The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-08-07
Debs. the Church, and the Under
world.

Debs. the Church, and the Under
world.
TO the Editor Of The Times:
read. With great interest your
editorial with the above caption, and
also quite Il portion of the lengthy
discussion which IL aroused. Ii is.
without doubt, the most serious prob
lem which confronts our people today.
! Mr. Debs has been criticised for har-
! boring woman of doubtful reputa'
ton. on the ground that such char
acters are poisonous 10 households
where there are young girls just en-
tering upon the character-forming
period OF their lives. There are two
distinct classes OF fallen women:
Those who are hardened in crime and
/ have lost all desire for reformation;
and those who are deceived and led
astray 10y some smooth-tongued vii
lain and are anxiously longing for
some door OF hope The woman ad-
mitted into the Debs home was evil
IDENTIFY one of the latter class From
what can learn about the case. IL
seems plain thai she did not intend
TO 20 wrong | think il is piece OF
|
ev EN- hint that he would turn his home
into an asylum for all the scum and
dregs OF the underworld. His action
! in befriending that unfortunate. yet
guileless, young woman might we'll be
! initiated by every true man and wo
man in the absence of any charitable
institution. in their immediate local
| ity, established for that purpose. The
I l., u tftfn
were il not tor the new recruits con-
stantly furnished by their fiend hire
lings, proving about every city and
hamlet in the land. frequenting public
dances. theaters, moonlight eXcur-
sions, JOY rides in auto and street
cars. parading the streets by night,
continually watching TO capture the
unwary. | have actually seen young
girls playing what looked very much
! like hide and seek" in a dark alley,
in my own village at bedtime Aye,
more. ! have actually seen girls on
roller skates. trying 10 catch on 70
truck wagon, in Detroit, on Wood
Ward-aye.. al midnight. Oh mothers
just think Of II. What an easy prey
those girls would be for the wolves
seeking for victims among the lambs
OF the flock. In the name OF God and
disgraced humanity. what can you be
thinking of to let your daughters
parade the streets at night, all unpro-
tected when you know the diabolical
influences lurking on every corner to
drag them down TO eternal ruin?
But, with regard TO the church and
| her relation to the underworld. the
rock-bottom question is this: What is
the church of Christ on earth for?
| The answer is easy; To carry out the
purposes for which He came into the
world Those purposes are quite
numerous. and are found mostly In
Luke iv-lS, John xviii-37. |. John
ills, etc. II is not necessary TO
quote them all here, but two of them
deerve special mention in this con
nection, namely, ITO heal the brok-
en-hearted and open the prison doors
TO them that are bound" Just mag
! inc if you can, a state OF existence
more completely heart-crushing than
that of a bright young woman OF fine
sensibilities, just for one mistaken
step hurled down under the ban or
society, looking in vain for help, even
! from those who profess TO carry out
| the benign purpose or the Man or
! Galilee to Heal the broken-hearted.
| Just imagine il you can. prison
more hideous and revolving TO its UNI
willing victims bound within the den
OF shame with its walls OF steel, with
no hope of release even from the dis
| ciples of Him. who came TO open the
prison doors TO them that are bound.
What ought the churches 10 do?
! Three things: First, they should all
unite, irrespective OF denominational
| lines and form an organization for the
purpose of providing places OF refuge,
where these poor unfortunate sisters
| of ours can find safety and be sur
rounded by influences which Will win
them back TO responsibility and noble, 4
Christian womanhood second, agi-
tate, educate, and petition for a law
that any girl under eighteen years of
age, who is found on the street after
dark, without competent chaperon,
shall be taken, by the proper officer
TO her home. II she has one; If not,
| to house of safety, TO be cared for
by the above mentioned organization;
| last, but not least, never, never. new
er vote for any man for any Office,
unless he Is a sworn enemy 10 the red
| light district and pledged TO its speedy
overthrow, Do you say II cannot be
suppressed? II that statement is
really true there is only one conclu-
sion: A Republican form of govern
ment is a fiat failure. But 1t can be
suppressed. When the voting popula-
ton OF our land, making any claim TO
decency. awake TO their duty and
privilege; when our Christian citizens
take Christ to the polls as we'll as
TO church, then shall we see this as