The sun., 1918-07-01
DIR. STRATON AGAIN
SCOURGES THE SUN
Refuses to Accept Editors Elk.
cuses for Publishing Sun
day Newspaper.

Even as was Sodom OF the ancients,
New York will be destroyed-yea, ut
terly stamped out-for her wickedness.
At least, this is the persistent notion
which haunts the intellectuals OF the
Rev. DR.. John Roach Straton, pastor or
Calvary Baptist Church. No person. no
number OF persons. can persuade DR..
Straton that there IL CLEAN of hope.
Week after week he thunders his warn
ing from the pulpit Of Calvary. pausing
from time to time, to brandish his
scourge at THE SUN, which has been
indefatigable IN advising him to take a
rest for his sake and the sake Of the
people Of New York.
In the course of his third sermon last
night on the shocking condition OF the
morals of our fair city. sermon which
he entitled, The Morals Of New York.
Is the City Growing Better or Worse?'
he wondered audiply what sort OF an
arithmetician Is the editor of THE Sun
that he. the editor. should estimate
spenders Of $7.500,000 In cabarets in a
month as an infinitesimal part OF the
population Of the city
Nor can 1 find mself in agreement
with the editors position on the Ques-
ton of Sabbath violation" he continued
Sunday edition on the ground that. un-
like the street car rowdies. 1t does not
violate any law OF the State of New
York. But what about the law Of God
THE Sun cannot ease its conscience
either by citing the fact that some labor
is employed to keep Calvary Baptist
Church open on Sunday Almost all OF
this labor. by deliberate policy. IS per-
formed before the Sabbath. and the
remainder is performed not in violation
of Gods law but as a work OF necessity
that the people may be given an oppor-
tunity to obey Gods law by coming into
His sanctuary to worship Him. The
Sunday paper cannot justify Itself,
therefore, by the Sunday church
The Sunday newspaper is an evil
legacy of our civil war. and in England
and Canada the few Sunday papers to
evil results of the present war. Prior
to 1914 there were no Sunday papers
either in Canada or in England
Dr. Straton admitted without reserve
that there has been great impro~ nent
in some matters. especially in the co ltrol
of Commercialized vice and gambling and
in the reduction OF drunkenness, but he
shook his head over the possibility that
there might be a great increase in clan
des,ine social evils"
The danger point. particularly In this
age" he remarked, us in the relation
ship between the sexes There has been
such relaxing OF the bonds Of restraint.
such lessening of home influence, such
an increase OF familiarity between the
sexes because of business and industrial
contact. and such a loss Of true reverence
and respect for womanhood in the minds
OF millions. that we are confronting what
Is nothing short OF moral crisis.
Nor can we escape the unpleasant
fear that while drinking is decreasing
among the men Il is strongly on the in
crease among women. accompanied too,
by cigarette smoking. petty gambling
and other vices which tend TO cheaper
womanhood Every great civilization OF
the past has decayed precisely at this
point of the degradation Of womanhood
and wrong relationship between the
sexes
Il am no pessimist concerning the fu-
ture, but the truest optimism Is that
which is willing to see all the facts. bad
as we'll as good The great question is,
is there an increase OF vital godliness ?
Morality without religion always fails.
And what New York needs to-day more
than anything else Is for the preachers,
editors and all other forces of righteous
ness to unite for the rceSta bli shment
of a right home life among the people,
for the proper rearing of children and
for the recreation OF that reverence for
God and His word which will give US
back the old fashioned American Sab
hath