Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-12-14
AT IIIFT NJ. E. CHURCH.
Rev. d. NJ. HelnicI1 Pleads for a Res
cue Homo.

al 1lAfp NJ. II, Oh UKCIt.
Rev. d. NJ. Heln,icIS Pleads for a Res
cue Homo.
At the Tiff NJ. e church, Rev. d. NJ.
Helnick spoke on the burning question
OF the hour, saying in part:
Know OF no place in the United
states where freedom of speech is more
fully enjoyed or more freely exercised
than right hero in Utah. The press,
the pulpit. the secular rostrum express
their opinions fully and freely in Ian
guage that cannot be misunderstood.
Here a spade is called spade and
cart cart But for all this. my sub
ject is mos delicate one. And lest In
the warmth of my own feelings say
something which l ought not to say, or
say It In language that ought not to be
used, or on the other hand lest the fear
Of offending should cause me to omit
that which ought to be said, l have
committed my say to paper.
There arc several evils which a mu-,
nicipality has to contend with. Among
these are the saloon evil. the gambling
evil, and the social evil. The social evil
seems to be the most difficult OF solu-
ton. Salt Lake City has this problem
before it now and has had for o great
many years, and undoubtedly will have
regulate evil 50 as to reduce it to its
least banefulness, is now up before u.s.
Opinions differ widely as to the best
methods And while this discussion is
up, there are many who would bar the
clergy from expressing their opinions,
or at least would mimify their value. A
gentleman said to me a few days ago.
You preachers live too much in an
other realm: your ideals are too high
vi ~, tr,A
with subjects that have bafied the wis
dom of the best social economists of
the world. | said to him, Possibly
But while our ideals We're high and our
schemes visionary still we ministers of
Salt Lac City and every other city
come into mighty close touch with con-
ditions that are far from ideal and with
evils which are not visionary. The
fact is l said to him, we preachers
in the course OF our pastoral duties
come in the closest contact with life
from the cradle to the grave and are
familiar with every phase OF life from
the saint to the most debased. And
IL a man thus informed Is not entitled
to an opinion on this as we'll as other
questions, should like to know who u.s.
THE changing of the red light dis
trict and settling it in some other To-
cality has been discussed by the press
and by the people in private for months
past. And now a plan is about COM
plcted to corral the unfortunate crea-
lures of the underworld in a stokade To-
Gated in the middle of the block bound
ed by First and Second South streets
and Fourth and Fifth West streets. A
careful investigation of this place
would convince one that the place was
the carrying on and protection
of prostitution. Valuable property
has been bought and large sum of
money has been expended and that not
by people very charitably inclined. For
there is nothing in the place or its sur
roundings that would indicate that the
promoters had any idea of making the
place a reformatory 1t looks more like
a deliberate plan to make merchandise
out of woman's shame and misfortune
than anything looking toward their res
cue. And whatever tends to degrade,
or encourage and protect in their de-
graduation these fallen women to me is
n most damnable conspiracy against the
helpless unfortunates Of our city And
the man or the woman who deliberately
contributes to the degradation of wo-5
man or to their further degradation
after they are fallen, either for lust
or the money there Is In 1t, Is as low
down in the scale of humanity as those.
whom they would debase. And she
who enters there shuts from her life
the last ray of hope of anything but
hell. For that place Is surely the en-
trance there.
'.We are told that the saloon is n
necessary evil, and that the best way to
regulate it is to put the license high
and thereby drive out the low dives,
lessen the number of the good ones.
and thus restrict 1t to the better-regu-5
lated places. We are told that pros
tituiton is necessary evil, but those
who contend for this In this city would
go to the opposite extreme and make
their places of traffic the most debas-
ing and damnable that could be con-
.ceived of. You who are 50 confident
that this is q necessary evil and 50
sure that it VIII always exist. why
not use the same tactics with this AS
you would with the saloon?
when man degrades himself every
body is ready to help reform him, but.
when a woman degrades herself every
body is ready to send her to hell as
quickly as possible. Every avenue OF
escape from a life of shame Is cut off,
and every hope of heaven is lost un-
less the minister of the gospel or some
Army angel can get access TO
the unfortunate one on her deathbed.
Shame on such a method and shame on
a people that advocates these methods,
or even Wlnks at them. There arc d
few exceptions to this rule. even in Salt
Lake City, and for this reason l would
oppose the deliberate stockade, money
making scheme of lustful and con-
scenceless men and women. Far bet
ter would it be for this city to build
reformatory, a rescue home. where II
hut one in 20 were led to a better
life 1t would be ample reward for all
that the city had expended. There are
women in Salt Lake City who have
been lifted from life of shame and
have made good wives and mothers,
and are true and faithful to their
VOWS
.rhe trouble is, il fallen woman,
wants to reform she is met with repuisN
at every turn and every PLACE for max
ing respectable living is closed to
her. Had Christ and the early disciples