The Johnson City comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1916-1917, 1916-02-10
CON TRIBUTED
WHAT IS THE usEg

earth. Truth, virtue and happiness
are The Heaven intended heritage of
Man." 1t has been said that God
has laid the universe under contribu-
ton TO promote the happiness of
man." But the history of man from
the very dawn of civilization to the
present is the story of the battles of
the good against the wicked, of truth
against falsehood, of right against
wrong. The battle still RACES. There
are still on the earth the vicious, The
brutal, the cruel the criminal, the
venal the corrupt. Governments
have been ordained, laws have been
enacted to protect the good against
the evil. To execute the laws Off
GERS have been elected, courts have
been established to save the innocent
and to punish the criminal. ...
What is the use of a Governor if
he violates the law and winks at it's
violation? What is the use of a
Judge if he is unjust? What is the
use of Mayor if he does not en-
force the law? What is the use of
a Sheriff if he is in collision with
criminals? What is the use of a po-
liceman if he is asleep, or blind, or
deaf, or absent when the criminal is
on his beat? Such officers are worth
less to a town, to a county, to a
state. A law not enforced is a dead
letter on the statute book. 1t is true
an officer, however good he may be,
however worthy or exalted are his
thoughts, or pure his Intentions, or
however active in the execution of a
writ is almost helpless in the pres
ence of strong opposing public sem
timent. One citizen alone, however
noble his example, however great his
reputation for courage, is helpless if
public sentiment is opposed to right
eous doing. An editor alone, howev-
er bright, truthful, pure and strong
his editorials, cannot mould public
sentiment unless his columns are
read and his teachings publicly en-
dorsed by the masses, by the good,
by the noble, by the true. What is
the use to make an effort to anchor
ate the condition of society if you are
to be destroyed because you make the
effort? What is the use of holding an
election to get the will of the major
ity of those entitled to vote if the
ballot box can be stuffed and the re-
suit changed? What is the use of
fencing field of grain on three
sides to keep out the stock if the
fence is left down on the fourth
side? 1t is absurd to say the grain
would be preserved.
Well, in large measure, Johnson
City is doing this kind of work
Johnson City has built a fence in
front and on the sides of her Temple
of Prohibition. She has torn down
the guided saloons in her front yard.
She has decorated her most beautiful
streets with Christian churches of
beautiful architecture and lofty spires
in number and magnificence excell-
ing every other city in the state. She
has done herself honor in providing
beautiful school houses for her thor
sands of bright-eyed, sweetfaced
children, whose laughter of Joy makes
sweetest music for her good citizens.
In providing for the education of the
young, johnson City is without RI
val Her schools and her school
buildings stand as so many magnifi-
cent monuments to her beneficent
philanthropy. Her many m les of well
paved beautiful streets are so many
evidences of her pluck and her spirit
of progress. Her stores and shops
and manufacturing plants, reyerber-
ating with click of hammer. and whir
of machinery are but the reveille of
future greatness. Her railways and
transportation facilities are the true
prophets of her rapid oncoming COM
mercial power, the center of a great
of wealth, Her citizenship
in the front yard is splendid. Her
location is grand, unsurpassed. Her
mountain scenery rivals 1.-THE Garden
of The Gods" Her many Wales with
cool meandering brooks, verdant
walks. with picturesque scenery sur
pass the far famed Vale of Tempe.
Her climate is not surpassed on the
American continent. Her waters are
pure and wholesome as the fountains
Of the Helicon.
But alas! alas! Johnson City has
not fenced the fourth side of her field.
She has not raked her back yard. She
has not purified her kitchen. Some
If her back lots send forth stencil
rom whiskey, from beer, and contain
measley crowd of the drunken. the
lisolute and disorderly, often walking
boldly into the front yard, often found
m her street cars and on her boule-
ards. She has not closed her back
Ioors against the boot-legger, against
ne beer-vendor, against the walking
lemons of booze, as polluted and de-
ased as ever traversed dark Pluto