activity of
the young people as the expression of
a sound public opinion, and then gave
some apt illustrations or the power Of
public opinion.
Who cain estimate the downward
force of one magnetic evil man?" asked
Dr. Brown, and who, on the other
hand. can estimate the upward impulse
given unto thousands by a life like that
or wendell Phillips or Frances Will
lard? Our greatest civic need is a. pa
trlotism that finds a field close at hand
IN municipal government. Everybody
knows that the American city is the
peril OF the American commonwealth.
Or. Brown referred to the rise and
Tall OF Babylon and the causes of the
great city's degeneration, and then said.
in part:
The old Babylon perished, but the
Babylonian spirit survived and con-
tlnues TO vex humanity even unto this
day. We see it in the mercenary
spirit, unleavened by any civic con-
science or social responsibility
we rave at the poor Chinaman be-
cause we believe that he comes here
10 stay only long enough to get to-
gether little competency and then
to return with it.
How many residents of Salt Lake
CITY unblushingly confess that they
are here only for what they can
make2
If 1 am not mistaken this mer-
cenary spirit is at the root of the
saloon. Cut the top-root of gain and
Its huge bulk viii dwindle
Men cannot be made moral bv
legislation, you say. Do you think
they can be made moral by the lack
our civic responsibility will never
be fully discharged until we have by
every possible means at least made
wee more difficult than virtue. Are
We guiltless where every block con-
tains the traps that are set to catch
men souls The emphasis of SCRIP
ture falls with the same force upon the
CIVIC conscience as upon the personal
conscience. The decoy of civic Justice
IS always laid at the door of the neo-
PIE. the neglect of the helpless. the
oppression of the poor, TO tempting the
Young is plainly called moral murder.
civil government is not only a con-
tract for convenience and commerce.
II Is a compact for manhood and
morals An American without a civic
conscience. TO whom the ballot brings
no moral obligation is only a. 'hold-over'
IRON the Babylonian administration.
Tor hlin there is no place under the
nag whose every stripe might mean
ChrlSt'S mercy covering all.
important as the ballot is it does
not cover all our civic responsibilities:
they include the obligation to do everv-
thing IN our power TO foster and sus-
tam by giving ourselves and our
money IL the forces and institutions
that minister to the higher life of the
city and commonwealth
lettering to the old campaign CRY.
Don't throw away your vote" Mr.
Brown said that there We're only two
ways in which a man could throw |
away his vote, to cast it for an nm
worthy candidate, or to keep it in his /
He spoke Of the salve which some in
dolent citizens lay upon the hurts OF
an injured civic conscience when they |
say oh! there's 20 use trying. these |
evils always have been and they al |
ways viii be" HopelesSness is the
chlld OF hell and not of heaven.
There are several conspicuous tomt,s
IN the graveyard of history under
which are Wondering the remains of
evils which men thought were i'm
mortal-until they died" continued
the speaker. The antiquity of an evil
IS no guarantee of its immortalitv
Slavery was very old before it died
Dueling was heavy with many cen
turtles when ii met it's death in the
death of Alexander Hamilton at the
hand of Aaron Burr. The first steam
ship that crossed the ocean carried in
her mail pamphlet which proved that
no steamship could do this The world
is saved by hope and courage. by a
civic conscience that stays itself upon
the throne of the God of justice.
The Bible pronounces the doom of
the cities that perish, but it never
despairs OF the city that shall be
eternal. The climax of civilization
stands revealed in the ideal city. the
New Jerusalem OF the Apocalypse
that great vision city descending out
Of heaven from God. This means. of
course, that while the material out of