The Washington times., 1902-08-18
PUBLIC INDIFFERENCE
TO CRIME OF LYNCHING
People Are Morally Lazy and Becoming
Callous to This Offense.

"a nation cannon scv the wind with
cut reaping the whrlwind any mora
than an individual can"
This sentiment in regard to the prac-
tee of lynchiLg was voiced by Mrs.
Charles W. Fits, who led the Y p C..
U. service at the Church of Our Fa =
ther, Thirteenth and l. Streets north
west, yesterday. morning. The dis
cussicn vas upon the topic. 'Lyrching
and the Sin OF Indifference"
Mrs. Fits opened the servic, with
readings from the Scripture. The
words of. Christ, Thou art neither heat
nor cold; l will open thee out of my
mouth, were the keynote OF Mrs. Fits
brief paper. which was vigorous ar
raignment not only of the mobs who
actually execute lynch law, but of the
indifferent or lazy public sentiment
which permits the lynchers to go un-
punished.
Indifference is cnly euphemistic
name for laziness.'' Mrs. Fits declared
She then brought forward the idea tfla!
these who permit violation of the law
have their share in the guilt of-law-
breaking. Speaking of the example OF
Christ in the matter Of good citizen
ship and obedience to law. she said;
When his Iifework was nearly done,
at the time when he was the most
loved and the most hated of men, he
was asked whether or not it was right
to pay tribute TO tyrant. He was a
lawabiding citizen of Judea and he an
swered, Render thou unto Caesar that
which is Caesars He counseled obe-
dierce to the laws which were on the
statute books. Ii the Jews had fol-
lowed that counsel Judea might not
have become the sport of all the ages.
1t would have been easy .or Jesus
to have answered his questioners by
saying that it was in spiritual matters
alone that he was interested and that
he was not concerned with earthly laws
But he was good citizen"
Speaking OF the great growth Of
lynching. Mrs, Fits said:
Lynch law has claimed one thousand
FIVE hrn1red victims in the last ten
years suppos- there were one hundred
people engaged in each affair. that
means that there are 10000 criminals
at large today. Lynching has become
so frequent that unless there is som,
lbusual circumstance connected with
the crime we do not pay much atten
tion when we read of it in the papers
We women pick up morning pape.
and say. Another lynching-is it not
horrible?' and the men say, Yes, bu:
likely he got his desscrts,
THE great danger in Indifference to
this crime lies in the effect on publ;
sentiment. People are becoming cal
lous to this offense. Not very long ago
q man was burned at the stake in
Texas A paper published in that State
described the Preparations made for
the crime and told how people came
1or miles around to witness it. among
them women in carriages. Could there
he more noxious example of the ef-
feet OF Indifference on public senti-
ment2
The remedy for this disease should
concern us as Christians. II we of the
church are Indifferent we are like the
Levites and the Pharisees whom Christ
rebuked The outraged law lies wound
ed and half dead. The church must
hind up its wounds, and succor it, for
that is what Christ would do.
Il think the remedy lies in great part
in the hearts of the womarhood OF
this country. Their united efforts can
dc much. How much IS exemplifed by
the progress made in the last ten years
toward equal rights.
III we are to have equal rights with
our brothers we must not shirk from
sharing equal responsibilities