The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-09-21
KANSAS news.
4 New Reformer Appears on
Wichita Streets.
Mrs. Margaret Rice Speaks to
Curious Crowds.
SCORES THE CHURCHES
Saloons Are Given a Severe
Raking Over.
But Thinks Prohibition Is In
deed Farce.

wichita, Sept 21--NIrs. Margaret Rice
is the latest female agitator to visit
Wichita She scores churches, saloons,
church members and sinners alike She
claims to be an independent worker
from any church denomination. Several
hundred people listened to her for over
an hour yesterday on Market and
Douglas In the afternoon and she at
tracted another audience at night.
why, the first thing I noticed when
I arrived in Wichita she said, was
a magnificent church building on one
Of the residence streets / asked a pas
serby what it cost to erect a church like
that and he said, That church cost $50
000.' Now, don't know what it cost,
but just think of the immense amount
of good al that money would do the
poor people OF your city.
Il am not a member OF any church.
BY this, I don't mean that [ am OPP
posed to churches, however. Ninety
per cent Of church members are not
Christians. The mere fact that a man
is member OF a church, will not get
him into heaven Don't think that
when a man dies and applies for en-
trance there. that the Lord will look
on his coat tails for the label of some
church. Be what you seem to be.
admire the saloonkeeper more than I
do a hypocrite and 1 would prefer his
chances for eternal salvation along
with this same church member.
THE devil can mile in Wichita
while church members are putting on
their shoes. I was called to visit
poor sick woman not long ago and
found her suffering for the actual
necessities of life. My first thought was
to go to a rich man, who was also a
church mem Der. He gave me the best
line of excuses 1 ever heard and direct
ed me to the pastor of his church. I
rac1 1c,7r he, int md he IA hc
would pray for the woman. Prayers
are right in their place, but when a
person is dying of hunger they are a
poor substitute for food. / left the
minister and went to a saloonkeeper,
and before 1 went away had enough
money to buy food for that woman
Clothes make a man nowadays At
least that is what the majority of peo-
pie look at in sizing up man. Have
you ever noticed a well dressed man al
the restaurant and how the walters
almost break their neckS to wait on
him2 But let a laboring man in over
alls come in and he has a hard time
even getting a glass of water. The
same condition of affairs exists at the
bargain counters in a big store. 4
poorly dressed woman is almost trea ted
with contempt by the clerks. but let a
swell carriage drive up to the door and
notice the difference with which its Oc-
cupant is treated
Here in Kansas you have prohibi-
ton. In New York our tigers have two
eyes. but in Kansas the tigers are
blind. I DO not believe in saloons.
neither do + believe in prohibition.
Prohibition makes hypocrites. Where
the saloons are open, the people are the
same way; but where there is prohibi-
ton, the people are hypocritical. It is
in these prohibition towns that a man
who has been in the saloon comes out
and says: i am on the right side of
this question. I am against the saloon
The proper method is to train your
men so they viii leave liquor alone