The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1901-01-18
FIRST METHODIST
CHURCH.
Rev. A. S. Petite Delivers Two Very
Able DisCourses.
Repentance" the Subject of His
Morning Sermon, and at Night
He Lectures on ''The Church
and the Saloon"

Sunday was an ideal day. The
air was crisp, but not cold, aud
the sun shone bright. There was
good attendance at all the churches,
but DR.. "Anti-Saloonn Petite, the
able Baptist divine and temperance
advocate, who occupied the pulpit
at the First Methodist church, spoke
to exceptionally large audiences
both morning ana evening.
The splendid cl DIR at this church
was equal to this as they are to all
occasions. AT the morning service,
in addition 20 several splendid
choruses by the full choir, Come
Holy Spirit" was sung as a duet by
Mrs. Sharp and Miss Lipscomb.
One would have to travel a long way
to hear finer contrllto voice
than Mrs. Sharp has, and Miss Lips
combs clear, sweet soprano har-
monies nicely with it, and the two
fil.ei .he church with the sweetest
melody.
DR.. Pettie'e sermon on Repent
ance" was a most able and eX-
haustive expedition of the subject.
1t was really better sermon Lhan
even his strong lecture in the eve
ming was lecture, but we give more
space to the lecture because that is
in his special line of work, and has
bearing on important legislation
now pending.
DR. Petite has bsen travelling and
speaking for several years in the
interest of the Anti S ,loOn League
of Tennessee, but has just recently
acce pied call and will locate the
first of next month at Lawrence
burg, Ky. That Is, unless the
Baptists of Columbia can dissuade
him from that. He will preach here
next Suday ia the Baptist church.
There were no services at the
other down town churches of the
city last night, consequently there
was an overflow at the First Metho-
dist to hear Rev. A. S. Petite deliver
his temperance lecture. We have
seldom seen an audience more in
| tensely interested or more profound
ly impressed. In, his preliminary
remarks, Mr.. Petite said that it had
been almost one year ago since he
had the pleasure Of addressing the
patriotic manhood and glorious
womanhood of Columbia, and much
of labor had been performed and
substantial gains made aloug the
temperance line since then. He
had spent most of his time in West
Tenn, where quite number of Anti
Saloon leagues had been formed.
He only wished that the rest of the
State was as well organized in this
work as the western part. He went
on to say, that many asked the
question, why this war on the
Saloon? If you let the saloon alone
it would let you alone" Mr.. St.
John, the well known temperance
man, had let the saloon alone from
his youth up, and yet, his father
was victim of drink. When Rev.
Howard II. Russell, National Super
ntendent of the Anti-Salcon
League, at twelve years old, stood
by the bier of his dearly beloved
Uncle, who died drunkard, he
registered VOW to fight the saloon
so long as he lived. H had let the
saloon alone, but had il let him alone?
See that woman at the midnight
hour, said the speaker, waiting for
her husband, and see that husband
when be comes, drunk, and crushes
the spirit and breaks the heart of
her whom he had promised to love
and cherish. She mad let the saloon
alone, but had it let her alone? And
that little barefoot girl. She is not
ia scpool or Sunday School, but is
growing up in rags and sin, because
her father spends The money which
he ought to spend for her future
welfare, in rictous living. That
child had let the saloon alone; but
had it let her alone. Ii would ask
all of my audience, across whose
path the saloon had cast no shadow,
to stand up, very few would stand.
The saloon let's no one alone.
When | was here year ago, /
submitted several propositions.
lst. The saloon never made any
one better.
2nd. The saloon made thousands
worse.
3rd. If it benefits any one, it bene-
fits only few.
4th. The saloon Ia heartless and
brutal.
9th. 1t is opposed to law and order,
for it Is the storm center for the
worst elements to gather. 1t is the
fruitful source, the friend and abettor
of all other evils. If there is a
gambler in Columbia, he votes wet
every time A saloon keeper, when
he takes out his license, is bound
by oath to report all gambling and
like evils to the grand jury; but one
was never known to do it. Occa-
sionally a crusade Is organized in a
town against the saloon aud tie
gamblers, but a saloon keeper is
never In it. l was taught when a
child-and try to teach my chill
dren, that I'VE are known by the
com2any we keep" IL we judge
the saloon by the same standard that
we judge people, our opinion Of II
must be poor indeed. The saloon is
foe to the church. The greater the
attendance at saloon, the smaller
It will be at tile chuTcn. The great. Z
he saloJD's Influence, the less will
be the chnrch's. Whatever the