The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-09-27
;,OUICIL IS ASKED
TO PERFORM ITS DUTY
Rev. DR.. Bowie breaches Strong Ser
mon on Civic Right
COusncSs.
REFERS TO CASE OF GooDE
sGrayest Peril to Amy People Is the
Spirit Which Does Not Grieve FOR
Moral Affections, Says Preacher.

In st. PauFs Church last night the
rector Rev. W. Russell Bowie, L. ~,
preached on Civic righteousness and
the Forces Which Undermine It.
The text was the sixth verse Of the
sixth chapter of the Prophet Amos.
They are not grieved LOT the anne
ton Of Joseph"
He began by outlining the social
conditions of Amos time. The
prophet lived in an age when the
Kingdom of Israel had Just passed
through a swift and extraordinary
development. Under the great and
powerful king, Jeroboam l., in that
eighth century. B. c., Israel had
changed Of a sudden from an agricul-
tural to a commercial nation. Great
cities were growing up, and the popu-
lation was moving into them. Wealth
waA increasing swiftly; and with that
increase of wealth came accompanying
perils. The spirit of selfish ma
terialism was dominant. In their
fierce pursuit Of personal success. men
ignored the social injustices and the
moral corruptions growing up in their
midst.
Into this civilization came Amos.
Z man with all his moral senses un-
biunted. with clear convictions OF tight
and wrong sharp as naked sword.
And as he saw the evils in his peo-
pies life he said that the gravest
thing of all was that there were
80 many who did not care: They
are not grieved for the Affections
Of Joseph" he cried. They could look
At the shameful facts around them
and tolerate them unconcerned.
Business Before Morality.
They were not all alike--these
people who were not gr!eved for the
Affections OF their communicative
~ they are not all alike now There
were. In The first place, those who were
not grieved because they themselves
were making profit out af social in
Justices and social shamcs. There
was. in the second place, that lar
morally opposed to evil conditions,
yet tolerated them because they
thought that business and commercial
prosperity might be hurt by too ag
gressive moral program. And there
were those, in the third place. who
though theoretically opposed to the
evils they knew Of, yet had neither
the courage nor the will TO make their
challenge clear and unafraid.
Turning TO the present day. DR..
Bowie showed how vital both the
problem and the message Of Amos are
to the civilization of this later time.
We, too, in America have had much
the experience OF Israel OF the eis.ath
century, growth in material pros
perity. and particularly a growth in
the size and completely of .xtts.
which have outgrown our effective
moral conscience.
Today. as IN Amos time, the gravesi
peril to any people is the spirit which
does not grieve for moral affections.
but through seh-tnterest or compro-
mise or covardice lets shameful things
60 unrebuked.
Not = Perxonai Matter.
DR.. Bowie turned then to tho moral
needs Of Richmond revealed by the
police investigation Of last spring. and
particularly to the fact that in the
Common Council tonight tMonday3
the case Of Comnd ssioner Goode will
come up for decision,
He said: There is not a Christian
minister in the city who would say one
word to hurt him rs man. There
IL not one who would not serve him
in any way he could. But the ques-
ton which the people Of this city
are concerned with az touching this
commissioner now Ia not n personal
one. II has to do with nc Official
conduct OF the city's accredited
oMcers in a matter which affects
the peoples moral life. This eon-
missioner has been pronounced hy
the Council committee unit for
the once he holds: and II he is al
lowed to retain Office, it will be be-
cause the people OF the city are not
concerned with the moral shortcom-
fngs which he has shared. 1t will
be because the people fail to wake to
that indignant protest which wrong
and unfafthfulness ought to rouse"
ut need not be SO. 'nnere Is the
prophet spirit also in this city. There
II the spirit of Amos deep In the es-
sential heart Of the people--ti1e spirit
that will not fa1ter through self-in-
terest nor indifference, nor cowardice.
but shall demand and require that dis
credited men shall not administer tais
city's moral policy. but that her af-
fairs shall be In the hands of those
who can see right and wrong with
clear eyes and ere themselves clean
beyond reproach.'