Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1913-05-08
PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATION.


gardiug the conduct of the riotouI
woman was unseeemly. We comment
TO them the following article from thu
Religious Rambler. reproduced about
month ago in the Chattanooga News,
and hope it will convince him of biz
folly:
HThe city of Atlanta has advertised
itself free from houses of prostitution.
With the whole nation stirred by re-
cent Investigations into the social ev-
il, the Atlanta method of getting rid
of legalized vice is bound to attract
international attention. The simple.
direct and unprecedented method of
cleaning up the city by means of pad
newspaper advertising has been Sc
successful that it opens the way to a
revolution in methods of social re-
form
1.-The story is almost unbelievable
in its simplicity and in its quick eff
ficiency IT goes back to the Men
and Religion congress, in New York
City last April and to the ''men and
religion movement campaigns OF
which the congress was the culminat,
ion The story is told with elaborate
detail in the current issue of The Con
tinent, by courtesy of which publica-
tion the following facts ale summarize
ed.
GAS the religious public well knows
the two dominant notes of the Men
and Religion congress were social SER
vice and Christian publicity. Epochal
reports upon these and four other
themes were issued in volume form by
the congress. The Atlanta delegates
took home to their city the methods
advocated in the congress. They COM
bined the social service message and
the publicity method.
Although the ''men and religion
movement" formally dissolved yeal
ago, the Atlanta executive committee
keep together 1t arranged through
one of its members, for the purchase
of large block of advertising space
in each of the citys daily newspapers.
Nobody knew what use was to be
mae Of this space except that it was
for some religious purpose. Regular
rates we're paid for space, which was
to be used within year. From the
stanl oint of the newspapers, it seem
ed mer ly like fine bit of business
that had fallen Unexpectedly into their
hands from novel quarter
''The advertisements began, labeled
"Men and Religion Bulletin No. :"
and signed "The Executive Commit
tee of the Men and Religion Forward
movement" They were headed, ''The
Houses in Our Midst /" Ordinarily
they were two or three columns wide
and ran the full length of the paper.
Display type was used, but the style
was epigrammatically narrative, print
ed in short paragraphs.
"The story told by the advertise
ments as they appeared at irregular
but frequent intervals, was that of
Atlanta conditions respecting the so
cial evil. TIE articles were surprs
ingly free from mere emotionalism
anu bysterical protest. THEY CALL
ED A SPADE A SPADE WITH
BLUNTNESS THAT WAS RATHER
DISCONCERTING While relating
the facts of Atlanta's protected "red
light" district, they also gave the
authoritative findings of the best re-
ligious specialists, medical men and
social experts upon the treatment of
the social evil While holding to the |
one point of Atlanta 8 problem, wide
field was swept for arguments and for
buttressing facts Each advertisement
closed with the statement, ATLANTA
should and will close the houses in our
midst
'The advertisements we're kept
strictly religious. Along with all lie
gal and medical and social arguments
went the definite religious appeal. The
final reason given in every case was
the words of Holy Writ.
SIN this the plan showed the mind
Of q master for Georgia is conspicu
ously religious community. 1t would
not have risen to a merely sociological
appeal OF course these advertise
ments went all over the state. They
reached every body-the preachers in
their pulpits, the business men in
their offices the crooks, in their dives,
the sheltered women in their homes,
all, alike had spread before them, day
by day, this terrible arraignment of
''the houses in our midst -
The churches of Atlanta rose to the
support of the ''men and religion
leaders unitedly. The subject quickly
took first place in the city's thought
and talk The conscience of Georgia
was arouse to 'uch an extFnt that
real action was in vitable [,
"This direct aud democratic way of
making an APP" al Straight to the ueo-
pie, without any intervening macnin
Try of org ,nizltion, aud with no car
'ying charges except those of the ad
vertising space, proved revolutionary.
L was a case of Smelling the woods ,
without knowing where the enemy
would break out,
"The climax came when Chief of
Police Beavers, himself reached by
the advertising, announced his inten- :
ion of closing every house of prostitu
ion in Atlanta. The christian people
TODD so stea TASTY behind him that he
'oul1 not O5 eterred OF int.mldate6.
us program vert through. TODAY
THERE IS NOT A SINGLE HOUSE
)F PROSTITUTION IN ATLANTA.
The plan has worked to complete sue
es, The advertising is continued,
artly for the support Of tire lief of
ollie, partly to keen alive the con-
cience of the Christian community,
artly tn educate the parents of daugh-
ers, and partly to serve noti,e upon
II the ueople that there is in Atlanta
militant agency possessing the pow {
q Co IA.