Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-18
is VICE UPHELD
BY AUTHORITY?
ASKS IF CITY GOVERNMENT is
ROTTEN
INFLUENCE OF GAMBLERS AND
SALOONS DENOUNCED
Pastor of First Baptist Church De-
cIares Thirty-five Thousand At
tending Christians Disgraced
by Present Conditions

''Is Our City Government Rotten?"
was the prelude to the Sunday evening
sermon last night by Rev. ]. @. A.
Henry, pastor of the First Baptist
church. DR.. Henry said in part:
'There are two classes of people, the
law-abiding and the law-deriding.
think the good people outnumber the
wicked ten to one, but the latter are
bound together in such a way as to
menace the city. The good people do
not stand together and overcome the
flood of wickedness which they might
do if they were united in the effort.
IF we have a city government that
refuses to do its duty and protect
crime, it resolves itself into this-that
those in authority are identified with
the vicious and the criminal element
and are partakers of the evil deeds
which they uphold and which corrupt
the city government. If 1T is true that
the city government upholds gambling
and saloons and their attendant vices,
it is much to be regretted. That the
$4,000 church people of Los Angeles
should be throttled and menaced by
these disreputable actions, which ought
to be rebuked in one hours time, is a
sad comment on the state of affairs.
It is certainly disgrace if the peo-
pie are to be bulldoZed by the repre-
sentatives of the 200 saloons and their
political affiliations. If the protection
of vice in this city is true we Chris
tan people should sound the death
knell of the political bosses in Los
Angeles"
Three Questions Treated
Following his prelude DR.. Henry
preached a short sermon on Something
Jesus Would Not Do" saying in part:
There are three questions: What
would Jesus do? What would he have
us do? What would he not do?
81 think it would be well, especially
for the young Christian people, to OBJ
serve one week in doing what they
would think Jesus Christ would do. L
think the world would be much bet
ter for it. If you do not believe it, just
try it.
1.-The life of Jesus Christ was not by
detail but by broad principles, and
with us it is not so much what he
would do, but what he would have
us do.
''He might not call on US to be be-
trayed as he was and to sever us from
our family ties, but it might be quite
important to know what thing is not
as we'll as what it is.
What are some of the things Jesus
Christ would not do? He would never
subordinate the kingdom of God to the
things of the world. Many just here
disregard the word of God and uphold
the things of the world. God should be
first and all the time.
"Jesus Christ would never annul the
great principles of the ten command
ments. They would lose their strength
if changed. Many people are trying to
win on deeds of charity. Jesus Christ
did not rest his acts on those. God is
first and other things follow.
Spiritual Mission Only
1--WE know that Jesus Christ would
not sacrifice the spiritual for the world
ly. His mission is spiritual and he in
PRODUCES its precepts into the home
He would not build up a great for
tune from the poor and needy. Some
may ask what should be done with a
fortune I should say distribute it
among the poor and needy.
81 do not think Jesus Christ, would
uphold war and bloodshed. 1t would
be spiritual and social peace that would
pervade the whole earth.
Jesus Christ would not even indulge
in three meals a day, but he would
have something to do here to keep
from this tendency.
Jesus Christ would not advocate a
Sunday newspaper or go>into a saloon,
to the race track or dance hall 1t
does not speak well for Christian peo-
pie to patronize these Places