El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-03-17
ANOTHER SERMON
ON "THE DISTRICT
Baptist Minister says ft II an Open
Challenge to Good People TO
Fight II Out of Existence.

Baptist Minister says 1t is an Open
Challenge to Good People TO
! Fight IL Out of Existence.
At the Highland Park Baptist church
( sunday Rev. A. E Boyd, pastor,
/ preached on the text Thy VIII be
done on earth as in heaven Mat
I thew, SIP.
This puts upon the Christian forces
I the duty to see that this world is not
/ left to the devil while we confine our
/ selves to the work OF saving souls Tor
| heaven. To pray this prayer consist
emily would bring the church to face
squarely the present conditions in FL
Paso. There is but one position for
the righteous soul to take in the pres
I ent crises and that is unCOmprOmiS-
ing opposition to the restricted dis
trict
Scientific investigation has been
unanimous in declaring such a district
a menace to any city. History brands
course of empire. Practically without
exception the thing which has Occa-
stoned its move from successive lands
has been the existence of this very sin
thar has camped on its trail.
Nations have fallen when its man
hood has been destroyed and the red
vice has been the great destroyer
Gods word classes the sin with muir
der and Jews were commanded to put
the guilty TO death
The law has branded it. and its
sovereignty is defied by the existence
Of the district The statutes of the
state have forbidden it. the grand jury
has ordered the district closed. and
yet the scarlet woman with brazen face
sits in her door and plies her trade.
You say the law cannot be enforced.
Then it's a call to your citizenship to
spend your last power until the SOVer-
eighty of state be indicated. In, Olden
times the pirate ship would sweep
down from the horizon on the mer-
chairman. put its crew to sword then
hoist the blue pirate flag with its skull
and cross bones above the flag of the
ship.
when this monster evil filings it,
self in the face of the law and con-
tinues its course in open defiance. it
eXaIts its black flag above the flag of
state Shall we submit That's the
challenge Shall we enter the fiCht2
/ hear you say. 1t will scatter through
the city and Wen have a worse cOndi-
tiOn without the district than with it,
I challenge You to find a city in which
the district is forbidden. where they
PasO off the line and out of the dis
trict The evil has extended itself into
rOoming houses on prominent streets
There are too many decent people
in Ell PasO to permit this indefinitely.
The decent citizenship of FL PasO can
change conditions and would If they
were aroused. Why do they remain
dormant 1t is not that they cannot
know. for all this is an open secret
They need the challenge and surely the
present crises brings it.
Many say the evil is necessary. A
more appalling condition than the eE-
istence of the red light district is the
apathy Of men with their names on
the church rolls, who say the evil is
necessary or too tremendous for action
AGAINST IT, Is the administration apa-
thetic and are the police slow TO CO.
operate2 Then they ought to be called
to account and il they cannot be con-
strained TO do their sworn duty they
ought &c be put out Of business"