The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-07-10

| u tEe liquor power, vice STALKING IN
| he street; the open betrayal Of
Young girls By lustful men; and at
length things so unspeakably vile that
| the very name OF SOdOm had become
| 4 stencil and abomination to mankind.
Now III all probability while this
| change was going on the great MAORI
| ~ of the people We're quiet reputable
citizens who secretly deplored the mi
guilty and did not wish Sodom to be
| the most wide open town in the
| state" But evil was organized and
nobody wanted to have any 'trOuble,'
| Nobody wanted to incur the odium of
| making it clean. There were not ten
";ghteous men in the city. Then this
pastor told of his hindranceS in try
| ing to enforce law in New Haven He
went to the leaders in business and
social circles; even to the leaders in
| education and the churches. They all
| made excuse. One had a nephew in
the street commissioners office and
he must not be disturbed Another
had ambitions for party honors and
| these would be ruined, if he came
out openly; another had valuable con-
tracts, and so it went. The Machine"
| had so interviewer its favOrs with bet
ter citizens that they felt themselves
| bound hand and foot There were
plenty of men who secretly deplOred
| the evils. But. But. they did not want
| to offend customers, or arouse criti-
| ciSm. scores OF men who We're will
| ing to give secretly towards the en-
fOrcement Of law-"Oniy my name
must not be used" i could not af-
| ford to have it known chat | was in
sympathy with your movement"
GOOD men in abundance, but few
righteous men-until, as Dr. Smythe
declared, he had come to believe that
ten len who were not bound by rela-
tives in office; who would sacrifice
party, if need be; who did not care
what people said; ten such righteous
men would have gathered to them
selves enough of the latent good re-
spectacle timorOus citizens to have
saved even SOdOm,
We would not be understood as say
ing that this or any other American
city is a SOdom. But, the question
which God is forcing home upon the
conscience Of the Christian in our
cities today is most searching. Not,
Are you respectable in your private
life? Are you a good man? But.
Are you righteous? Do you put
righteousness first, cost what it may?
You, and not the pulpit for you, are
to decide as to the best methods. You
and not the church for you, are to de-
termine the means. But as to the
purpose and the goal, there can be
only one choice. First, always first,
the kingdom of God and His right
eOusness.
Look at the matter seriously. God
has placed man in this world that he
may be drilled into a strong divine
character through sacrifice and the
cross; that he may leave the city
where he lives less like earth and
more like heaven. AS you look back
II III it from the clearer light of the
eternal world what shall it profit a
man if he enlarge his barns with a /
grain while all the while his soul
gre VS. blind to the welfare of his city
and his ears become deaf to the cry
of public wrong? Will it be worth
while, then, to have gained every
thing else and Yet have it true that
Naiia Walla was a most unsafe place
for your boy a place of ruin for
your girl; and have you allowed it to
become or remain so. doing nothing
to better it?
You say 1t will not be my boy, Iii
can not be my girl, But Sabbath des-
ecration and gambling. strong drink
and open lust come very close home
Oftentimes to families where they are
least expected Satan likes most to
seize the best, And whether it were
yours or a1Other's boy. the Saviour
plainly declareS-"It were better for a
man that a great milestone were
hanged about his neck and that he
were sunk in the depths of the sea
than that he should cause any of the
children. any of his little ones TO per-
ish
These matters of right citizenship
go very deep and they cut very close
and they reach far.
In the light of them you are not
only to vote at the election before
you; you are to guide your whole
life; not putting yourself or your
ambition or your party or your inte-
rest or your time, or any institution
or thing you hold hear, before the
task Of making your city Gods city
1t will require much patience, great
wisdom, long continued effort. 1t
will have to be carried on day by day
and year after year 1t will have it's
discoura gements and its slowly dawn
ing triumphs. 1t will have for its
glorious end and goal the making of
the city a type and symbol of that
Holy City which through the sacri-
flee of Jesus and the labors of His
followers is to come down out of
heaven and dwell with men.