The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1914-12-20
SOCIAL SERVICE AND PUBLIC MORALS

The Intelligencer publishes this
morning the report OF the Rev. John
F. Vines, d.. d., OF the committee on
social service and public morals,
which was presented at the recent
session Of the State Baptist Conyen-
ton. The report il az follows:
God is in his heaven, but all is not
right with his world. The trouble,
however. is not caused by any lack OF
interest or effort on the part of God,
but the serpent has crawled into our
garden and made himself busy bruis-
Ing humanity's heel. There is truly
much wickedness bat the star of hope
shines. We are prone, at times like
this, to think all Is evil, when the
trouble Is. We simply need a change
or glasses. a new perspective. Satan
Will not win the victory. while he has
made trouble, and e bear the scars,
yet he also carries the marks Of our
displeasure on his mead. We firmly be-
lieve in the final triumph of .eN,ls
Christ. His kingdom Ill yet come and
f1is Ill be done and righteousness fill
the earth. Your committee could coll
attention especially to the folding
topics:
/. The Condition of Our Times.
II. The Cure for Existing Evils.
/. The Condition. Climbing some
high peak. from whence we see far OUT
over she world. we are compelled to
feel, that heather nations may without
embarrassment to themselves. modest
ly suggest to US, thai we minght clean
up a little at home before preaching
SO much to them. There are nations.
considered by US heather, making
moral progreD3 that should make us
Sit up and take notice, and seriously
consider our W sincerity. Since the
Car OF Russia. at a COS Of $500. 000,-
oo0.00 to his revenues. has ordered
prohibition In his realm, l have been
wondering II Christ was as much In
power where He is called Lord, as
this Car Of the Russians ia in his ter
ritory, would we not change many
things? Our Land 81 tho free and
home OF the brave" is O place where
one may live az selfishly as he desires,
cheat, rob. gamble, SANDER, murder,
engage In every pleasure lust may
suggest. and all with little fear Of
punishment. I quote from that inform
ing book "Our World" by DR.. Strong.
He says: For the last ten years in
the United States the annual average
or murders has been 8,818. The Hon.
Andrew d. White, writing In 1912 and
referring to the number of homicides
during the preceding year as upward
or 5000, says: I need hardly remind
your that no other civilized
nation Shows any approach TO the
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
Detween Continental European nations
and u own. The American Prison
Associations committee ON criminal
procedure declares that 1 5000 homi-
cides arc committed in this country
every year, more than the aggregate
number for any ten civilized nations,
exclusive OF Russia. A Judge in Geor-
gin q said there we've more murders
committed In that state than In the
whole British Empire with q popula-
tion OF 400, 900 900. in a report to the
~Grsanytlle AssG citation said: "Aiaeri-
cans are still tie most .lawless civil
lied nation In The world" Violations
~ OtAhS hhCb. dtC Ol. L. DhT Wlln
the violations Of the law OF life. Lynch
ings In our land, led by our worst
men, men pretending to be lovers of
morals and home, yet the most dan
gerous violators of the law they could
defend. do In cruelty and barbarism
shame heather Turkey. DR.. Strong Is
authority for the statement that Judge
Amidon said that during the last sew
enty-ive years nowhere In the British
Empire had a prisoner been snatched
from b custody Of the law and sac
rihced by q mob. Contrast this with
our nation whore half q hundred pris-
oners. during q single year have been
taken cowardly from officers. and
killed by o mob Of murderers.
How about our own state, South
Carolina? In the language OF. a negro
preacher over the body. of his dead
subject: "The least said the better"
But thank God leaders 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 shalt not hold the highest
Offices IL this State. And now we have
hope that we may rebuild our broken
walls, begin to reconstruct the land
30 marred with lawlessn ,ss. impurity.
lt2do.anee. unchristian race prejudice
and oppression. Yes we may now be-
yin to redeem our land and people
where we have been 30 criminally nc
giigent Of all that makes q State great
and strong.
I heard DR.. clifford at the General
Convention Of Baptists at Jamestown.
use the following illustration. which
I quote: Some years ago there lived
q man In a fine home In q Vermont
town. He was rearing O family; trou-
Bile came upon the growing children:
joints enlarged and weakened, bony
structures grew out of shape. The