Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-05-21

Bronson has redoubled It's efforts since
the close of the tabernacle meetings"
continued Reginald, gazing into the
fire. while we had Mr.. Sunday with
rs l understand that the saloons and
gambling lens and the other resort
were almost deserted. Many of the
fellows who patronized these places
were converted. and there Is a deter
mined effort being made TO win the
poor young converts back to the old
life.'
Allan Rutledge looked grave. Il had
been planning an attack on the social
institutions of iniquity. but | did not
think we would need to be in a hurry"
THAT is just why I called tonight
said Reginald hastily. 4 knew thai
you were planning to give a good deal
of your time TO evangelistic work in
n~eight,oring towns for a month or two.
Excuse me for saving 1t. but | think
It is a mistake. The iron is hot In
Bronson now. Let us strike at once"
what do you meangs asked the
minister. surprised to see the earnest
ness of the newspaper reporter.
"Well.' began Reginald. .slast night
some of the weaker converts were
lured into a haunt OF vice, filed with
liquor and disgraced. One of them
happened to be u young man from u
respectable family, and IN making his
way home he got into the wrong house
and awoke the neighborhood. That is
how l happened to hear about it. The
family came to the Courier office in
awful distress, and they want US to
say nothing about it,"
ut is very plain, isn't it, said the
minister. with Il touch of bitterness in
his voice, that the devil is not dead.
nor has he turned Christian"
MIR. Marchmount WAS ut first going
to suppress the matter, but as he
thought it over he felt assured that he
would publish it If the offense had
been committed. by some one of no so
cial standing. and he decided to treat
this ease exactly as he would any 9TH
er. There is going to be quite a write
up in tomorrow's paper about the af-
fair. / am sorry. 1t seems to show
that Mr.. Sundays work was very SUI
perficial, but | know it was real" The
young man spoke the words II know
with emphasis.
Allan Rutledge sat in silence, and the
two men gazed into the glowing fire.
II have beer reused to action by the
scorn of the enemy" said Reginald
after a long pause. II met Mr.. Nc
Crea this afternoon, and he leered in
my face and asked me if | was going
to tell all about the actions of some of
Bllly's converts
Ibid he dare to do that?' asked Al
Ian Rutledge incredulously.
"He made a mistake when he reused
me as he did," responded the reporter.
II told him right then that | was con-
WINGED that even Gabriel himself
would need %fumigating if he associated
with some of the people of Bronson
before he could return to heaven"
The minister laughed and said, you
seem to be getting the Sundayesque
style"
81 admit | was angry with McCrea,"
said the young man, but seriously,
DIR. Rutledge, unless we can do some
thing to heal these open sores in our
social life a large number of these
| young converts will surely backslide.
Let us begin action at nee for the
cleaning up of Bronson"
81 have been regretting very much
that our council did not come under the
Sunday influence more said the min
lister. '.If only the mayor and a ma
jority of the council had been convert
ed we could have ousted these evil
places in a week. That Is what has
happened in a number of Iowa towns
after Mr.. Sundays meetings"
"McCrea knew that. and he used all
his power with the city administration
to keep them away from the taber-
nacle."
"Our present city administration rep
resented very well the old Bronson,
but they misrepresent the new Bron-
SON. said Allan Rutledge.
"But the trouble is persisted Regi-
maid, 'that the old administration keep
In power until next election. and l fear
that by that time our newly recruited
forces of righteousness will be sadly
weakened by assertions unless we can
arouse strong public sentiment against
these open and protected evils. We
must begin a fight for civic d~ecency
at once
"What do % ~proposeg' asked the
minister, surprised to see the grasp of
the situation shown by the young a
al was reading in my Bible the 9th
er day." began the other, land | turn
ed to the book of Nehemiah. 1 like
Nehemiah. someway. He seems so
modern and practical to me. When
he came to Jerusalem to assist the peo-
pie In rebuilding the ruined city the
first thing he did was to arise by night
and make a night circuit of the city.