Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-11-02
REV. DR.. URMY
breaches POLITICS
Anti-Saloon League President,
Newcomer to Newark, Finds
Sunday Violations.

Indications that the Anti-saloon
didaey of Thomas L. Raymond fol
mayor was given Ia the sermon of its
president, Rev. DIR. Ralph 3. Urmy,
in the Centenary NJ. E. Church last
night.
While DR.. Urmy made no mention
Of names, palpable attacks on the
present administration were con-
tained in several of his remarks. DIR.
Urmy's subject was 1.-The Politician
an Election Day Sermon" Signiti-
cant illusions to "the present weak
ness of our city" and hopes that bet
ter and higher things in the city
government would be born of the
coming election were made by the
clergyman.
Rev. DR.. Ralph b. Urmy By the
way. has been a Newarker for about
six months, and that is why, perhaps,
that he knows so much more about
Newark than people who were born
and raised here. Whether he knows
so much about men and conditions
in Newark as he pretends to know
may be safely left to the judgment OF
Newarkers
Rev, DR.. Urmy came to this city
as pastor of the Centenary NJ. f..
Church in the carly part of April of
This year. He succeeded Rev. DR..
George c. Vogel, who was made dis
trict superintendent. DIR. Urmy came
here from the Morristown Methodist
Episcopal Church, of which he was
ia stor for ten years. Before going to
Morristown he held a pastoral posi-
ton in East Orange.
The new pastor said in part:
politics offers a field for the eXer-
else of mans greatest talents and
deepest moral convictions. Today the
life of the people, not only economic
and social, but even moral and re-
llgious depends very largely upon po-
Iitical conditions. Not only are COM
merce and industry, wages and hv-
ing conditions under the influence OF
the politician, but on his faithfulness
or recreancy depend the moral we'll
being of the community and the in
dividual.
"Since these responsibilities are his,
his opportunities for serving the peo-
ple are immeasurable. He must be
4 man of the widest vision and the
highest character. He needs first Of
ali righteousness as the fundamental
quality of his life. Then courage to
resist the pressure of great and selfish
interests as well as the solicitations
Of friends, and last he needs wisdom,
or practical common sense.
sMoreover, politics in a democracy
is the means by which men rise to the
highest levels of manhood-those or
self government. 1t is the only way
to greatness. Yet we allow some SER
want of ours. or some self-appointed
- oil fTnf1
and we humbly style him our boss.
In so doing we have sold out our
birthright for something cheaper than
a mess OF pottage.
I'm view of these things the ap-
preaching election day offers an OPP
Dortunity to exercise the sacred right
OF franchise by which men will be
placed in positions of influence who
will seek always the welfare of the
people and not their own profit or ad-
vantage. A voter should cast his
ballot in the same spirit in which he
should go to a sacrament. The re-
yponsibility for the character and in
fuence of the politician lies in the
last analysis with the common citi-
zen"
DR. Urmy concluded his sermon
with the injunction that his parish
toner's were to vote as they saw tit,
declaring that it was not his province
10 advise them in favor Of any
ticket.
He then declared that in a recent
trip up Bloomfield avenue on a Sun
day he found sixteen saloons doing
business in violation of law, and that
only a few feet away from one of
these places he saw policeman, with
his back turned to the violation of the
law, swinging his club and doing no
worse damage with 1t.