The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-03-27

subject is outside the limits and beneath
the dignity OF a preachers vocation.
They resent the introduction OF what
they are pleased to call secular topics
in the pulpit. To them / have no apollo
gy to make but such as may
be contained in the experience and words
of DIR. George C. Lorimer, of New York
city, who says: During somewhat ex-
tended and varied ministry 1 have usual
ly had to undergo running fire from the
pews wherever have ventured to discuss
such subjects as fewer working hours,
or more humane treatment of girls and
women, or the advantage to society OF
reforms which in all likelihood would
diminish the dividends of certain corpora
tions. At such times some pious bond
holder has significantly whispered,
preach the gospel According to these
critics, ''to bind up the broken hearted to
proclaim liberty to the captives and the
opening of the prison to them that are
bound, to proclaim the acceptable year
of the Lord to deal bread to the hungry,
and when the naked is seen to cover him,
and not to hide ones self from ones own
fiech; and to cry, we have lived in pleas
ure on the earth and been wanton'-is
not preaching the gospel
And then the eminent preacher con-
cludes with these forcible words: Had
l ever yielded to such travesty of the
good will sung by the angels and ex-
emplified by Christ, I should, with my
views of personal responsibility, never
have been able to look my fellow-beings
in the face"
The man in the pulpit who is true to
his commission has no alternative but to
'cry aloud and spare not to be the
mouthpiece of God to evii-doers. Follow
ing the example and instruction
of Jesus, as also those of the
apostle to the Gantiles, he must
stand before rulers and warn them from
course of evil; ay, he must drive them
from their positions of authority when
they violate sacred oaths by the scourge
of small cords of unimpeachable evidence
and logic. The preacher is man and
citizen, and in each capacity he is inter-
ested in the welfare of the nation and
the race, and he is the servant of God
pledged to the hatred of evil.
l suppose that many individuals in this
audience are concerned about the bust
ness affairs of this city and are more
anxious about the measurement of eandi-
dates by the yardstick of will they- pay
than about their moral qualifications.
While 1 do not wish to minimize the inn
portance of having men of sound bust
ness Judgment in positions of authority
[ am anxious to have men of the best
moral qualifications also. 1t is not diff.
cult now -a-days to secure the combina-
ton. Upright men should demand this
and select from their company someone
who eXemplifies their ideas. During the
past two years we have been treated to
most infamous wide-open policy. No city
of equal size has ever had a worse repu-
tation abroad Mankato has become a
synonym for iniquity in the vocabulary
of the travelling public. This must be
changed and those men who have endors-
ed such policy, now appealing for the
suffrage of the voters, must meet with
a just defeat, which vii. be their best.
condemnation and the city's most certain
vindication.
This, we r.ast remember, is school
town Every year from fonr &c six nuc
a--e.t 1rldents live within the .o:nes OF
IL PEOPLE for period of nine montbs
,nese boys and girls come from country
towns and clean homes--from the most
wholesome influences known to our civil
;ization. Their parents have q right to
ex.;aac that their morals shall be protect
q. But what has been the cases Sc
duction has stood forth boldly upon the
highway and invited them to ruin. Mi
nors have been allowed to loaf in and
about saloons, and every means to make
trade out of this class has been afford
ed the liquor interests. The result of
this policy has been and will be that
parents withdraw their children-alas
too late in some cases from such sur
roundings and infuences-and .Mankato
loses source of profit.
Furthermore women have been permit
ted to visit the iquar houses and wine
rooms at all hours and every day in the
week-not excepting Sunday. 1 have
seen this with my own eyes. That no
torious institution, which when its
founding was proposed I spoke against
with no uncertain words, has been a
fragrant offender in this respect. Were
we not promised through the public press
that no women would be allowed even in
the restaurant? There might be one or
two on the stage. / saw six enter that
door at dinner time ON the 9th of
March. 1 presume they were employees,
but that does not change the character of
the charge bring. 1t makes it more
serious
Nor have the closing hours been observ-
ed. The state law says IL o'clock, the
city ordinance says IL o'clock. We shall
not haggle over this difference in time,
if IL o'clock is rigidly observed.
''Well," says some one, 'sWhy, if you
have all this evidence, do you not prose