The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1903-07-04
SOMF STRONG WORDS.

| am HO uuNOS"VN Va v
or mob law, but had rather see
community wrought to the hlghes'
mitch over crimes that would seem
impossible this sida Of hell than &c
remain apathetic, was the start
ling declaration of Rev, DR.. w. A.
Bartlett at the First Congregational
Church Sunday in a prelude Oh
"Lynching From Another Point oil
View"
DR.. Bartlett said among otheI
things:
~ have seen so many sermons, edl-
torials and resolutions denounclng
lynching and mob law that one gets
the impression that the citizens who
hang or burn the destroyer of life,
home and all that is held sacred by
womannhood, are the race offenders
, rather than 1.-THE monster they destroy.
ave seem to be 50 absorbed with
hits vague term law that the nos
ton appears to prevail that nthe real
criminals are those who do not wait
for the legal processes, and the VIOLA
ter of womanhood is the abused party.
The mere murderer is little to be
dreaded in comparison with that IN
vasion which brings not only death,
but stains and dishonor. The family
bears the scars for generations. The
community is soiled and shocked. A
devouring wild beast would be aswel-
come friend compared to such a fiiend
in human form.
"We shudder at the torture the
criminal who is burned, but apppar-
emily forfget to shudder for the inno-
cent girl, whose mental and spiritual
agony is tenfold greater than that of
the fire. This is not a race problem
except so far as one race is the Of
Tenders. The white man who com
mits the same crime is just as guilty.
"The indignant uprising of COM
munity, and some GA the best men in
it, to avengfe a wrong of such awful
m agnitude may be technically lawless
but the spirit which causes the upris-
ing is reflection of higher civliza-
ton. There are crimes so dreadful
that the pure and the chivalrous and
the strong find it well nigh impossi
BILE to endure the thought that such
should polute the earth
with his presence. 1t is easy to the
orize about tho anarchy of mob law,
but the calm hand which penned the
editorial mighat be the first to grasp
the torcrh if it was mother, wife
or daughter who was the victim,
I say that when you look at
lynching from another view point it
is simply the bursting forth of an in
and loathing that will not
be checked. In the old testament
they made short work of such an
offender.
But sermons, editorials and reso-
lutions will not cure these evils.
One sure cure for lyncrhings is for
these lustful beasts to stop their
crimes. Beneath all this is evil
1eutly lack Of confidence in the
law itself. 1t is anarchy to the Grim
nal class aided by lax legal process
IS. There comes a time when men
will not bear this. Lynching is GER
iainly a bad method and forms the
habit of disorder and makes men
,loodthirsty. But if it is to be avoid
ID there is certainly call for more
ure and speedy trial of these
who often brazenly deny
rhine amid red tape of legal pro-
esses, but confess abjectly when con-
ronted with determined men. 1t is
seless to bring TO trial good men
Who rise up to protecttheir firesides
he community will not bear it. If
len object to being burned let them
ease from crimes which make ma
Ionsick, Chicago Record Herald.