The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-10-17
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WORST EVIL OF THE PERIOD.

What is the worst evil of the period?
ing more harm to the people than any
of the other evils? If that question
could be satisfactorily answered
great step towards the regeneration of
the populace could quickly be taken,
since it would be- possible to center
energy directly on that leading evil
and bring so much pressure to bear
against it that it must necessarily give
away. But there appears to be diff
Guilty in deciding what evil among the
multitude is greatest. Not even the
gentlemen of the cloth are able to
agree with respect to the matter. Ten
leading ministers of the Rock River
conference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, in session in Chicago a few
days ago, were asked to state briefly
what, in their opinion, was the worst
evil of the day. OF the ten only two
named the same thing. 1t will serve
all purposes to designate the minis
tiers and their opinions by numbers.
They were as follows:
No. 1.-The spirit of commerciallsm,
which permeates every department of
life. Drink, divorce and a hundred
other evils can be traced to 1t.
No. 2-The crying evil Of the times?
Sabbath dissertation.
No. and No. agreed on liquor and
the liquor traffic as the monster evil.
No. 4-Divorce is the great evil that
is undermining the home and the ma
ton.
No. LACK of respect for the law
is the great cause underlying the nu-
merous evils of modern civilization.
No. THE spirit of materialism,
which is incarnate in every phase of
wrong and crime, is the greatest evil
of the day.
No. S-The universal Indifference of
people to God and to the eternal life
proclaim the worst indication of the
| times.
No. 9-Gambling is the monster evil
that is running men, the church and
the family. Polite gambling by church
members is the hardest phase of all to
fight.
No. 1O-Sin in the individual Is the
greatest evil. Let there be more Of
God in the soul and conditions at large
will improve.
While it is true that all OF the evils
enumerated are correlated In the alb
stract, and all have their origin in the
proneness to sin that is inherent In
the human breast. yet 1t remains a
rather surprising thing that ten lead
ing ministers of the gospel in single
religious denomination should hold
nine separate opinions with respect to
which Of the many evils is the great
est. Is 1t the case that opinions con-
corning the cardinal virtues are as nu-
merous and divergent? II seems that
IL would be good idea for the gentle
men of the pulpit to come to some
agreement as TO the worst evil, and
discharge their heaviest artillery
against 1t, the smaller guns meanwhile
being kept In play on the minor evils.
| ->-e-s-
Cotton mill building in the South for
the third quarter OF the year shows
about 1900 fewer spindles than for
last year. IF "A Democratic admins
tration were In power" says the Phila-
delphia Record. "the Republican pa
pers would know just what this meant,
but as It is, they do not know what
to do with the fact, and they let II
alone"
Only bachelors, so far as possible,
will be carried to Panama TO work on
the canal. This will apply 20 engineers
49, well as other workers. There Will
be some few married engineers, OF
course. but they Will be advised "a
leave their wives behind. The govern
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