Arizona republican., 1907-10-14
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THE CHURCHES

At the First Baptist church Sunday morning the pastor. Rev. Orville Coats. took for his text: Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine. and men of strength to mingle strong drink: that justify the wicked for a reward. and take away the righteous ness of the righteous from him Isaiah 5:2e-23.
 The sermon related to the present anti-saloon movement. In the course of it Mir. Coats said:
 No apology is needed for discussing municipal conditions which affect alike the material, physical and spir- itual welfare of our whole population. Isaiah was dealing with current evils from the standpoint of the law of God. It is the privilege and the duty of the servants of God in this generation to go and do likewise. The prophet de- clares that those described in the text shall suffer the judgment of God be- cause they have rejected the law of Jehovah of hosts. and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel" Neither the moral character nor the power of God change with the lapse of the ages. His attitude toward hu-
 
 and national is forever the same. The judgments of the past will certainly come upon the sinners of the present History is forever repeating itself. particularly moral history. Human greed, lust. pride and hardness of heart are just as repugnant to God in America in the twentieth century as in Asia in the former ages; just as
 
 in Phoenix today as in Sodom and Co., morrah in the bygone days. We must not flatter ourselves that We shall es- cape the judgment of God if we re- peat the vices of those who of old were overthrovn for their dishonesty. immortality and dissipation. We must do right or suffer the consequences. Moral degeneration follows wrong-do- ing as surely as the cart follows the OK. This is true of municipalities as well as of individuals. Why are our great cities moral cess-pools and can cers upon the body politic? Because vice nas been treated as humorous. Morality has been sneered at as puri- tanical. Graft has smothered con- science. Greed has murdered good ness. Wickedness has been framed for profit.
 Last Monday evening upon the peti- tion of large body of our best citi- Zens, the common council voted to in- struct the city solicitor to draft an or dinance for Sunday closing of all places where intoxicating liquors are sold as a beverage, wholesale or re- tail. embodying the points submitted by the petitioners in a sample ordi- nance. It was a modest petition and it was greatly to the credit of our council that its action was so prompt and unanimous. Since that time we are informed by the city papers that the liquor dealers have held several conferences and have decided to fight the ordinance. In view Of this action it seems proper that I should suggest to you this morning some reasons, thirty pr forty of them, why the sa- looms should be closed all of the time as we'll as on Sundays.
 The liquor dealer. like everybody else. must face the fact that it is nev- CT permanently safe to oppose the awakened moral sentiment of a civil iZed community.
 Let me first of all suggest twenty reasons why the saloon, the bar and all other drinking places should De permanently abolished from our midst The most of these reasons are so self evident that they will need no argu- ment or defense:
 1. The saloon is utterly and ire deemably Goddess. God is not in all its thoughts.
 2. It is the nursery of impurity in thought and word. Vile pictures adorn its walls and lewdness and profanity characterize its atmosphere. The frag- rance of dead dog in the brush is