Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-03-14
CONTINUED.
Copyright, 1901, bv Charles III. Sheldon

EO1nposed or young men between eight
cen and twenty-five years Of age. They
were as type pale, listless and as
ton1shingly dull of expression. John
Gordon was irresistibly drawn to i'm
ag1ne the exact appearance Of the
rooms that these young men probably
called home. He then began to raise
most of questions concerning their par
entage, their occupations, their wages,
the amount they probably spent on the
saloon and the places they went to on
Sunday The absolute absence of any,
thing interesting or elevating in their
lives impressed him with tremendous
reality. All the churches in the city
were on the fine streets miles away.
There was not a religious institution,
with the possible exception of Hope
House, that had any influence in the
lives of these apathetic, coarsened, dis
5lpated young men. The vaudeville
and the saloon touched their lives, but
the church never did. Yet it was the
sinner that Jesus came to save Was
the church realizing her responsibility
to neglect this awful swarm of youth
that bred like disease in the tenement,
and cursed God and died in the i'm
pure atmosphere of these polluted
walls? God have mercy on them! Are
they more sinned against than SHINING?
Can boy or girl grow up pure in tene-
ments like these we have here in this
greed smitten city? And the one social
institution that comes forward to min
lister to the social instincts is the sa-
doom! 1t says to the tired workingman,
who has no place worthy to be called
a home, Come, enjoy a social glass in
a handsome, we'll lighted, cheerful
room" 1t says to the men whose appe-
tite is never satisfied with i'll prepared
food: Come, enjoy free lunch! Only
of course you will want beer or whisky
to wash it down." And without saying
this to the man, only to itself, the sa-
loon, with devilish foresight, reckons
on getting back by means of the free
lunch 100 per cent in the actual sale of
drinks. Truly Officer Roberts is right
when he says, Its free, but it's expen-
sive"
1t says to the young man who has
no healthy outlet for physical life be-
cause he is born without Fairgrounds
and without home pleasures: Come!
In the vaudeville will amuse you.
The songs and the dances will be sug-
gestive, and the young women who
furnish the amusement are fallen, but
vice is necessity to civilization. and
we stand ready to furnish what the
church and other religious organiza-
tions will never give your
Surely" John Gordon meditated,
~'the saloon in it's day and generation
is wiser than the children of light
The devil must dance in glee' over the
sight of the tenement and slum dis
tricts in the city as he sees his finest
agents occupying the field Of social
panderers to a human necessity, while
the solemn. empty stone edifices called
churches stand stately and still up on
the grand boulevards and open their
doors once or twice week to receive
proud men and women, clothed in pur-
pie and fine linen, who fare sumptu-
ously every day, who enjoy their reli
gion, but Go not enjoy practicing it
among sinners at least not among
sinners like those who are born in ten
ements and get their nourishment in
saloon and vaudeville. Surely the sa-
loon is giving the churches pointers on
how to reach the masses. Will the
churches take the broad hint and act
on it. or will they still allow the sa-
loon to pre-empt the corner lots and
under the hypocritical guise Of cater
lng to social craving damn with phys
ical and moral damnation lives that
have never known any other gospel
but the gospel Of beer and free lunches
as long as they are able to pay for
them?'
His meditation was going deeper,
and he was beginning to philosophize
not bitterly, but with genuine sadness,
when he saw Mr.. Marsh suddenly
arise and clutch his arm hard.
Il. II can't bear any more Of this" he
said as Gordon glanced up at him.
I'm going out It's too revolving
I've seen all care to-"
s. ."And when you've seen one Of 'em
you've seen allsof EN-" said Officer
Roberts with a shrug. Gordon looked
toward the stage. a uduce that was
simply revolving in it's indecency was
being performed. A roar of brutal
laughter rose from the audience. 1t
was like a picture taken from some
scene of the Inferno" Gordon's spirit
famed up in holy wrath at the sight
Of it, but he got up and went out with
Marsh and the officer.
Once outside, even in the tainted,
beer poisoned air that foated out of
the saloon, all three of the men breathed
easier. Officer Roberts looked toward
Gordon with an air Of resignation.
Docs your friend wish to continue?
4 may be allowed to say the show is
the same one place as another-same
songs, same dances"-
81. B mo more for me-" Mr.. Marsh inter
srupted. quickly. Gordon, I'm simply
sick Of it all. Let us go back to Hope
House. / should like to meet Miss An
drews before going home You thought
she would be back after supper? ~ !
EYES. but / want you to see Bowen