The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-08-11
Dr. Steele breaches Practical
Sermon and Asks Questions
BATTLEMENT OF PROTECTION
While No One Can be Made Righteous
BY Law Yet Many People Are
Ruined by Lack Of Safe
guarding by Law.

At the Cumberland Presbyterian church
yesterday morning the Rev. I. D. Steele
made a strong plea for physical mental
and moral safeguards against evils. His
text was read from Deut 22:s-"When
thou bu.ldest a new house, then thou
shalt make a battlement for thy roof that
thou bring no blood upon thine home"
DR.. Steele said in part:
The text and the thought come from
the customs of the cast. The house was
built with fat roof, which was reached
by flights of steps. Much social life was
enjoyed on the house tops. They were
also used religious purposes. Many
worshipers gathered on the house tops
at the hour for prayer. The battlement
was a high railing around the edge of
the roof, to prevent people from falling.
1t WIS a law that the owners of all
houses should guard the inmater from
such danger. When the owner neglected
to take this precaution and one was
hurt or killed, the blood was said to be
on his house. We may call this home
guard city guard, country guard.
This Is q lesson cur officers strive to
put into practice III our cities, by urging
all to have the cleanest possible streets
and premises to prevent disease. All city
authorities recognize their obligations to
do all that is reasonable TO protect the
people from plaques. It Is better to go to
trouble and great expense to nave pure
water, and a clean city, than to suffer
the frightful penalty of a dreadful
scourge in the loss of health, loss of prop
erty and loss of life.
Makes Disease Difficult.
1t is oud duty to make it difficult for
disease to get a foothold. All managers Of
cities and institutions are responsible
when suitable PROTECTOR is not made for
punllc heslth. 1t is said that one-half of
the diseases and premature deaths come
from a lack of frst-class anitary con-
ditions. We recognize the right OF officers
to exclude and burn infected clothing and
household goods, in order to prevent or
stop a plague.
We should exert ourselves to prevent
evil, whether 1t be civil, commercial,
bodily, or moral. Prevention is far bet
ter than cure or reformation This is an
age Of reforms Reform society, reform
city government, reform churches, re-
form drunkards, reform schools and in
stitutions. Many good men and women
give large sums of money, and q, life of
labor to reforms. I am glad they do.
and I would to heaven they could reform
every man and woman who needs it
But we are working at the wrong end
of the line. Prevention is better than
reformation. 1t is far better to take
more time, more trouble and a little
more money to avoid accidents, than to
be so careless as to be injured, and I'M
dergo great suffering, pay a big doctors
bill and never be as well as before.
Broken china may be mended and glued
up but no house keeper believes 1t to be
as good as new
Pure Home Influence.
This subject embraces a mans home
and all that he has. believe in high
tariff on the home We need the home
guarded that the blood of no spoiled or
ruined life be laid at our door. We need
the home and the home influence pro-
tected and kept free from hurtful and
vile elements. We need it for the pres
ent and future happiness of child
rem. While no one can be made right
eous by law, yet many are ruined be-
cause of lack of suitable protection by
law from evil The commonwealth has
done much to protect the home and
children and minors from the evils of
gambling, vile literature, the saloon and
dens of iniquity, who will say these laws
are half enforced In the average city?
1t will be economy, not to say honor, for
the state to protect Its future citizens.
The present boy is the future man. The
state should have power to take the
child from a degraded home where 1t will
be trained only in vice and ruin, and
place 1t in good surroundings. Many
states follow this matter up with much
care. There should be built battle
ment of protection about the child Not
to force him to be righteous. but to
make it difficult for him to go to ruin.
There is no truth in the theory-let a
child see and learn all things evil and
let him run in them. then he will quit
all such ways. If you want child to
be a Catholic you do not train him in
the Protestant faith.
A great responsibility in this matter
rests with the heads of families. No
evil influences which might prove the
downfall of any member of the home
should be harbored In its walls Not only
so. but a most dligent watch should be
kept to keep them out. A whole host of
evils come under this list; such as evil
associates. vile literature. indulging in
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