The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1901-02-08
F. D Lander, Editor.
A SATURDAY sERMoNETTE.
OR A PLEA FOR THE ENFORCEMENT
OF THE LAW

women Of Columbia emulate Mrs
Nations example, for they would
have the law against them. But as
the men so utterly refuse or fail to
enforce the law, we suggest that the
women try 1t. If they will take the
initiative and bring the cases b fore
the courts, the courts will d. their
duty.
1t is against the law for minors to
play billiards in public billiard
rooms. 1t is against the law for
men ard boys to loaf around saloons
and public billiard rooms, ard not
apply themselves to honest caIlings.
1t is against the law to gamble, or to
permit gambling in any house under
your control. 1t is against the law
to sell whiskey on Sunday, o. to sell
it to minors at any time. Violations
of these laws are dissipating the for
tunes, undermining the constitu-
tions, blackening the characters,
wasting the lives, damning the souls
of men and boys in this to vn every
day; and yet the wives and mothers
of these men, the parents and guar
dams of these boys, sit idly by and
permit it all.
Why? GOD only knows!
Ii suspicion of smallpox comes,
and there is seeming danger of
their bodies being pItted with that,
how quickly everybody rushes to
the rescue. But men, purely for the
money that is in it, are permitted
daily to allure young boys into their
hell holes of vice, corruption and
death, and scar their souls with sin,
and their mothers and fathers
breathe a prayer from their lips but
with little or no hope in their hearts,
and do nothing more.
Isn't it strange? 1t seems to us
the strangest thing in the world that
such things can be! And yet they
are; and nobody will doubt or DENY
it..
How jealousy are the young
guarded when they are very young.
How tenderly the mother nurses
them when little hoarseness
threatens the Group; with what
solicitude she guards them against
exposure to the whooping- cough
or measles; with what CONSERVATION
and fear she hears the news that
scarlet fever is in the town, and how
she houses the little one from any-
possible contact with it. And vet,
the untold army of ever dying but
never diminishing American drunk
ards takes itrecruits from these same
little ones every year. And our faith
ers and mothers submit to it. That
is strange enough. But it is stranger
still that through carelessness.
overconfidence or overinduIgence.
some of them should become |
alders and abettors in it. The idea
OF hiding a boy six years of age from
the whooping- cough, and at l6
giving him the run of the townI It
were bette for him and his parents,
had he died in his infancy. And vet,
we are told by those who have on
portunities for knowing, that a ma
Jority of the boys of that age, go and
come, wht n and where they please.
And parents who have be en- talked to
say they cant help it," Parents
who have such incorrigible sons, are
to be pitied ;but parents who confess
such weakness should send their
children to houses of correction or
orphan asylums; anywhere to keep
them from the streets and slums of
the city.
No use trying to put the blame
upon the law makers. We are not
their defenders; but before decrying
the bad laws we have, we should
avail ourselves of the good ones.
No use blaming the officers of the
law. True, they are not what they
might be nor wi at they should be :but
after all they do fairly well eonsid-
ering the low tone of public senti-
nent and the little backing parents
give them.
We do not mean to say that the
parents of Columbia endorse these
violations of laws mentioned. Some
IF them do, but the majority Of them
10 not. But we do mean to say this
hat none of us are as earnest in our
opposition as we should be.
1t is great sin against our owni
flesh and blood for US to permit these
things to go on from day to day and
year to year. AS christians, patriots
md parents, we should unite our ef-
'orts and influence and strength, and
top them at whatever cost.
where there's a will, there's a
Tay." The situation requires de-
ective work. Not for a week or a
month merely; but until the cause
q Famnvad aud fha Aanu.r -. -