Perth Amboy evening news., 1910-06-11
CHURCH AND SUNDAY SCHOOL =
REFLECTIONS
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WHERE THE SHOE PIkCHES.
Out in Nebraska woman sued a
saloonkeeper for $4,000 damages,
alleging the loss of the services ana
company of her husband and the dls-
grace that the arrest and conyictoh
and imprisonment had brought upon
herself and her children. And the
jury returned a verdict awarding
81, 500 damages.
It was this way. The man became
| a customer of the saloonkeeper'
drank his whiskey, and while under
the intoxication resulting thereiron
went out and committed burglary,
| for which he was arrested, convicted
and sentenced to the penltentlary.
Since it could be shown that ordlnar-
| ily he was an orderly, law-aDlolhs
citizen, and that although ne drank
| the whiskey of his own free Will
nevertheless the man who gave IL 10
lhim was partly responsible lot MS
| intoxicated condition, the Jury
| brought in the only sensible verdlct
consistent with the evidence.
Moses is not altogether a DacK
number. He pronounced some very
excellent judgments in equity more
than 5000 years ago. For instance
l"If a man shall open pit, or II
man shall dig a pit and not cover IT,
| and an OK or an ass fall therein, the
owner of the pit shall make it good
Now Perth Amboy contains far TOO
MANY uncovered pits. While 1t may
he true that the owners thereon 90
mot intend half of the trouble and
damage that results therefrom, stili
thev keen them open, and very
foolish community continues allow
ing them to do SO. Perhaps rev
suits started in Middlesex county,
similar to the one referred to above,
would have more effect than years
of agitation; for money talks.
Is II not curious, not to use
stronger word, how little real value
we set upon mere men? Apparently
we care more for our animals
horses. dogs and cats-than. we do
for our fellow human beings. AT
least. we make q terrible fuss over
ANYTHING that goes wrong with the
former; but when it concerns only
man. it is not infrequently said to
us. passed by on the other side.
when will our communities in New
Jersey awaken to the value OF man,
and put under the ban that which is
destroy the &ower of our manhood?
Is it not equally curious how most
men try to wriggle out of responsi-
bility? Right here in these United
States Is the material for compara-
tive study, the conclusions from
which q mere tyro in logic could
draw. When 1t is proposed to cover
up some of these pits, so that men
no longer shall stumble therein, the
great cry has been against the econ
omic waste that such a procedure
would entail-the millions of invest
ed money lost, the thousands for
whom employment is provided
thrown out of work, etc. But what
is 1t that makes necessary our courts
and jails and penitentiaries, our hos
pitals, asylums and homes, and fills
them to overfowing? Where is the
responsibility? Before you answer,
go up to Maine and out to Kansas,
and compare the conditions found
there with those around you in New
Jersey. To say nothing about the
loss OF manhood, an incompatible
loss, what Is the economic waste of
the tens of millions compared with
the penury and crime whose cost
runs up into the hundreds and thou
sands of millions? Is it not pretty
nearly time to apply the Mosaic rem
edy, and collect the damages? At
least, let us cover up the pits.