The Washington herald., 1918-01-21
CUSSINC in WASHINGTON
LAMBASTED BY BILLY AS
MOST DAMNABLE SIN
AFTERNOON SERMON
When Chickens Come Home to Roost


None of your damned business. Get
out Of here. What right have you to
come in here interfering with my per-
sonal liberty! Is that your wife? No.
sirl She's mine"
II am sorry that she has to call you
husband. Are those your kidsT''
Yes"
I am sorry they have to call you
father"
Didn't I pay the doctor to delive.
them7 Didn't I pay the license to
marry herr
IT presume you did"
Then what business have you to
come into my house and interfere with
my personal liberty? That's my wife.
Those are my children. II want to
drag her around by the hair Of the
head. what business have you to
come In here?"
What do you think I'd do? I'd
knock three kinds Of dung out Of
that old hog. Just as sure as you
live! I'd show him whether I had
any right to interfere with his per-
sonal liberty. So II IL everybody's
business what everybody does.
I have no business to exercise my
personal liberty, or license in the
name Of liberty, II the exercise of
that license or liberty curtails the L.
cense or liberty Of my neighbor.
I am an American citizen and I an.
a taxpayer. I have a right to vote
and exercise my liberty and right OF
franchise to vote. II by my vote, 1
am not going to make 1t harder for
my neighbor to walk home, sober am.
easier for him to walk home drunk.
Flags Harmful Liberty.
There is a moral obligation that's
above any legal proposition that you
can ever flash up before anybody on
Gods earth. And never in the name
Of liberty must you exercise your lib
erty that's going to harm anybody
else.
Personal liberty is not personal IL
cense. Our forefathers did not die on
the snow-covered hills of New Eng
land, sir. and dye the soil Of the colo
nies red with their blood in order to
establish personal license-they did
die to establish liberty, regulated by
law.
Personal liberty-that's the law that
all the anarchists want
Personal liberty-that's the liberty
Of the tiger.
Personal Hberty-that's the liberty
of the wolf in your sheep fold to tear
the lambs to pieces.
Personal nberty-that's all the yegg
wants-a chance to crack a safe.
Personal nberty-that's all the white
SLAYER wants in order to outrage and
seduce your girl, sell her,
Personal lfberty-that's all the thief
- ha 20 Lat I'm, al
That's all the red-handed. black
hearted anarchist wants, who waves
the red nag Of anarchy-that's the
flag Of my country! II you don't like
II, get out Of here. That's not your
old red rag, not on your tintype! Do
you think I'd lay down for that gang?
not on your hfe!
II you were the only citizen in this
town you could do as you pleased.
You could make a race track out of
the main street. sir. You could drive
your horse on a dead run. You could
shoot your automobile sixty miles an
hour. You could build a slaughter
house in the public square.
You could stick a glue factory in
the best residence district II you
wanted to.
But when the citizenship Of this city
multiplies to hundreds OF thousands,
you can't make a race track there.
You can't build a slaughter house
down there. You can't build a glue
factory right under some ones win
dow.
You say. ''why can't L own the
team"
Right"
sI own the autonaohils
True"
7 own the property. I pay the
taxes"
Yes"
why can't do as .please?'
Because the lives OF other people
are jeopardized when you exercise
your liberty without restraint. The
health and welfare of other people
are impaired by your glue factory and
slaughter house"
Now, I plead. I exhort, appeal to
the tenderest emotions Of men. I give
them words Of warning, especially to
the man who will wilfully keep on in
sin. No man will choose sin, Oh.
my friends. the man who viii wilfully
do 1t will brand as a fool
No man will live unto himself. You
will all agree with me. don't care a
rap who you are. Foreign born or
native, you will agree with me when
you think 1t over. You will say ''Bin.
you are right"
I am interested In the sinner. but
I hate his sins. You never had a
man come to this city that's more in
terested in the sinner or hates his sins
worse than I. I win do anything on
earth to help that man.
When q doctor comes to your home.
he has no quarrel with you. He has a
quarrel with the disease that threat
ems to put you in your grave.
Only Quarrel with Devil
I am your friend. I have no quarrel
with you as a man. I have a quarrel
with the devil and the sin that holds
you an unwilling slave MY quarrel
Is with the devil. not with you, you
fools.
I want to get something into your
head beside bulk oysters and saw
dust No man will argue In favor of
sin. No man will stand up and say
tnat sin Is good thing-no sir! No
man will say. TT would be better II
We were all ibertines-no sir! It
would De better II we were all drunk
ards or thieves" Il
Nobody would stand up and say:
Our women would be better II they
were all prostitutes, II every woman,
would sell or give away her sexual
favors to the neighbor that wants her,
we'd be better" No man would ar
que like that
We an agree that we are better
when We are sober. honest We are
better when we pray. You've got to
90 1t; You'd got to do It you are
forced to do Il. - =
The average young fellow doesn't
appreciate. today. that he can begin
WHARF his old DAD Iaft nm va,