The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-11-20
CROWDS HEAR
STUMP-D|GGER
Academy Of Music Could Not
Hold the Crowd.
BREAO-MEAT VS.. LIQUOR
Drundards' Wives and Children Sup
port Gamblers and Loafers.
POWERFUL PLEA FOR AMERICAN WOMEN
II is Not Silver or Gold or Over Production That
is lbs Matter With the Country, But I'm
der Consumption Of Bread and
Meat by The Poor.

Meat by The Poor.
The Academy of Music never had a
larger crowd of people in it than as
sembled there Sunday afternoon to
hear the stump Digger Sermon" OF
Rev. George Stuart, the evangelist
who is now holding a revival at Eden
ton Street Methodist church. Not
only was every seat in the house
taken, but every inch of available
standing room was utilized.
And though he spoke for two hours,
not a man or woman who had been
able to get in, left the building. Full
~ half the audience were men.
Nearly all who heard the sermon de-
clared it was the best temperance lee
ture they had ever heard; that he dis
cussed the liquor question in a sensible
sort of way, and used both moral and
economic arguments that are simply
unanswerable.
After explaining that he was there
as an American citizen to discuss
question of great public Importance,
and that he would discuss it in
most impersonal sort of way, he took
his text from the second chapter of
Habakkul1, verses II, Is, 16 and IL
''Woe to him that buildeth a town
with blood, and establisheth a city by
iniquity! Woe unto him that
giveth his neighbor drink, that put
test thy bottle to him, and makest him
drunken also. The cup of the
Lords right hand shall be turned unto
thee. and shameful spewing shall be
on thy glory"
Many people think it wrong to lie be-
cause God said: "Thou shalt not lie''
great many people think it wrong to steal
because God has said '"Thou shalt moi
steal" All Bible truth runs parallel
with the existence of God. 1t has al
ways been wrong to lie. 1t has always
been wrong to steal. Woe and sorrow
do not come upon people who builc
their towns with blood and-sgiyea their
neighbor drink because God says, 'Woe
unto them but it is the warning of Goo
because the all-wise Being knew what
would be the legitimate fruit of such do
ings. Woe and sorrow come naturally
from the liquor traffic, like fruit grows
on a tree. Two thousand years since Goo
spoke these awful truths it turns out
laid her pavements in the blood of hel
people, and that the United States has
put a stamp upon her liquor bottles, and
pressed it to her neighbours lips. And
today God Almightys truth is verified
upon us, and woe and sorrow are upor
us. If should name the things that are
most hurtful to American peace, happi
ness and prosperity, and trace them bach
to their legitimate sources, would locate
them in the liquor barrels and beer-kegs
of America
Then the preacher asked:
''What are the troubles that threaten
us today? For 1 tell you troubles dc
threaten. I've studied the moral and
political situation all over this country
and as sure as you live there are some
mighty big black clouds hanging over it
What are they?"
First he mentioned the spirit of an
archy, which he thought was the
awfulest cloud of all. He said an
archy was born and rocked and raised
and brought to it's full strength in the
saloons.
The next black cloud in Importance
he thought, was election frauds. The
man who hampers with the ballot he
considers no more worthy to be trust
ed than any other thief, the ballot be-
ing the most sacred thing in the world
next to the Bible.
Every man knows. If he's got any DO.
litical sense at ALL that the inferna
liquor business is back of all the politi-
cal corruption. corrupting our officials
and substituting our American ballot. The
significant fact of closing the saloons or
election day shows how dangerous they
are. but why tie the mad dog after all
are bitten? 1t is folly to talk of free
ballot and fair count, when the brew
ers and distillers of the United States
have throttled the country, and literally
bought our POLITICAL leaders.
The third black cloud he saw was
mObism. In 1896, he said, more peo-
pie were executed by mob law than by
all the judges and juries in the whole
country; and today you can hardly
pick up paper that you do not find
that some jail has been charged and
somebody violently dealt with.
But the fellow who gets the other enc
of the rope is always a frendless white
man or defenceless negro. Mobs arr
always towards, and if you smell of them
you'll find they always smell like a wills
key barrel.
Fourth. the divorce evil. which he
said was growing all over the country
with fearful rapidity. to the destruc-
ton of the home, the blasting of hap
piness and the degradation of morals
Marriage don't count much in this
country anymore. Why out in Chicago
they say a mans getting up a marriage
certificate with coupon on it. so thai
when a fellow gets tired of his gal he
can just tear the coupon off and give it
to her, and go on and hunt another wife
And the women are just as bad. A fellow
asked a girl to marry him and she said.
well I'll marry you for a little while.
but not long, I've promised to marry
John next June and | mustn't break nv
promise. This sort of marrying won't
do When you marry. marry like the old
negro snapped horses, "for better or for
wusser and stick to the swap" Some