The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-04-04
Evangelist at the Christian
Church Goes After Gamb-
ling, Dancing, Card Playing
And the Saloons.
NO GLOVES ARE USED
BY RELIGIOUS WORKER.
One-Day-a-Week Christians
Are Scorched - Preacher
Says 1t Is Hard to Tell Them
From the Devils Own.

with all its beautiful homes its
beautiful streets, its beautiful parks,
its fine manufacturing plants. its
Christian men and women, if Christ
find many fostering sores underneath
the lid" Such was the statement of
the Rev. Allen Wilson before a crowd
which taxed the capacity of the Chris
tian church Wednesday night to hear
the famous evangelist speak on IF
Christ Came to Richmond" Gambling
dancing, playing cards and the saloons
all received consideration at the hands
of the evangelist and he spared the
lash on none. Probably the greatest
emphasis was laid in his remarks con-
corning the church member who in the
pursuit of worldly things, forgets his
duties to the church or hyprocrite-like,
is one-day Christian. He unmerci-
fully scored the latter parsonage.
Mr.. Wilson stated that there are
men in Richmond whose particular
business it is to blast happy homes,
and further said that there are men
in league with the devil who had
wrecked homes in the city. Christ
he said would find men here who
play on the affections of young and
innocent girls with the ultimate fall
of these poor creatures.
Believes in Equality.
The evangelist dwelt at some length
on the comparative moral standard
for men and women. He said it mat
tered not how much evil man had
committed if he reformed and took
place in the church and worked to
lead better life he is always help
ed by the church members, but should
poor unfortunate woman beg to
lead a better life and consecrate her
self to such, and make her wishes
known these same church members,
so-called draw back from her in dis
dain. They might say Il am so glad,
1 will help you," but that help sell
dom came. Men," said Mr.. Wilson,
should live as clean and pure as wo-
men and under no circumstances
should the women be Disseminated
against in favor of the men,"
If Christ came to Richmond, he
the souls of men and women who are
wasting their energies in doing this
very thing. The saloon, he said, is a
hydra-head monster and is a menace
to the souls of the fathers, sons and
daughters.
Christ would find the gambling hell
The men who run these places do
not run them for fun, they are not
there for legitimate business, but they
are after the dollar and will get it
one way or the other.
Against the Dance.
The dance, said the evangelist. is
the one agency which is dragging the
Richmond girls to hell faster than any
other. All girls who dance do not
fall, but those fallen attribute their
disgrace to the dance. 1t is well then
to guard against such things, as will
lead others to ruin.
Church Members Responsible
The playing of cards was dealt /
with and Mr.. Wilson said he does
not thing the devil is in the cards |
themselves or in the violin which is
used at the dance, but in the men who |
handle them. Cards. he said, he |
would bar because they are the tools |
of the gambler and not because there |
are any direct harm in them or play /
ing them, but it is the after-effects |
and what they lead up to. Church I
members and poor misguided moth |
ers teach their boys how to play [
cards when they are young and after |
ward say their boys do not play ex- |
cept at home. The truth is he says, |
they are playing in the gambling dens |
where there is more fascination. The /
church members who play cards are /
responsible for promulgating the gam /
blers business, said Mr.. Wilson.
Those persons who stay away from |
church for trivial reasons were dealt |
with in the same breath as the gam |
bier, the dance and other evils of
Richmond. The evangelist was harsh |
with the one-day-a-week Christian,
saying that one couldn't tell such
from band of the devils best, en a |