Mount Vernon signal. (Mt. Vernon, Ky.) 18??-current, 1914-02-27

ind the desert places.
Perhaps you admit these gener
al statements to be true, but do
not feel that they have any spsc
ial bearing on the Question of che
towns outstripping another Ill
growth in the heart of this
Christian America VIII re there =
d church in every will age or ham !
let Let us then look at th'
question from another standpoint,
WHAT WOULD BECOME OF
AMERICA IF THE CHRISTIAN
CHURCHES WERE OBOLISH
ED? There would be immediate
" deterioration 10 morals.
Some four years ago one of tn
leading New York papers made al
exhaustive examination into IN
political morals of certain Ne
England State that hal been
charged with being rol tically rot
ten. A detailed descrip ion of
each Of the most corrupt towns in
that State was given,-and this
was the startling fact brought out
"the worst towns, where bribery
was most persistent, where illegal
liquor selling Wa. most rampant,
where immortality was most f.
grant, were those TWINS j
which there was no resident min
ister, AMI where no Christian ser.
1 vice Was regularly he'd. -" If this
in New England. would Kentuck y
fare better without the chnrches!
| LIT AS bring the question hom-
IF THE CHURCHES AND ALL
CHURCH LIFE WERE Alb
| OLISHED IN MI. VERNON
WHAJ~WOULD HAPPEN? O.
We would have no Sunday Schools
to which to send our boys arc
girls, ant they would then ge
tleir standards of life ard moral
ity, more or-iess, from the street
and other suitable places. O.
There Would, at once he genera
decline i'm the moral tone of the
town. C3JOur. town property wotIc
depreciate in value a. There
would be a marked slump in bust
nes,. 60. There would be an i'm
mediate Geek IN the growth Of
the town, because The better cla..
Of citiZens would TO longer b,
Eattracted to a town that had los
its churches.
We believe that orr readers will
agree with US that the churches
Of a town are a large factor in the
normal and successful develop
ment Of !, that town. And We dc
hesitate to affirm that the churche.
of Mt. Vernon in spite Of all thai
might lie said of their lmita tions
or imperfections, are a very posi-
tive force for good in the com
munity. Now go with US one
step farther. If nobody went tc
church in Mt. Vernon, there
would be no church, and then, -
Well, it only remains for us tC
suggest few reasons for support
Ing the churches of Mt. Vernon
Why attend regularly one of the
churches of Mt. Vernon? Or OF
the community in which you live:
| % Because the church i.
God s greatest institution TO tn
world. 1t is directly or indirect
ly behind every great moral and
social movement today.
! % Because the soul needs cul
ture. You can't afford to let the
children grow up without the re-
fning influence of the chu rch
Oliver Wendwell Holmes once
said: There is little plant
called Reverence, i'll the corner OF
my souls garden, which | love to
have watered about once a week
! 81 Because the church is the
greatest influence in The world
for the promotion of human fel
lowship, drawing pc pie together.
And isn't this jus; what we need
more Of, in our business. our
club s, our lodges. out society.
(4) Because the church appeals
to the best that is il a man, and
there is some good in all men.
Aristotle defined man as a poli,i
cal animal; Seneca defined him
as a social animal; Burke Il ed
him religious animal He is all
three. No man Is real man
who isn't religious as well as po-
li;ical and social.
Numerous cities turnout tie