Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-06-02
A Prayer Worth Remem-
berinU

TAe tue uduguTatlOn exercises OF the
Gloucester, Mass, Municipal Council,
January II, the following prayer was
offered by Rev. Levi M. Powers of the
Gloucester Independent Christian
Church:
Almighty Father, the love of our
city calls US here this morning. We
begin today a new year of civic life.
We know it is useless to ask thy bles-
sing unless we want it and
are anxious for it. No matter how
much you may want to bless this city,
you cannot do it unless the citizens
are willing to be blest.
We pray therefore first of all for the
voters of this city. There are some too
lazy tovote but not toolazy to grumble.
Bless them.
We pray for the taxpayers who want
good streets, good schools, good fire
and police protection and good health
officers, but who wish other people to
pay for their cost.
We pray for the business men whose
votes are always determined by the
expectation of special favors for them
selves. Bless them, If you can.
We pray for those who believe that
all laws should be enforced except the
laws which they do not like or which,
if enforced, would trouble them.
We pray for Uncomfortable who can
not care about anything SO long as
they are left at ease.
We pray for political managers who
swap votes and sell out their friends
and let bad candidates go unopposed.
We pray for those who vote for the
saloons simply because they have pro-
perty that rents for more for that than
for any other purpose.
We pray for men so mean they are
not willing to give their sisters the
same privilege they have themselves.
We pray for ministers, if there are
any in this city, do not believe there
are-who say what is pleasant to hear
rather than what is true.
We pray for all connected with
newspapers who openly advocate civic
righteousness and secretly promote
crooked politics.
We pray for lawyers to whom law
means only a knowledge of helping
those who wish to evade the law to do
so safely and SO enable themselves and
others to get something for nothing.
We wish, o God, that all these peo-
pie might be blessed, but %perhapswe are
asking too much, for we know that
even you cannot bless them unless
they mend their ways. 1t may be
that the only thing you a do is to
let them go to hell where they belong.
You know best.
But, o God, before thee are those
who can be blest, those who may be
a blessing to themselves aud to the
world. Here today are hundreds of
young men who oon will be voters.
Bless them with a vision of the world
that ought to be and will be when we
are wise to III own good. May each
one thing of his home not merely as
the house in which he lives but as a
city of which he is a part. May they
see how much finer and better life will
be for all when each n works for all
and thinks for all and all for each.
We dare to hope, o Lord that these
young men will have the sense to see
that to get the most out of life for
themselves they must think of how to
make life good for all, and that to be
good to themselves they must be good
to others. So shall a cleaner, fairer,
better Gloucester some day come.
We ask thy blessing also upon these
young women. Some day they too,
will vote. May they have understand
ing minds and sympathetic hearts, so
that when the time comes they may
be fitted for the larger things of life in
which it will then be their privilege
and duty 10 share.
We 10 et- ,nls morning for the
speclal purpose of inducing five men
into office, where for a year 1t will be
their duty to work for the common
good. They are to think and plan not
for any one class but for all of us, not
for the best citizens only but for all the
citizens, not for those who pay the
taxes merely, but for those who earn
the money to pay the taxes. We, the
people, have chosen these men to
represent us. Help them, o God, to
plan and act honestly, bravely and
efficiently for the good of all Amen.
(The above is printed at the request