Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-06-29

"THE ALLURIN CoLoRS OF VICE AND DEGRA-
DATIoN"
Jonas Teachout, whose barn faces the
| highway a mile outside of this town,
| allowed the circus wagon to paste up
pictures on three sides of the buildin.
How many tickets for the circus he
got in exchange 1 do not know, and it
has nuthin TO do with the question.
What I'm sayin is that them pictures,
in my solemn belief. shocked the NOR
ais of this community fur worse than
as IL ten saloons had been opened in
the town. The circus wagon is ag'in
approachin. 1t is creepin along in its
sly. insiduous way. leavin the blight
of destruction in its path, and if sun
| thin amt done Jonas Teachout's barn
will ag'in be enwrapped in the allurin
colors of vice and degradation. 1 move
| that it is the sense of this meetin, and
of the community in gineral, that Jo-
mas be struggled with"
1T appears to me-" says Deacon
Spooner as Moses sat down, that 4
pint has bin made. When Moses talks
of allurin colors of vice and degrade
ton, seem to see before me them pic
lures of wimen jumpin through paper
uOOpS. I1ONeNGEs L u line " near IIOIl
Silas Lapham. | reckon he's interest
cd in the moral welfare of this COM
munity.''
II amt blamin Jonas tall" says ST.
las. He got u deadhead tickets fur
the use of his barn, and don't believe
anybody was the wickeder fur it. If 4
man can't gaze at circus pictures with
out goin away and stealth a barl of
soft soap, then he amt no man. Did
any wife run away from her husband
because of them pictures? Did any
husband elope with the hired gal be-
cause of themY'
That's 4 pint, and i says it's q
pint" exclaims the deacon as he hus-
ties about. Them circus pictures was
on that barn fur two months, but what
family was busted up through their in
fluence? It's fur Moses to specify
whar vice got it's toehold."
81 amt sayin that any families was
busted up" continues Moses, but I'm
talkin bout the gineral influence on
gineral morality. A circus picture is
nuthin but n picture. but 1t suggests
Lemonade and peanuts and whisky and
poker and bein out late nights. They
are like rizen ivy. You come across it
in the woods. and ii Is fair to look up
on. and ii seems to be rooted in inno-
cence and thrivin in morality. You
handle it, and you begin to itch and
scratch and find yourself pizened. Like
hydra headed sarpint, it lays In wait
TO work destruction to the unwary.
hope this meetin and this community
air with me and that it will be decided
to wrassle with Jonas Teachout."
Moses didn't seem to make a pint
on the peanuts arI lemonade" says
the deacon as he scratches his ear,
but he was powerful strong on that
piZen ivy bein rooted in innocence.
kin almost see whar circus pictures
might influence me to go home and
pound my old COW with sled stake IL
she didn't keep her tail still while 1
was milkin, but I'm willin TO hear more
arguments Enos Williams. you driv'
by that barn twice a day all summer.
How did them pictures affect you:"
Not much different from a huskin
bee" says Enos. Il didn't feel no
feelin's OF wickedness stealth DER me.
but did sort of make fool of myself.
i found soft spot in the barnyard and
tried TO turn a handspring, and fur
about two hours they thought my neck
was busted. I'm thinkin that hard cider
has more gineral influence on gineral
morality in this community than cir
Gus pictures"
Its a pint shouts the deacon as
he waves his cane on high; Its Il
pint nobody kin git over, It's hard
cider that's backin vice all over this
county and histin innocence over the
fence whenever they meet. However,
IL may be that circus pictures also