The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1900-05-03

man at the shops. was and always had
been sober man up to the time when
We as a municipality voted to replace
the system Of no license with the sa-
loon for the sake Of what we thought
was necessary revenue. This man
had no great temptation to drink while
the saloon was out Of the way. Its
very absence was his salvation. But
its public open return confronted his
appetite once more. and he yielded and
fell.
"Who says he was to blame? Who
are the real criminals In the case? We
ourselves. citizens; we who. for the
greed Of gain. for the saving Of that
which has destroyed more souls In hell
than any other one thing. made posi-
BILE the causes which led to the grief
and trouble of this hour. Would we
not shrink In terror from the thought
Of lying In wait to kill a man? Would
we not repel with holy horror the idea
Of numbering and manning 70 people? !?
We would say impossible" Yet when
am ushered at last into the majestic
presence Of Almighty God feel con-
vinced shall see in his righteous
cOuntenance the sentence of our con-
demnation just as certainly as If we
had gone out in a body and by wicked
craft had torn out the supporting tim
bers Of that bridge just before the
train thundcrcd upon 1t. for did we
not sanction by law business which
we know tempts men to break all the
laws, which fills our jails and poor
houses. our reformatories and asylums.
/ which breaks women's hearts and beg
gars blessed homes and sends innocent
children to thread the paths of shame
and vagrancy. which brings pallor into
the face of the wife and tosses with
the devils own glce a thousand vic
tins into pcrdition with every revolu-
ton of this great planet about its
greater sun?
"Men Of Barton. say what we will,
we are the authors Of this dreadful dis
aster. And IL we sorrow as com.
munity we sorrow in reality for our
own selfish act. And. oh. the selfish.
ness Of it! That clamoring greed for
money! That burning thirst for more
and more and more ut the expense Of
every godlike quality, at the ruin Of all
that our mothers once prayed might
belong to us as men and women!
"What Is 1t. ye merchants. ye busi-
ness men. here tonight that ye struggle
most over? The one great aim of your
lives Is to buy for as little as possible
and sell for as much as possible. What
care have ye for the poor. who work at
worse than starvation wages, SO long
as ye can buy cheap and sell at large
profits? What Is the highest aim Of
us railroad men in the great whirl Of
commercial competition which seethcs
and bOils and surges about this earth
like another atmosphere. plainly visi-
BILE to the devils Of other worlds?
"What Is our aim but to make money
our god and power our throne2 How
much care or love is there for flesh and
blood at times when there is danger Of
losing almighty dollars? But. o Al
mighty Saviour, 1t was not for this
that we were made! We know 1t was
not.
"To whom am I speaking? To my
self. God forbid that should stand
here to condemn you. being myself the
chief of sinners for these 25 years.
What have done to bless this COM
munity? How much have | cared for
the men in my employ? What differ
ence did 1t make to me that my exam
pie drove men away from the church
Of Christ and caused anguish to those
few souls who were trying to redeem
humanity? To my just shame | make
answer that no one thing has driven
the engine Of my existence over the
track Of its destiny except self. And.
oh, for that church Of Christ that
professed to believe in! How much
have | done for that? How much. o
fellow members land l see many Of
you here tonighU, how much have we
done in the best cause ever known and
the greatest organization ever found
ed?
1--WE 60 to church after reading the
Sunday morning paper, saturated
through and through with the same
things we have had poured into US ev.