The Climax-Madisonian. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1914-1917, 1915-05-12
SATURDAY NIGHT
w. BY
q AMSAMUEL
WPURVTSDD
THE LURE OF THE CITY.

Text Blessed shalt thou be in the
city."-Deut. xviii. 3.
Let the sofa be mountains. the carpet be
There III establish a city for me;
kirk and mill and a palace beside,
And a harbor as well. where my vessels
may ride
Remember that verse in which Rob-
ert Louis Stevenson pictured the city's
early call to childhood-the call that
rings in the ears of youth till it wiz
not be denied. The call is one that
the world has heard and obeyed
through all the ages of history. 1t
has been the magnet that has drawn
youth from village and farm. 1t has
been the strategic point for every bat
tie OF humanity. There is a notion
that God made the country and the
devil made the city; hence the city is
the center OF every wickedness. Folks
who are convinced of that have strong
words of warning to every youth
whose eye is turned cityward. The
most common adjective applied to the
city is wicked" When a young man
leaves home he is supposed to be TAX
ing his moral life in his hand. Folks
weep on his departure as If he were
going to Sodom or Gomorrah
The Hub of the Wheel.
The truth in human nature is pretty
much the same everywhere, only there
is more Of it in the city than in the
country. 1t is equally true that in the
city great good enters. Some of the
finest types of manhood and woman
hood dwell there. The great organized
agencies that are a blessing to man
kind are located in the cities. The
worst men may be found there; also
the best. Evil Is entrenched; so are
great moral forces focused. The great
moral battles have always been fought
in the cities. The first apostles and
disciples of Jesus worked in the cities.
The Master commanded his disciples
| to begin in Jerusalem. The history
| of cities is the history OF civilizations.
| Cities are centers. In them are con-
centrated commercial, political. social.
literary and moral power. Study the
great cities OF history, Babylon,
Athens, Rome, Jerusalem. These stand
for their civilizations. Nations rose
and fell with them. The world follows
its great cities-for good or i'll. Here
wealth piles up her treasures, art bios
SONS into flower, heroism Is common
place, religion tunes her Hottest song.
Uniyersities. hospitals, cathedrals, art
galleries, Libraries, museums, open
their doors to all. Culture, urbanity,
good clothing. comforts, luxuries, are
within the common possibility of him
who half tries. The city may spell
danger, but it also spells opportunity.
Her arms are full of gifts to her own
and the stranger within her gates. pro-
vided they be able and courageous.
You Are the cityI
Did you read 1.-THE Nav of the Mon
sters" 1t pictured the lonely and help
less feeling OF one who came to tho
city for the first time. The mass OF hu-
manity seemed a monster But stand
back. confident, unafraid. Resolve this
monstrous crowd into its component
parts. They are humans Ike yourself.
Stand with me for five minutes and
look. An old woman clutching q paper
bag coming home from shopping; q
child with stick of candy; two snil-
Ing girls, arm In arm. hurrying home
from a shirt waist factory Rosie is
exchanging condolences with Rachel.
That's a lawyer with a bag. The boy
flying on one roller skate nearly knocks
him over. Trolley cars, automobiles.
trucks. q big poIiceman-sll are within
Pure Country Sorghum at Lackey &