The Savannah morning news., 1901-05-28
SAM JONES' APOLOGY
WILL DO THE RIGHT THING IF
OFFICIALS WILL REFORM.
MUST ENFORCE THE LAWS.
TACKLED WJCKEDNEss IN PRIV
ATE LIFE, SOCIETY AND POLL
TICS.

County and City officials His Vic
tims-A Word for Little BiiIee~
and Jibe for the MayOr-Ex-
pressed His Opinion of High "sas-
siety.' Dancing and Card Playing.
Receipts of saloons Compared
with Cost of Churches, Schools,
Hospitals and misunderstanding
and Corruption of the Ballot Must
BE stopped.
To an audience quite as large as any
that has greeted him since he has been
in Savannah, Rev. Sam Jones preached
one of his most Characteristic sermons
last INTERCHANGEABLE in dicuon.
thought. the subjects discussed, plain
speaking. bitter invective and cutting
sarcasm; but, withal, a sermon filled with
good advice, and if sharp, necessarily so
from the very nature of the things dis
cussed-a heroic remedy for evils that
needed such a measure.
The evangelist prefaced his sermon by
announcing that Rev. G. r. Stuart had
left the city. being called home by an
affection in his family. I'VE part with
him with sadness and regret" he said,
''but will all continue to do business at
the old stand" He then announced that
meeting would be held this afternoon.
beginning at o'clock, Now this means
4 O'Clock" ne said. I'm going to start
preaching at 49, and I'll be through by
Sis whether you are here or not. And
there will be preaching at night. This
announcement will be sufficient for the
present, because l don't know just how
many more services there will be. We're
going to have a regular old fashioned pro-
tracted meeting, and will continue to pro-
tract it until we are compelled TO draw
the line When that will be I'll announce
later on"
II want to say to you people of Savan-
nah,'' the evangelist went on, that you
have grown on me and 1 like you; there
are some of you don't like me, OF course
and / don't blame you, ] don't. But i
want 90 say right here that if any official
of this town will meet me face to face
and say, Sam Jones, I've walked up and
SO help me God l will enforce the laws
committed to my care and l will do right
in future Wen get thick, and if I've
called him an animal I'll say he amt that
animal"
Listen to mel whatever I've said here
has been my honest conviction and I'll
stand by 'em. And hear me again-I want
all 10 do well who will, but the gang that
won't do right l want to bankrupt so they
can't do business in this town, and I'll
do IL with the same spirit that moves me
when / kneel down to pray for man.
''Ain't it right" he demanded, turning
TO the preachers on the platform, Yes
came the answer, and then, turning to
the audience, Mr.. Jones remarked humor-
ouslz-s And even Bascom assented to ia"
Now If you'll give me your prayers
you didn't pray enough last night nor
the night before-we'H get on. And lets
pray God that the shot that will fly thick
and fast tonight viii hit those that
ought to be hit"
The evangelist then announced as his
text Gal. vi: rs. beginning. BE not de-
ceived; God is not Knocked; for whatso-
ever a man soweth, that shall he also
reap
There are three absolute impossibilities
in this life" Mr. Jones said. There may
be a thousand others too. but there are
at least three that we know about. One
IS for a man continuously and successful
~ to practice fraud on himself. We
ought to be so glad that God will not let
us lie down and sleep ourselves to hell.
In the life of every man God al some
time breaks the silence of eternity and
talks TO that man. Man may listen II he
please to the opinions of his friends, or
the fawnng of his fiatterers but to every
man there comes a time when he's got
70 listen to God
The second impossibility is that of prac-
ticing fraud against your neighbor with
out being found out. IL you are good
your neighbors know it; il you are bad
they know IT. II 1 wanted to find out
about a fellow, ia go to his next-door
neighbor Some of you fellows out there"
he said. pointing out into the sea of
faces, and chuckling, IF you knew some
of the things that have been told Sam
Jones bout you, you'd pick up yourselves
and leave.
Have you noticed how quiet the alder
men have been2" why, the 9TH
er day. I'm told. a fellow went up to
an alderman and said, How de do, AL
derman when he was broken off with.
Sir, I'm not alderman; there is not an
alderman in town
Have you noticed little Billee hasn't
opened his mouth. Only one fellow has
opened his mouth, and he grins better
than he talks"
Listen to me: The searchlight or truth
Is turned on each one of you; you are
fcoling nobody" Then turning to the
ministers, he continued, And everybody
knows about the preachers, too; every
fellow knows what preachers have got
sand in their gzzard, and every fellow
knows the preacher that hasn't got sand;
and they know how to estimate him. And
YOU deacons, stewards and church Off
cials-you needn't think 1t isn't known II
you don't live right; you practice fraud
on no one: you can't do IT; they know you.
'If there's anything that l tip my hat
to IL is to a man whose life is like an
open book with every page as clean as
the heart of God" Referring to the fact
that some of his utterances might dis
please Mr. Jones said ANY man in this
town can write anything he peases about
sam Jones just so he'll put his name TO
st, that's all want" and then. ominous-
iy, I'm In the show business"
Then getting back to his subject OF the
futiliiy of trying to hide ones life, he
said" BE sure your sins will find you out
You old vestryman that amt living right
you're the laughing stock Of the town.
and you little preacher that goes to
dances and wine suppers-you devils lit