The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1917, 1914-12-22
SOCIAL SERVICE AND PUBLIC MORALS

The Intelligencer publishes this
morning the report Of the Rev. John
f.. Vines. ID. d.. Of the committee on
social service and public morals.
which was presented at the recent
session Of the state Baptist Convcn-
iion. The report 10 as follows:
God Is In his heaven, but all Is not
right with his world. The trouble,
howcYer. is not caused by any lack of
interest or effort or the part Of God,
but the serpent has crawled into our
garden and made himself busy bruis-
Ing humanitys heel. There is truly
much wickedness but the star of hope
shines. We arc prone. at times like
this. To think all Is evil, when the
rouble IL, we simply need change
OF glasses, new perspective. Satan
will not win the victory, while he has
made trouble. and bear the scars,
set he also carries the marks Of our
,iisplcasure on his head. We firmly be-
lave In the final triumph of Jesus
Christ. His kingdom i'll yet come and
Ills Ill be done and righteousness fill
the earth. Your committee could call
attention especially to tho folloing
topics:
!. The Condition of Our Times.
II. The Cure for Existing Evils.
l. The Condition. Climbing some
high peak. from whence we see far our
over the world, we are compelled to
'eel, that heather nations may without
embarrassment to themselves, modest
~ suggest to US, that we minght clean
up little at home before preaching
SO much to them. There are nations,
considered by us heathcn. making
moral progress that should make us
sit up and take notice, and seriously
consider our own sincerity. Since the
Car OF Russia. at q cost of $500, ,000,-
OO0.0O to his revenues, hn3 ordered
prohibition in his realm. I have been
wondering II Christ was as much in
power where He is called Lord, as
this Gear OF the Russians III in his ter
ritory, would we not change many
things? Our Land Of the free and
home Of tho brave" is a place where
one may live as selfishly as he desires,
cheat, rob. gamble. slander, murder,
engage In every pleasure lust may
suggest. and all with little fear OF
punishment. quote from that inform
ing book Our World" by DR.. Strong.
He says: For tho last ten years in
the United States the annual average
OF murders has been 8.818. The Hon.
andrew D. White. writing in 1912 and
referring to tho number Of homicides
during the preceding year as upward
OF 5000. says: I need hardly remind
your readers that no other civilized
nation shows any approach to tho
above figures. Great Britain and the
British American dominions upon our
borders. which are supposed to live
under laws substantially like our own.
have relatively only about one tenth
OF the yearly percentage of murders
shown by the statistics OF the United
States. A similar difference,
greatly to .Our disadvantage, exists
between Continental European nations
and our oan..'The American Prison
Associations committee on crimin:l
procedure. declares: that 10000 homi-
cideb ARC. committed In. this country
every year, more than the aggregate
number for any ten civilized nations.
Exclusive of Russia. A Judge in Geor-
gta hss said there were moro murders
committed IN that state than IN the
Whole British Empire with q popula-
ion OF 400,000.000. In a report to the
sreenville Association said: "Ameri-
ans are otill the most lawless civil
led nation in tho world" Violations
along other lines are on a par with
he violations OF the law OF life. Lynch
':,s In our land. led by our worst
zen. men pretending to be lovers of
noTals and home, yet the most dan
.;crous violators of the law they could
afend. do in cruelty and barbarian
hame heather Turkey. DR.. Strong is
authority for the statement that Judge
\midon said that during the last sew
,nty-five years nowhere in the British
Empire had a prisoner been snatched
from the custody of the law and sac
cihced by n mob. Contrast this with
our aston where half a hundred pris-
oners, during single year have been
taken, cowardIy from officers. and
killed by o mob Of murderers.
How about our own state. South
Carolina? In tho language OF a negro
preacher over tho body Of his dead
subject: The least said the better"
But thank God leaderg and teach
ers OF anarchy have received merited
rebuke:' With united voice of the peo-
pie In country and in town, 1t has been
said that men who outrage all honor
and law shall not hold the highest
Offices in this State And now we have
hope that we may rebuild our broken
walls. begin to reconstruct the land
so marred with lawlessness, impurity,
ignorance. unchristian race prejudice
and oppression. Yes we may now be-
gin to redeem our land and people
where we have been 30 criminally ne
gligent OF all that makes State great
and strong.
I heard DR.. Clifford at the General
Convention Of Baptists at Jamestown,
Use the following illustration, which
quote: Some years ago there lived
mLl In q ,f1ne home In Vermont
town. He was rearing q family: trou-
BILE came upon the groSying children