The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1907-01-07
WORLD GROWING BETTER
RINGING ADDRESS By REV
SELAH w. BROWN

Auditorium Yesterday Afternoon
His Theme Was "Old Times and New
Times.''
An address which seems to ring with
hope was delivered before the Mems
meeting in Foy auditorium yesterday
afternoon by Rev. selah w. Brown,
acting pastor of the First Methodist
church. His theme was "Old Times
and New Times; or, Is the World
Growing Better"
He opened his address by declaring
that he did not believe the world is
growing worse. 1t is growing better.
Fr0om physical and material stand
point it was growing better. More had
been done in the last fifty or seventy
years to make the world better than
in 1000 years before. He said he had
attended twenty worlds fairs, and ev-
erytime he was impressed with the
thought that the world was growing
better. He felt like the girl who at
tended the worlds fair at Chicago, and
wrote her mother: Dear Mother: o.,
0, o, o, 0. Your loving daughter" If
any one did not believe that the world
was growing better, he would advise
them to visit the patent office at Wash
ington. One hundred years ago people
used tallow dips. To-day few people
know what they were. One hundred
and forty years ago there was no coal
used in America There were no stoves.
No fires in churches. People had to
go to church and freeze while the pas
tor preached for hours. To-day you
can send a letter from Paris to Berlin
in thirty-fve minutes Forty years ago
there were no dailies. Franklins press
would turn out 120 papers per hour,
and poor at that To-day we have
presses that will print $4,000 in one
hour. He said he considered the great
est wonder of the ages to be the tele-
phone.
Morally and religiously the world is
growing better. You tell of a golden
age. Where was it? l have been a
student for many years. but fail to
find the good old times. 1 know there
is evil to-day. There is vice, iniquity
| and fraud. But there was more fraud
a few years ago than to-day 1t is the
detection of fraud that makes it APP
pear the world is growing Worse. There
is greater hatred of fraud than ever
I before. When was this world any bet
| ter!
5000 years ago? When the only man
| living was murderer?
5000 years ago? When there was on
~ one man living who was godly
man!
1900 years ago? When God drowned
the world because Of its sin?
5000 years ago? When God burned
Sedan and Genorrah because of theii
wickedness? When the IsraelMes
We're making bricks without straw
down in Egypt?
1880 years ago? When men cried
away with Him; cruelty him?"
Within the last century? When Ma
poleon left his track of blood and fire.
In the days of the French Revolu.
ton? When mobiles Toasted and the
masses starved?
| This has been dark world from
away back. There has never been {
good old time" One hundred year!
ago there was slavery the world over
There is more religious liberty to-day
| than ever before. Two hundred years
ago a woman was whipped almost t.
| death in Boston, and simply because
she was a Quaker. When she was TAX
en- from the whipping post too weak tt
stand, she raised her bleeding arms t
heaven, and cried, 20 God, hasten tn,
day when there shall be more religious
liberty" There is less infidelity to
day than ever before. One hundred
years ago nine tenths of the college,
were under infidel influences. To-da!
not one. Many of the sins of 100 year,
ago have passed away. Let me men
ton one. Duelling, 1t has almost diet
out. The cause of temperance Stands
higher to-day than ever before No
long ago you could see in England al
most anywhere over a saloon door
For one cent you can get drunk. Fo
two cents dead drunk, with a pallet o
straw to rest upon until you are sobe,
Where can you see such sign as tina
to-day.
There is more unity among tn
churches to-day than ever before
thanks to the Y. M. G. A., the w. c
| T. u, Chautauquas, etc | like t,
think Of the churches as one army.
lil1eto think of the Presbyterian infan
try the Methodist cavalry, the Congre
| gational artillery the Episcopaliai
garrison and the Baptist navy
In spite of the croakers this world i
growing better. Think of twelve fev
churches being built every working
day,
He then told of his visit to the crate
of Vesuvius in the night that he nigh
witness the sunrise, and concluded b!
saying that there was a brighter morn
ing dawning for the world.
The meetings which are being con
Quoted at the association the next few
months will be especially attractive
and should appeal strongly to men.