The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-02-18
CHARACTER OF CITY
 MAKES OUR HOMES
The Destruction ot Sodom"
 Was Theme of Sermon
APPLIES TO BIRMINGHAM
Perpetuation of City in History of World Is Dependent Upon it's Value for Conservation
 of Morals.


 The Rev. Dr. A. J. Dickinson preached at the Il o'clock services at the First Baptist church yesterday morning on "The Destruction of sodom," taking his text from the twentieth verse of the eighteenth chapter of Genesis, as follows:
 "Therefore Jehovah said Because the complaint concerning sodom and Co., morrah is great, and because their sin is very heinous. I wish to go down and see whether they have done exactly accord ing to the complaint which has come to me; and if not I wish to know it.
 Dr. Dickinson spoke in part as follows: Like the narrative of the rise and fall of Eden and tho Tower of Babel, this story of the visit of the commissioners to investigate the respective situations of the society of Abram on the Judean plateau, and Lot In the plane of the Jor- dan, is full of beautiful anthropomorph- isms. It is very primitive and naive in it's representations of the divine beings as eating and conversng with Abram in his tent and accepting the hospitality of Lot in his home in Sodom. The scene Is true to life on the Arabian plains today, where the sheik personally waits on his guest and stands by him while he eats.
 God is represented as personally coming down to investigate the situation with both Abram and Lot, a striking way of putting the truth that God does not act on hearsay but on His own personal ! knowledge. So the divine teaching is put t,tO understood of the people. and though a puzzle to the wise and understanding, Is yet revealed unto babes Who were these commissioners Is a question the most learned cannot answer and the unlearned do not care to ask.
 Were they angels, ana so Abram and Lot entertained angels unawares? Or is one of them Jehovah incarnate? To the mind of the biblical writer this question was not raised, and he has not thought it necessary to give us any answer. They were commissioners of Jehovah, and that is enough to know for the purpose for which the narrative Is here used It is the plcturesqueness of folklore so char acteristic of scriptural style. Let us bring the scene before us that We may
 
 Two Civilizations.
 Here arc two societies or civilizations one on the Judean plateau, the other in the Jordan valley. One Is the simple, pure, nomadio life of the tent and the tree; the other Is the complex and vicious life in the houses on the streets. The one is under the inspiration of Abram, the servant Of God Most High and His priesthood under the great Melchizedelz on the mountain of Salem; the other is ruled oyer by Lot, who held his court in the gate in the cool of the day while his people were making ready for the ter rible debauchery of the coming night
 It is impossible. I am grateful to say, for us to appreciate the terrible wicked ness and licentiousness and viciousness of the preabrahamio life in the east It's very religion was the worship of vice and all manner of degradation. In the cities of the plain there was plenty of wealth and luxury, and It's people spent their time and means in having a good time in prohigate and luxurious debauehery.
 The excavations at Geser. which have brought to light many monuments of this era, show how degraded and vulgar were these people. Many of their re- ligious vessels and utensils are so obscene that we cannot even put them on exhi- bltlon to the public. Such was the city over which Lot was ruler, and in whose gates he sat to hold his court.
 It Is pertinent for us who tomorrow will go to the polls to choose the man who is to preside over this city for the next two years to be soleitous as to what sort of a man he should be; but 1t is equally pertinent for the two candidates to take serious thought as to what sort of people they are to rule over during their term of office.
 Good Mayor, But Bad City.
 Here was good mayor, Lot. who ruled over a wicked city, Sodom, and he could not save 1t. It is of the first moment for us to take thought to what sort of an administration we are to have, but that depends just as much on the people as on the officers We may have even a Lot to sit in our gates, and yet have a city of Sodomtes. An election Is a revelation as to what sort of people live in a city, their desires, their hopes. their tastes, their aspirations in life. It will show the morals of the community better than any census could. Four years ago we voted by a large majority for an open town, and we have had 1t. Such folks we are wanted 1t and got 1t. During all these years our officers have been better men than the people would let them be when acting as their officers.
 Will we, in our expressions of our de- sres tomorrow, caution our office holders to go slow in the disturbing of the gambling and other kindred evils which so many of our people are infatuated with? Again, a good man such as Lot may be one of the worst rulers. and while maintaining his personal integrity per feet may let the public morals go on un- checked in the way of Sodom. What We want and need for the improvement of our life Is a conservative policy toward morality and good public sentiment; and this the people, and not the office holders. ourselves on this matter of public policy. and that Is the thing which will show what the future will be.
 Now there was a crisis in the society which Abram had built up on the Judean plateau The old sheik had no heir to perpetuate his civilization, and 1t seemed that 1t would come to an end with his death when his dynasty would cease. But | in Sodom there was all that one could wish to provide for the future The for mer deserved to live and be perpetuated, the latter to die and be destroyed
 Perpetuatlon of Social Life.
 But the perpetuatng of life. social as well as personal, is In the hands of God. It Is not to be determined exclusively by temporal considerations. There is a com plaint which goes up to God and upon the divine pleasure with reference to 1t depends the future. So God takes the matters in hand and sends His commis- sioners to look into the situation. They visit Abram and promise him an heir for he shall be blessed and be a blessing. and the progenitor of nations. They visit Lot | and asked to spend the night in the | streets of Sodom to see If the city is as l the cry that had gone up concerning it