Los Angeles herald., 1905-11-13
SAYS SALOON SIGNS
ARE GOOD GUIDEP0STS
PASTOR breaches A SCATHlNG
SERMON
Rev. Arthur S. Phelps of Central Bap-
tst Church Tells Hearers Of Great
Significance to Be Discovered in
Liquor Advertisements

"In Hartford, Conn, there is sign,
one unintentionally hung a sign over
the first four letters said Rev. Arthur
S. Phelps, pastor of the Central Bap-
tist church, last evening in his SER
mon on, Some Los Angeles Saloon
Sign Boards" The words of his text
were, Thine adversaries have roared
in the midst of thine assembly; they
have set up their ensigns for signs.
He said in part:
Yesterdays papers report the
strange case of DR.. Haugh of Dayton,
o., who felt a fascination for deadly
drugs, and who is accused of admin
istering slow poison to a dozen women
who have died mysteriously. But
hundreds of men are engaged in that
occupation in Los Angeles, dealing
across their counters what Robert Hall
called liquid fire and distilled damna-
ton. study of the signboards, how
ever, would lead one to believe that
the saloonkeepers are trying to warn
the public of their danger. For ex-
ample, a saloon in this city calls itself
The Wedge, very appropriate name.
1t implies that there is a keen and
beautiful edge to the drink habit. Men
drink in winter to warm themselves
as The Icemans Resort would indi-
cate. They say of somebody's whisky:
That's all: but is it? They don't
want to look at the end of the volume
to see how the story is coming out.
Another remarkable whisky sign
board is: If You Can Afford 1t, Drink
tt The proprietor here warns the
public that 1t will be expensive bust
ness for the consumer. The trade
IL kIaI ie- Cnl or
flower. Whisky. golden as the flaming
rays of the morning sun of life's
springtime, burns and parches its way
through the soul of manhood, leaving
it stalking-gr ground for the tiends of
hell, who sing the funeral dirge Of
buried hopes, withered ambitions, and
premature death in the madness of
delirium.
illustrations often make an adver-
tisement clear. and when we read,
When homeward bound there's un-
limited satisfaction in the anticipation
of so-and-so's beer we look at the
accompanying picture of a ragged
wanderer counting his weary steps on
the railway ties and say: Yes, beer and
rags go together
Speaking of beer signs, it seems odd
that a certain brand should illustrate
a woman, who is beers worst enemy;
a pear WHICH WOulu SIuHI anu ledNe
If he stuck his tongue into the swill,
and glorious crystal waterfalls.
Perhaps the most vivid sign in the
city is that of the Cape Horn Saloon,
with a large painting beside 1t of
rocks, reefs and boiling surf. Francis
Murphy could not draw better picture
of the saloon than this proprietor has
done. Only the saloonkeepers of the
city know how many have made ship
wreck at their doors, torn rigging, rent
sails and broken spars telling the sad
story of a wrecked human life. Keats
says; There is no fiercer hell than the
failure of a great object.
1.-The Hot Rivet.' is also horribly
suggestive of the force of evil habit.
A rivet is a bolt driven through a
soft plank or plate. the end being
hammered down to keep it from being
drawn out This saloon evidently pro-
poses to clinch it's customers"