The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1907-05-08
THE EDITORIAL COLUMN.
DENISON A MORAL, TOWN.

AS we look out of our window this bright
May morning cannot help but think what
luck we are in to live in such town. 1t is a
decent town. a good town. 1t has perhaps pc
culiar code of morals. 1t is not strange Sight
to prominent business men lined up at the
bar taking their morning glass of beer, but it
would be a strange sight to see those same men
intoxicated. 1t is free and easy town, but it
has code of morals of it's own. man must
pay his bills he must keep sober. he must be
fairly generous i'll proportion to his financial
ability, and every one knows his financial abil-
ity, he must show honest interest in the well
fare of his neighbors; let him do these things
and Denison is not exacting.
The town loves its bit of sport, but it is not a
sporty town. 1t takes more pride in it's college
and its schools than it does in its powers along
other lines. It does not object if private people
spend their Sundays to suit themselves
but it is to the credit of the town that when the
ball club was proposed, no one seriously thought
of having the games played on the Sabbath
DAY. a.
That is where Denison draws the line. If some
of the sports" wish to go to other towns.
no one will object, but the thought of public
game in Denison that should be advertised
that should draw the youth away from quiet and
respectable observance of the day was not
thought of.
entrance and the mulct law is observed as strict
ly as in any other city in all Iowa. OF course
1t will not do to be too self-satisfed. Denison
has some professional drunkards who get their
liquor goodness knows where, every saloon man
i'll town will swear that he does not sell them
any. They get it just the same and they are a
disgrace to the city. Then too Denison for the
past twenty years has averaged to turn out at
least girl to help fill the houses of prostitu
ton IN the large cities. 1t seems incredible. but
it is so. In twenty years at least twenty girls
from Denison have taken up Mrs. Warren S pro-
fession as their business in life They started
by being wild. went from bad to worse and
have ended as common prostitutes. We cannot
preach very much about the temptations of the
large cities with such showing
And yet, Denison is a moral town. Ninety
nine per cent of our girls and nine per cent of
our boys grow up they should.
The question comes to us. Do we not need
something than Morality? Is that
enough? Or is there something lacking? Is it
enough. simply to lead so-called respectable
lives, or should we have the definite purpose to
do some good in the world?
Denison is now having series of REVEALS.
For our part we do not think they will amount
to anything as a religious awakening. Denison
is too self-satisfed. We ''poi11t with pride" to
too many things, to become convinced that we
need saving grace of any kind. We have some
splendid in Denison. men whom the
glamour of the world, its wealth, it's ambitions,
its rewards cannot touch. few such men
could make Denison city if they were
they must cease to regard the church as club
and make the business of being Christians the
main affair of their lives. 1t is far easier to
preach than to practice, but, perhaps, it is bet
ter to preach and not practice than it is to do
neither.