Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-07
REFORM OF CITIES
is GREAT QUESTION
Rev. j. @. A. Henry Addresses City
Club and Points Out Grave
Menace to National
Perpetulty

Advocating reformation by law and
regeneration by love. the Rev. ]. Q. A.
Henry. pastor of the First Baptist
church, delivered moving address be-
fore the City club at its weekly lunch
con at the Westminster hotel yes
terday.
The Rev. Mr.. Henrys treatment Of
the subject 1.-The Reformation of the
City" was broadly general, and he did
not make specific conditions of Los
Angeles a feature. 1t was scholarly
discussion of a phase of national con-
cern.
The history of cities, he said, was an
epitomy of the history of civilization.
The history of Babylon, of Nineveh, of
Tyre. Palmyra and Rome were cpl
tonnes of different civilizations. Today
the history of cities like New York,
| Chicago and San Francisco and other
large cities are to make the history or
| this country When the constitution
was signed only one out of every thirty
of the inhabitants of the United states
lived in cities of 5000 or more. Now
two-fifths of the great population lives
in cities of this class.
The growth of cities was outstripping
the general growth of the country, and
in some regions the depopulation or the
country was gradually but surely going
on. There would be no redistribution,
apparently The strenuous life is at
tractive. and people want to be stun
ningly amused twice a week or oftener.
Sport and amusement are king ana
queen.
Thirty cities are of such population
now that they control the policies OF
the nation in national elections.
Greatness and Guilt
Rut the cities are growing not only
in greatness but in guilt. They are
growing with the worst and the pest
classes. In this growth, and the in
crease Of vice, he saw the greatest
menace to the perpetuity of the nation.
OF the great alien population DO per
cent. he said, settled in the cities. thus
making the tenement districts. the
slums and furnishing fruitful field for
the exploitation of these voters by
vicious political bosses. In these dis
tricts were the hot beds of anarchy
and resentment of authority.
That the threatened evils could be
prevented he believed possible only by
awakening the public conscience, for
city. like a man, would be no better
than its conscience. There must be
awakened a sentiment against evil and
for Righteousness, and for this agitation
was necessary. Turn on the light he
said, on the homes of evil and enforce
the laws against IlCH anu pOOA' II
and low alike. While cities needed
better laws it was absurd to be de-
manding new laws when there was no
honest effort made to enforce those
existing.
Enforce the Laws
Make the most of the laws not opera
tive and commit their enforcement not
to saloon keepers and enemies of public
morals but to high minded men. Bet
ter use must be made of the primary
and the ballot box. The biggest accom-
plishment in the municipal cleansing
would be knocking out the saloons
Carry conscience of everyday life into
the political activities and much would
be gained.
The churches, he said, must take a
large share of the work because as 1t
now is the saloon and the taproom
are the social centers. Preachers must
adapt themselves to the situation ana
stimulate Christian citizenship.
The saloons succeed by close organiz-
alton. by fighting together and by vot-
ing together, and not until Christian
voters act together will the bad nomin-
ations cease. With unity, perseverance
and victory the watchwords he felt
that the cities could solve the menace
and turn 1t into glorious triumph for
moral citizenship.