The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-02-24
Dr. Broadly Speaks on
 Social Evil Problems

At the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian
 church yesterday morning Dr. J. M.
 Broadly spoke at length on the social evil and it's attendant problems. He empha-
 sized the fact that the unity of the churches, regardless of creed or dogma,
 was necessary to support the govern
 ment in the solution of these vital prob lems. His text was from St. John 9:4 'T must work the works of Him that sent
 me while it is day, for the night cometh when no man can work" Dr. Broadly said in part:
 "These are the words of our Lord in reply to an inquiry from His disciples as to the cause of mans physica! blindness. which they had noted. Jesus said: This was not on account of sin | by the man or by his parents, but was | permitted in order that the works of God i should he manifested In this passage
 our Lord gave the programme for live, wide-awake community serving and God | fearing church.
 l May I say that there is a growing 1 conviction that the larger programme ] of the church as is set forth in the scrip ture lesson which read in Matthew II, I in this new era will demand more atten- l ton to community problems rather than | the parish tasks alone to which the i church in the old era has been content to address itself Such as dogmas doe lIlne, HOIltSStlttldl IO SalNutlOIl, anu | forms of worship that are nonessential. | And unless some advance methods are available and practiced many of the most important Christian responsibilities will be neglected
 If it was just and right and effec- | tive to unite all of the allied armies under one great general. such as Foch proved ! himself to be, what excuse have we as separate little denominations to stand l a 'nof other when like the allies have a common cause, and harp on our differences which would take a spiritual scientist with a spy glass to | locate.
 "The hour has struck when the lead CTS of the U. S. A. Presbyterian church has said authoritatively, We must work
 the works of God as applied and inter preted by Jesus, and not by the ideals or i, interpretation of the mystics of the dark | ages.
 "The biggest question before the churches of Birmingham today is. are we going to support the government, the | city commission and the board of rev. enue in their splendid beginning to stamp out of our community venerial diseases? 1 For they have wrought marvels in | beginning, but now must have the united l support of churches before their work I can be a permanent success.
 Listen to this you will pardon my I frankness, and God have mercy on your modesty, which I must say is false, 1T i at the expense of the possibility or saving some boy or girl from shame and disgrace, you object to what l am about | to say in a mixed audience, for as be-
 tween your modesty and the hope of saw l ing some one from ruin, I will choose the latter, and accept the consequences. l According to government statistics 1 not any local enthusiast, 10 per cent of | the population of the United States Is /, affected with this loathsome disease Tn 1 some form or other & per cent of all I pelvic operations on womens are from
 this cause 30 per cent of all blindness is from this cause; 100 per cent of locomo- ter ataxia comes from this cause; 20 per
 cent of stomach troubles, IS per cent of heart troubles, and 60 to 70 per cent or l insanity comes from this cause, These 1 are government facts
 l "A free clinic has been established in
 the Hllman hospital, also one in Bes- semer, and in these clinics from 90 to 75 people are being treated daily. As a result of this work in the last two months inc ban has been lifted from Birming- ham and soldiers can spend their fur tough here.
 "But after these unfortunates have been cured they need a reconstructloh lhcme. The government. city commission l and board of revenue have all done their I part well. but it remains for the churches land people of the city not identified with churches to provide such a place.
 "Tne committee of 100 officially appoint
 ed by the city commission have secured
 an option on the Queenstown property
 which has upon it a modern three-story brick building, 100 acres of land, lake' 35 acres and outbuldings suitable Tor the deliverances of the captive and bind- ing up of the broken which was part
 of the programme of the Lord Jesus as
 he gave in his first sermon at Nazareth