The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-19
PESTHOUSE NOT HUMANE
REV. LEWIS BROWN SAYS 1T Is A
REPROACH TO COMMUNITY.
Institution Should BE Provided, He
Declares, Where Broader At
fentiOn Could BE Given.

The Rev. Lewis Brown preached on the
subject 1.-The Church and Modern Society
at st. Paul's Episcopal Church last night.
He spoke OF the duties of the church to So
ciety and incidentally mentioned the need
OF a hospital owned and governed by the
church that could care for persons who are
i'll, so that they would not have to be taken
TO a pesthouse. In part he said:
THE vision of the church as seen by
Saint Paul is magnificent beyond compare.
He looked upon il as something perfect
and no blemish anywhere to be seen. The
modern church has scarce attained to the
vision in the slightest degree We have
UNCONVENTIONAL relations and luxurious be-
longfngs and doctrinal shibboleths, but so
far as the ideas of sympathy and hu-
manity are concerned We, are grievously
lacking. The church should be the center
of most tremendous agencies for good. In
every way she should dominate a city
where she is placed. No one coming to her
should be able to say she has no message
for me- The least as well the greatest
should find life and healing in her very
name. Intellectually she should come with
generous helpfulness to every movement
through means of liberty and love-
1.-The Roman Catholic Church teaches her
people she is not content TO have public
agencies of such character, but she counts
1t privilege to minister for herself. She
is wise, but every church in Christendom
ought to have the same wisdom. Only as
we realize that our duty touches ignorance
and superstition day by day shall we be
occupying our post we'll. Philanthropically
the church has work to do. We have in
this city a noble charity organization, yet
how limited necessarily In scope. The
church should have her beneficent institu-
ton minstered TO with loving generosity.
Her people ought to realize that salvation
means holiness in every direction.
PESTHOUSE CONDEMNED.
1--WE are standing close to-day to a malig
nant disease. The poor and niggardly pol
icy of our community has created a pest
house. There we hand over those who are
stricken down to exceedingly partial atten-
ton and to death. Is this humane? 1t
fairly cries out against the community with
its sense of being thoroughly inhuman.
Were the church more alive the need of
the hour would be met and there would be
an institution where any and all could be
received. nursed back to health or else
granted Christian burial with the loving
words of the Master.
1.-The church has a moral work to do.
This city every day shows its needs. We
glory in it's wealth. it's splendid buildings.
its streets its business prosperity and its
culture, yet near by the fact comes with
appalling significance that there is a moral
blight resting on all. Only send the
gospel into the purlieus of vice are we
really performing the sacred duty laid
upon us by God. Let us make the vision of
the apostle real and be everything golden
with sympathy, generous with helpfulness.
beautiful with consistency and fragrant
with deeds that shall live to an eternal
day."
The subject of the Rev. Lewis Browns
morning sermon was Marriage According
to the Church and According to the World.
He pointed out the evil of divorces and
the sacredness of marriage. He said the
| Episcopal Church stands strongly against
divorces and the remarrying of any person
who has been divorced. AS an illustration
of the divorce evil in this country he said
there were only lie divorces in Canada
| between 1868 and 1885, while for the same
| period in the United States there were $780,
900