Los Angeles herald., 1907-08-19
"MAKE THIS A CITY OF
GOLD" SAYS DR.. PIERCE
Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church
Pleads for Uplifting of ActuaIi-
ties, Instead of Dreaming
of Ideals

Yesterday morning Rev. G. c. Pierce,
pastor of the Memorial Baptist church,
preached on 1.-THE City of Gold" taking
for his text Revelation, Ellis: 1.-THE city
was of pure gold.'' During the course of
his sermon he said:
IF any one should actually see a, city
such as John beheld in his glorious
vision it would create the greatest ex-
element ever known. Let man dis
cover even fair prospect of gold ore
anywhere on this earth-in California,
South Africa, Australia, Alaska, Nevada,
the north pole or the deepest part of the
Atlantic ocean-and there will be plenty
of people who will stake off claims there
before breakfast tomorrow morning The
world is insane for gold, and it will get
it if it is a possibility, though 1t has
been demonstrated over and over again
that there are plenty of things more val
liable.
John did not really see a city of pure
gold, but he beheld something a great
deal better. There are some things that
a city can have which is far more valu-
able than gold. This is the city that
John saw-a city that had something
more valuable than gold. 1t is this city
of gold that you and 1 are to help to
make possible.
1T has been pretty well demonstrated
that though the human race began life
in a garden it Is to end its existence or
continue it's existence in a city. The
country is being absorbed by the munich
pality The rural districts are more and
more paying tribute to the city. This is
simply along the line of natural develop
ment and the evolution of society. The
country stands for purity, strength, in
nocence, nature; the city stands for Gull
ture cooperation, progress and attain
ment. These two things must go hand in
hand in the progress of a perfect society.
Modern economic developments and at
tainments are bringing the two together
more and more. The freshness and
purity of the country are being combined
with the advantages and comforts of the
city. That this thing may go on, we are
all to seek to make the city of gold,'
not city where every man. woman and
child is engaged in a desperate race for
the yellow metal, but where all shall
combine and work together for the kind
of city typified in what John saw.
Life Interesting
First of all, this city was here upon
this earth. 1t was the New Jerusalem
coming down from God to be here among
men and for men. Heaven may be very
QeuBnIIul ptdCS, DuL IL WAS lOA
those who had gotten what earth has to
give We all want to go to heaven
some time, but very few people that
have ever known seem in any hurry to
get there. We want to stay here as long
as possible. I for one am more inter-
ested in making of my own earthly city
the city of gold than am in dreaming
about some city in the skies. am more
interested in the boys and girls on the
90 in
angels in some place which have never
seen.
This city is a clean city. Gold is a
symbol of purity 1t is one of the clean
Hest metals known. Our modern city
must be clean in more ways than one. 1t
must get rid of the saloon and the num-
bug wholesale liquor house. 1t must do
away with the brothel and the slum,
with the gambling den and the house of
low and questionable amusements
Everything must be done to elevate the
physical mental, moral and spiritual tone
of its citizens till it's most valuable asset
far more priceless than any metal, shall
be the high. noble and clean character
of all it's citizens. 1t must be city in
which the highest consideration is paid
to the young and where the rising gen.
Grafton may have the best opportunity
to develop along the truest lines of life.
Something has been done to make this
city a city of gold. 1t would take me a
long time to even enumerate the move
ments for public betterment which have
been successfully carried through In the
past ten years The nickel in the slot
gambling machine has disappeared; let
the penny in the slot questionable picture
go, and go soon and forever.
Sunday coursing has been driven out;
Sunday saloons closed, private boxes in
drinking houses have been discontinued,
saloon zone and wholesale liquor
house zone have been established, the
horrible crib district has been forced to