Semi=weekly graphic., 1899-09-27
REV J. A. ANDERSON DE- NOUNCES LOCAL IN
 STlTUTlONS
ELKS AND VALHALLA CLUB
The Juries and Christian Citizens Come in for a Share of
 the Excoriation

Rev. Jas. A. Anderson, pastor of the Main Street Methodist church, arraigned the evlls of the town Sunday evening before large audi encc, none of whom slept on the preacher. His tex was Jeremiah I. 3.-"Break up your fallow ground "a call of tue old prophet to the people of erusalen to clear away the thoras and briars which made 1t impossible to till success. fully the land-to clean out the evils that made it impossible for the church to make headway in Jerusa- lem.
 The preacher said that the very same forces that were working the dissolution of the Jewish nation at that time, aud did finally accom- pIish its overthrow under Neba- chadnezzar, were DOW a6 work here in the city of Pine Bluff. The same unrighteous public sentiment that made these evils possible in Jerusa- lem was making them possible here. Specifically, the preacher charged that there s great amourt of Sabbath dissertation in this town, and tbat members of the church are by no means free from it. IL was notorious that the saloons do busi- ness on Sunday and officers of the law had said that they could not stop it. assigning three reasons. First. Men who were seen going into the saloons on Sunday would swear that they new nothing of Sunday violation Second. Men who ought to stand for the highest welfare of the community can scarcely be gotten to do jury ser vice. Third. The luries upon whom the officers of the law had been forced to depend had said that they would convict no man on the testimony of a hired detectiye, = as though every mau who is try ing to ferret out evil must be con- sidered in the very courts of the colhtly as aliar, said the preacher.
 Then came drive at the Valh4lla Club. He charged that there is a saloon in connection with 1t and that gambling there was not even denied. He said, "I have denounced this thing as 8 gilded infamy, and l staud on the record It IS Q he'll trap And there is not a place in this town whe,e the feet of young man can so surely be put in the ways of death. Thiok of young women going irto that place.
 The minister went on 10 say that he had it from as good men as are in this town that there are certain uractlces connected with the Elk's Lodge here that do uot reflect the character of sober aud decent gen. tleme4 And worse that all yet, " said the preacher, II have made diligent inouiry in various direc- tions and of men who ought to kLow what goes on in this town, and tbey tell me that it is perfectly safe to sly E,hat three-fourths of the young men of this town are ire quenters of houses which l forbear to name in this pulpit; they tell me that. theIe brothels are thronged every night. 1t is certain that out of TOO or 800 young men in here, leaving out the negroes and not counting OUT Jewish friends, there are not in all the churches this morning over 120 oy actual count, and uot more than 9 or 30 of the whole of them can be counted on for any aggressive Christianiwork.
 The sermon closed with an appeal: lst. To fathers aud, mothers, who were to be blamed for their past carelessness in the premises, and