The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-10-26
MISTAKES OF MOSES
WERE MANY, JUDGING FROM MAN.
NER OF LIVING IN SAVANNAH.
NoN-oBsERVANCE OF SUNDAY.
CHARACTERIZED AS UNFAIR TO
LAW-ABIDING MERCHANTS.

One Homicide for Every Two Weeks
of Calender Year, Says Rev. A. VI.
williams - Carrying Concealed
weapons n Growing Evil-ImmOr-
aIity and Vice Appear in Many
FOrms-Checks Must he Placed Up
on II for the sake of Our GirIhOOd.
The Comma ndments Against
ThievinG, False Witness, and
COvetOusness Discussed - Gossip
ROundIy ScOred-PIea for. Revival
of Commandments.
From the topic THE Mistakes Of
Moses" Rev. A. NJ. Williams. pastor of
Trinity Methodist Church, preached
sermon last night against the way in
which people are living. His text was
taken from Exodus 20; 1 God spake
all these words"
After stating that geological mis-
takes had been charged against Moses,
Rev. Mr.. Williams took the position
that these so-called mistakes were of
no moment. The Bible is designed, he
said, to teach ethics, not science. The
ten commandments form the basis Of
IlBul HNIiB anu yet, lilG WI ~ LO-ANJ
treats them, judging from its mode
of living, as the greatest mistakes
that Moses made.
81 find however" said Mr. Williams,
that forces are set against the com
mandments. Popular inclination often
emasculates them. Powerful interests
are ever ready to nullify them. Per-
sonal convenience repudiates these es-
sental principles of righteousness. In
business life they are pushed aside as
barnaces to success; in social life ig
nored as the parents of a dull time,
and in political life they are denounced
as iridescent dreams. In personal life
they are ignored.
Sins of the Age.
1.-The sins of Savannah are more
deadly than yellow fever Her sins
are the sins of the age, and only two
indictments peculiar to her can be
charged. The evil is holder and more
accentuated, and the resistance is just
d little weaker and less pronounced.
Men in practice declare Moses mis-
taken in his emphasis of God. Some
say there is no personal God. .One
person makes fashion God. Another
makes political interests God and votes
the straight ticket, even though it be
headed by a Judas Iscariot But God
is not Knocked. Whatsoever society
sows that shall it also reap. This
wind of corruption will bring the whirl-
wind of corruptions ruin.
Another mistake of Moses was in
striving to keep the name of God holy.
A man bases his allegiance to God
on the law of custom. 1t is unpopu-
lar to steal but not unpopular to
swear. Whenever stealing becomes as
common as swearing you can count
on the cussers to steal.
The Dissertation of the Sabbath.
Judged by the standards of to-day,
the greatest mistake Moses made was
| in his endeavor to keep the Sabbath
holy. Man claims he does not need a
day to think about God. We modern
thinkers know more than Moses, more
than God. Last Sunday afternoon l
took a walk on one long street and
one short one. 1 found twenty seven
dry goods, shoes notions, etc, stores
open. l saw eight barrooms that had
very suspicious side entrances, and
men going in and coming out. Green
| groceries and fruit stores l did not
count
I'VE do not discuss this question
from religious standpoint. Our law
| creates a civil Sabbath and its observ-
anee should be a matter of civic pride.
! The suspension of secular business on
| this day is a pure matter of business
! justice If Broughton street closes on
| Sunday, other stores should do the
! same. 1t is unfair to regular business
to allow any house selling staples to
| keep open. In the name of the law
| abiding merchants of Savannah, in the
name of common fairness, l urge a
! closing of these stores.
'Fourthly, Moses was a moss back
| when he commanded children to be
| obedient to their parents. Regard for
| parental authority has been steadily
on the decline for number of years.
| No wonder when so many parents have
so little in them to regard. Think
| of the simpering, silly mother and the
! giddy, thoughtless fathers under the
| dignity of this command! We need
revival of parental responsibility.
Too Many HOmicides.
Another mistake of Moses was his
law against human life. There has
been one homicide or attempt to take
life for every two weeks in Savannah
! during the present calendar year. FIRE.
! qnently the gambling hell and the
| Sunday saloon is the scene of these
| tragedies. Yet the open-door policy
| goes on with but slight protest. Carry
| ing concealed weapons is a growing
evil. Think of men being allowed
armed in police investigation, while
the method of inquiry was substan-
! TALLY an order to the men to have
their quarrel out in the Mayors pres
| ence.
The sixth mistake of Moses is the
seventh commandment. In that he
| imagined that there was protection to
personal health. the promotion of
home life, security to offspring. the
| prevention of transmission of disease
to future generations. But, judged by
the wiser generation of twentieth CEN
fury Savannahians, Moses was far
from right. The necessities of man
cannot be expected to be restrained
when weak womans best interests are
at stake. The prevalence of this evil
in our midst is too great for discussion.
too sad for details. The presence of
the impure where we least expect it
endangers our young girlhood."
Against Stealing.
The commandment against stealing
was characterized as a mistake if we
judge from the present standard Rev.
Mr.. Williams spoke of the burglars
and train robbers, the swindling
thieves, and the political graft
thieves" The habit of gossip was
scored as a violation of the command
ment, Thou shalt not bear false wit
ness" Covetousness was also touch
ed upon, and the command against it
pronounced another seeming Mosaic
mistake. In closing Rev. Mr.. Will
liams said
s.Noses r,ada no mistakes The mis-