Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-10-18
the GROWTH or immortality.

In her interesting lecture at the Bap-
fist church last night, Mrs. Edholm made
the statement that since last Tuesday
night 1000 girls had been betrayed and
| started on the downward path. She pic
| tured the forces at work throughout the ,
country to lead the innocent astray and
recruit the great army of the d~epraved,
showing that the Christian world is neg
lecting a duty which it owes not only to
humanity but to the very life of civiliza-
ton itself. Her remark to the effect that
Christianity is a failur iffQ2o,O00.D0O
Christians cannot rescue 800, 900 fallen
women is worthy serious thought on the
part of we'll meaning people.
Certain it is, pulpit orators and chufch
! steeples signify little if the tlpractical
work of training the young, the unso-
phisticated and the innocent, is, neglected
to such a fearful extent that an average
of 1000 girls are ruined each week. The
progress of the social evil cannot be laid
to the noble aims and purposes of Chris-
tianity, or to the grand principles of
morality inculcated by it's teachings, but
rather to the back-handed application
Of the system to the affairs of mankind.
There is a homely old adage, worth it's
weight in gold, which says that the way
to have a child go in the straight and
narrow path is to go that way yourself
occasionally. If parents adopted this
rule. in the fullest and broadest sense,
much of the problem would be solved.
But While there are many parents who
live pure Christian lives, and set an ex-
ample of rigid morality before the young
they are often called upon to bear wit
ness to the fact that sharper han a SER
pent's tooth is an ungrateful son. Could
such parents take an inventory Of their
own inner natures they might find coiled
up in the recesses of their hearts a choice
assortment of selfish ambitions and I'M
classified prides, ready to exhibit them
selves whenever occasion offers. It may
not be the lack of moral training and
worthy example that brings ruin to the
young, but an over-cultivated ambition
to shine in the world. This ambition
leads the country girl to leave her hum
BILE Christian home for the attractions
and opportunities Of city life, and throws
her into a vortex of temptations that
may lead to her speedy ruin.
The moral of it all is that under our
modern plan of civilization selfish arnbi-
tions are cultivated as virtues, when in
their exercise the young must necessarily
encounter the worst forms of vice. While
= whom the world calls great, they will
seek avenues for the qualification Of am.
bition regardless of the hidden danger:
! that Turk along the pathway to socia
: success or fame. Teach them that tru'
greatness is not measured by the world
applause, but by the power and purpos
= of the inner life, and their moral educa
ton will grow accordingly.
So long as the vanities of life are cul
tivated as things worthy of attainment
" just SO long will human beings fall lik
nouns AROUND q Cd1ul6 III their putSul
Let Christianity put on an humber garl
s. Let it get back to more primitive meth
9 DDS. Let it teach the great doctrine ths
10 a contented mind is a continual feas
= and pluck from the heart of the youn
= the feverish desire to climb ladders b,
yond their reach, and the incentive
fra vel nathwayS hnyon1 thpir strappi
n
= will be removed. The pursuit of fan
~ and social distinction, the desire to "mal
something of ones self" by seeking Il
cheap and transient applause of int
us lectual interiors, has ruined more DO,
oe and girls thar it ever elevated.
'e- - =---- -
lis u NlER HEllWdY -