The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-04-10
PUBLIC MUST BEAR
ITS PART OF BLAME
Dr. Ryland Knight, in Clean Cut Sermon Re-
minds Citizens Of Their Duty in Dealing
With Great Questions Through
l5auOt Box

.
What beyond the customary topics dis
Gussed from the pulpit. Rev. Ryland
might -. D.. yesterday morning
prc;tched q forciblc sermon in Calvary
ioaptls' church, taking up twcuticth
century evils, mainly as they exist in
politics. But he was optimistic ana
preolcted Il bright future which woulo
ne Tree from corruption, which he
said began Will Andrew Jackson'a
words, TO the victors belong the
SpoilS"
q cannot but feel" lie said, "that the
day is at hand when we shall have suf-
ficicnt discrimination and insight, wncn
our conSciences shall have been sur
iicicntly enlightened TO make us realize
that the man who dcfrauds the govern
'nent out of taxes is dcfraudny just as
truly and with just as evident lapse
from honesty as the man who de-
frauds an individual; that the time is
at hand when character Christian
character, and honesty and honor and
integrity will compel men who wish 10
represent their fellow men to be iion
est even when they arc coming through
the custom house in New York or
even when thoy are declaring for laAa-
ton in our City Hall"
@ fldrich nnd Lurlmcr.
DR.. knight declared that he believed
that the mon who are holding Office to-
day have caught a higher and more
noble conception of duty than was held
in past decades Men OF the stamp OF
Aldrich and 1.orimer he pronounced
hopeless Representatives,, while those Of
the calibrc OF Cleveland, Roosevelt.
Hughes and Woodrow Wilson. he said.
were not accidents" but the result
of q conviction which is pcrmcating
the body polite in this country that
honesty trustworthiness and moral
responsibility must be key words in
the political career of any man who
expects to succeed.
The minister referred to tho politics
OF Richmond. He said that political
apathy exists here, attributing the
truth of this statement TO the TACT that
of $4,000 males Of voting age assessed
with poll taxes i'll this city and only a
mcaErc percentage have paid. Though
he asserted that he did not think the
political life Of Richmond ideal, he
thought 1t of higher rank than III
most cities of the same size
Referring to the voters OF Ricnmond,
he said But surely no credit Is due
to the man who claims to be re
spectacle citizen and Coo 1eariHs
citizen and a moral citizen, VINO cars
for the best interests of his city and
then does have the conviction or the
courage of his conviction, that he Is
responsible as a voter here for cTorS
act Of every officers in all the city.
Juvenile Court.
Dr. knight said in part:
"The same principle Is working II
self out in the idea OF the Juvenile
court We are recognizing that the
child who has grown up through no
fault of his own in an Immoral atmos-
phcre is not q hardened criminal be-
cause he violates law: that it may be
he sins through ignorance. that It may
be that he sins through instruction in
vice, and that 10 take that child VINO
has broken some law because or con-
ditions over which he had no control
and condemn him 10 jail or to the pen
ltcntiary is sin against him and
sin against the State. because 1t Is
making OF him an enemy Of the state
and putting him in a school OF crime
out OF which he Will almost certainly
come hardened crimnal. we.
through our courts. have made many
n criminal OF child who just needed
n chance, ar instruction, an opportu-
nifty. separation from the environ
ments that are teaching MIN crime.
The same principle Of the enlightened
conscience caring for the man that is
down is working itself out In our at
titude toward the criminal himself.
You remember how Dickens wrote. ana
others, with such power to work refor-
nation iii the treatment Of the criml-
nails in England. You know how much
prison reform. These are the grounds
on which they worked. The conscience
of men, the public conscience. will de-
lnand that right be done. The only
reason why the public conscience is 81
lent is because they do not know thu
facts.
Lot light come as TO the true sit
uation, and Mon have advanced far
enough in tho idea Of humaneness and
i,,c Il f.
ormation of these unspeakable condi-
tons. The results of their work show
how correct they were In their Judg
ment and how splendidly tho public
conscience responded to their appeal.
1t is In this true conscience. that Will
speak. and speak in demanding tones,
that is the hope OF all reformation. IT
meant that when light broke upon the
conscience OF man, that when they
| know OF the condition of the criminal
and knew of his treatment. that they
awokc and demanded that he should
be treated humancly They came ia
know that cruelty and brutality and
| filth were not the proper solution OF
the method Of punishment for the Grim
inal. until to-day information means
reformation. If we come to know that
the criminal is being inhumanly treat
| ed, If we come TO know, for instance
| that the condition of our City Tai! is
[, what some men say it Is the public
| opinion of to-day, In the enlightenment
| Of the humanity OF Jesus and His love
| for the man who was down. is SO pow
| erful that 1t works an immediate rem
| edy ] glory i'll the power of the en-
| liGhtened conscience. glory in the
| onTarching of humanity. under the
| leadership of Jesus OF Nazareth. And
SO we axe coming to understand also
that when a criminal is being pun
ishcd we must consider the wiser way
| OF Furnishing him. How absurd 1t is
| that men should be putSn jail. for in
away their time and not be compelled