The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-04-01

the hall a man with
4 white apron came
up and, standing
Z directly in front Of
. them, said, "What
II you have?'
cigars for three" said the officer.
And as the man slowly moved away
after giving the three visitors a sharp
look the officer said In answer to the
question from Mr.. Marsh: "Oh, the
shows free. Sos the lunch. But ev-
erybody is expected to take something.
The saloons amt doing this for their
health nor for the love Of the people,
not if they know it,
"What if we refused te buy either
cigars or beerE' Gordon asked, for he
had never entered one of the vaude-
vile balls but once before and had
then gone in to hunt for one Of the
young men who had been attending
the night classes at Hope House. His
knowledge Of the character Of the e1-
tertainment was gained from Ford, the
university resident.
The officer shrugged his shoulders.
They'd make it mighty uncemforta-
Bile for you before you got out or got
in again. The saloon may be social
necessity to the poor devils in the
double deckers, but it don't furnish
social amusements without getting
mighty well paid for it. It's free, but
it's expensive" said Officer Roberts.
AS he finished speaking, the bar
tender came back with the cigars and
tray loaded with beer and whisky. The
LIQUOR was distributed around on little
tables at which the boys and men in
the audience were mostly seated. AS
the curtain went up to the music of
the orchestra there were about l5O ID
the room and a stream Of newcomers
noisily entering. Before the first song
was finished, the hall was filed to suf-
location.
AS the entertainment, if it could be
called such, went on, John Gordon's soul
was stirred deep with 4 red blooded
Indignation. After the first two or
three vulgar songs, which We're fol-
lowed by some suggestive dances, he
sat there practically hearing and see
ing nothing on the stage. The audi
ence had become the absorbing study
for him. The people. There they were!
His choice! To serve and to love: But
was it worth while?
The majority Of the company was
composed Of young men between eight
cen and twenty-five years Of age. They
were as a type pale, listless and as
tonishingly dull Of expression. John
Gordon was irresistibly drawn to I'M
agine the exact appearance of the
rooms that these young men probably
called home. He then began to raise q
host 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 ele7ating IN their
lives impressed him with tremendous
reality. All the churches in the city
were on the fine streets miles away.
There was not religious institution,
with the possible exception of Hope
House, that had any influence in the
dives Of these apathetic, coarsened, dis
sipated 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 sianed 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-
loon! 1t says to the tired workingman
who has no place worthy to be called
home, ''Come, enjoy a social glass in
q handsome, we'll lighted, cheerful
rooml" 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 tie actual sale OF
drinks. Truly Officer Roberts is right
when he says, Its free, but it's eXpen-
sivc."
It says to the young man who has
no healthy outlet for physical lie be-
cause he is born without Fairgrounds
and without home pleasures: Come!
In the vaudeville I will amuse you.
The songs and the dances will be suS-
gcstive. and the young women who
furnish the amusement are fallen, but
vice is q necessity to civilization, ana
We stand ready to furnish What the
church and other religious organiza-
tions will never give YOU.
Surely" John Gordon Eieditated,
'tthe saloon in its day and generation
is wiser than the children Of light.
The devil must dance in glce 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 human necessity, While
the solemn, empty stone edifices called