The herald., 1912-10-24
Rev. J. w. Moore on the SOCIAL EVIL.
BY n PLAIN MAN.

Last sunday, in the First Methodist Church, the Rev. J. W. Moore edined
his congregation with a dissertation o. Social Vice. Amons o'ner "nss
he eminent divine said that the social evil in this city as carried On more
boldly and with more toleration than lin any other city in the United States
He further said that the plan of restricting the district as a failure and
wants the mavort to appoint a vice commission Ito investigate It,
When the reverend gentleman states that the social evil is holder and
w" "a oo han in otber cities Of the United States. he simply shows
ignoranceo OF the conditions in these other cities. 1t is true that Chicago and
a few other large cities have lately made a fight o N the evil, but it is N OF
.hosos pasmo1tc ontbnrsts o. virtue that bear only temporary fruit. Even if
midst. they must eventually find refuge somewhere else. Our present social
is 50 constructed that these women. even if they desired to reform and
lead decent lives. have absolutely n o chance. They are more outcasts from
society than eve the leper. Then, l repeat, they must and somewhere NE!
cannot be driven from the face of the earth. 4
If the Plain Mans memory serves him right, the restricted district "a
the outcome o a reform administration, backed by a Vrtuons press m
pulpit In the course of time some Of the inhabitants OF tn district gra'nated
70 the more respectable parts of the city and this annoyed some OF or more
vrtuous citizens o such an extent that the recent legislature 'aso REFORM
was appealed t to define mOre strictly he limits within "hich 'neSe women
might live. Since then, a few of our citizens (who, by the way. are 10 such
angels as they would have the general public believe have been particularly
active and strenuous in hunting down all women o ms aSs ""o we're carr,
ing on their deplorabIe bushes. outside Of the prescribed limits, and driving
them before the courts. The Rev. Mr. Moore says that the plan of strcung
the limits within which these women may 1--we mas pro'eu d i'"ue lSnO"u
like Il ask Mr.. Moore if he thinks it better that they should be catered pro-
miscuously about the city. Would he want them in his neighborhood? l
should like TO know just what he proposes in this connection.
Some two thousand years ago, when an overwrOught pOpulace as ready
o stone ne Of these outcast women the enu Chrst Wal ra~u MS NAM
and spoke, Let him who is without sin asst tn hr' stone M TO- nc"
Now, after twenty centuries, " e are always ready, though none o us ire
without sin, to stone the fallen. Seldom do we lift a restraining hand and
more seldom still a helping hand.
The Rev. Mr.. Moore and those of his cloth are supposed to preach and
practice the doctrine of love and charity as laid down by n CNst MAJ.
Such sermons Is that Of last Sunday emulate but poorly the sublime doctrine
of love and sympathy for the unfortunate IS handed down by the Savior. 1t
would seen to the Plain lar tn a MI oore ao oners he MN %omu uU d
greater service o humanity by making some earnest effort to amelorate the
condrtOn OF these unfortunate creatures; TAKE lhem im IHeH 4lounuiHSe
cothe them. feed them, teach them the advantages If a clean life and make
it possible for them to reform and live IN the world among the rest of u.s.. Too
literally driven back to their old haunts by the cold and unfeelng reception OF
the virtuous ones. If some of the millions of dollars that are annually sent
to onyer the heather (who are really never converted) were diverted
to establishing refugees and homes where these women would be safe from
persecution, the social evil would solve itself, and there would be 10 need
for vice commissions nor for vrtuous sermons. Vice commissions, as at
present constituted, will never solve this problem; neither will sermons like
Mr.. Mooes. l daresay that some of the very men who heard hi sermon
encourage the evil by their patronage; ay man lei who uset he church Is
| a cloak of virtue. are in reality responsible for the lives some OF these women
lead. Here is a field in which the preacher may reap a harvest eel out
,ba owl ad hyuOcriicaI in Won " AMI nd YOU Will De o the ROAD 10
accomplish something.
The Plain Man does not believe that the social evil is a necessary one;
to IA that it is. is to say that the world is hopehssly immoral The condt
ton is here because We have gone the wrong way about curing it. The men
who inveigh most against it seldom suggest a proper remedy. The church,
in its fundamental principles, is supposed to be a instrument for good; 1t
should lead us out of the darkness into the light; and when ii has shown
us the light it should make it impossible for us ever again to live IN he dark.
That is the simple doctrine OF the Christ Man, and until the church grasps
this idea in its full significance in application TO such things as the social evil,
its mission will be a failure. The Rev. Mr.. Moore may mean well, but he is
far off the track of the remedy.