Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-10-14
TT TAKES LOTS OF NERVE AND CHEEK TO
DEMAND SECOND CHANCE AFTER DEATH

Almighty gave you, while you were
here. it seems to me II would. I
know it would so far as l am con-
cerned.
II this life IS merely a stage OF
probation, how can we hold that
the next stage will result in our
reaching our final destination? Mo-
You reach your final destination
here. You decide on this side of
the coffin whether It will be heaven
or he'll. 1t isn't on the other side
at all. And why should 1t not al
ways be a stage of probation and
soul failing there, be passed on TO
a future probation? And if they
fail to obtain salvation in one stage,
on what grounds do you argue that
they will get it in the next stage?
II a man don't get salvation here,
on what grounds do you argue he
will get It over there? sAnd II a
man refuses here. on what grounds
do you argue that he will accept it
yonder? He will do nothing Of the
kind.
Now longevity doesn't insure re-
pentance. There is not one thing
in the experience of the world that
would indicate that the average
man would repent OF his sins If he
had 10000 years in which to do IL.
The antediluvians lived from seven
to ten times the length OF the ordi-
nary life today Where we live
70 they lived 700 years.
Punishment Doesn't Cure.
Now, punishment doesn't cure.
There are those who delude them
selves and fool others, by thinking
that a short term OF punishment in
the world to come will refine them
as God has purified by fire, and that
out of the soil of punishment will
spring a fair flower of penitence
and Of faith and of purity. OH l
wish to God I could believe that!
wish it were true, but l am COM
PEELED to face the fact that the
Overwhelming majority OF prison
ers in the penitentiaries and jails
have been imprisoned from one to
six times before.
l am compelled to face some
facts. I wish l didn't have to do
IL. l am compelled to face the fact
that an attack Of delirium tremens
doesn't have a curative effect on
the man in the grip of strong drink.
No sooner does he get over that
than he will walk right into sa-
loon and drink the booze that gave
him delirium tremens. and do the
thing he knows will give him a
second attack. Now isn't that a
fact? All right!
You are up against some things.
l want to show you that lot OF
these old liars have been leading
you wrong That is what l want
to do Wait a minute.
l am compelled to face the fact
that punishment, instead OF uplift-
ing life. and sweetening il, and
putting hope into tit does the
reverse. it degrades. brushes and
embitters, and the most embittered
crushed, my friend, OF all are the
men in prison. Why? The whole
movement in our day for the re-
form of our penal institutions and
prisons is based on the fact that
our method OF furnishing criminals
with a straight-jacket and the
thumb-screw and the black cell and
all that-we have been turning
them out on society at the end OF
their terms a darn sight worse than
they were when they went in there.
That is what we have been doing
1 say our method of Furnishing
them instead OF sweetening and
changing has done the reverse.
Now, our universe is all one piece
and the law that operates in one
! realm operates in the other
! Therefore. if punishment doesn't
purify and change and make better
in this world, you big idiot, on
what ground do you argue that
/ punishment In the next world
would do what 1t don't in this one;
! No! It is impossible for any