The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-08-01
CANNOT FORGE { PEOPLE TO BE
 GOOD, HE SAYS


 Young, Baptist clergyman, chaplain ana military director of a war hut and club in New York for soldiers, sailors and marines, has decided views on the subject of the legitimate freedom of the individual.
 With the simple, natural liberties of the American people being 1eg1s- lated away from them today" he said, 'inquiring minds are beginning : to ask, Who are these Angels of Light going about the country, fn- 1 tsmidatirg legislators and taking away the constitutional rights of the American people?
 This reform wave which is sweep ing over the country has been hearU from more recently in Texas, where some influence, of which have not knowledge, has been working to pro- hi.oit nen---not minors---but men of all ages, from playing pool and bil- lizards in public
 Now, the effects from such & thing as that can result only one way: The men who frequent these places are solng to seek ether sorts of amuse-
 heht under other conditions or else thef homes are going to be turned into garnoting, institutions and head quarters for all sorts of vice. What we want today are not more laws placed upon the statute books. but we want the present laws enforced We have sufficient laws to make men go straight. It will require upward or 2,o000O0 extra men to enforce all the laws that the present reform movement is trying to have enacted.
 1 absolutely do not believe in fore a I
 lives against their will" q1e saina CT Believe in legitimate reforms hut be1eVe in reaching the individual
 -hFoogh persuasion. Today we are witnessing many unnatural reforms IT the people desire these reforms let them say sos at the ibalolt box. In tus- Lice to the principles that our fore fathers laid down for freedom of speech, mind, and our right to say by power Of the vote what shall be done the American people should exercis, thls right Conditions today alone all lines have improved 1000 Der cent ana It has not been done by big re- forms. It has been done by reasonfn. with men and women and by exan,nla and persuasion.
 These are days" he declared.
 when we must give our young mer, something more than an ho11r's preaching. We hear going all over the country the hue and cry of what we can do to get our young peonl, 70 become interested in the church. The answer has been: Make +ha church the community centre wher. hey can meet their friends and in '-Hise Ill various lines of amusement end exercise. If the church is to exist II must go to the people and offer hem something in the way of enter tafrfInent and social advantages.
 This is practical Christianity. and the true road to all reforms that are necessary At least nine out of every ten boys who are returning from France complain bitterly of the man. so-called reform laws enacted during thelf absence. While we were away lighting for democracy, they say. they were here establishing an au- tocracy, and we shall never be satis- fled until we are given a chance aa the polls to speak for ourselves on these questions
 l Many people have complained, to me that the reformers watching their chance to get legislation enacted, took advantage of the busy war days, when everybody but themselves. eyi dently, was occupied with work of some sort or other that would help to end the war and establish democracy i throughout the world. Such form of i autocracy will not gain anything for l this country. We are the greatest Nation earth today because we have had the greatest liberty to work out our individual ana national saliva i ton as we saw it. That is why this country has produced the greatest i minds the greatest inventions. the greatest wealth in the world of na- ! tions.
 ! "Because under their constitutional rights he said the people had this freedom of initiative that made us a successful people, it was this love for personal liberty, and the initia- tive acquireli in a free land, that helped our men to win the war To- day German autocracy has reduced the German nation to that of the smallest and most insignificant slave state.
 This fact, if nothing else, should teach us the folly of legislating away our personal freedom, and taking away our initiative. If we become machlne-made men, as the Germans had become before the war, then our country will deteriorate. We are fast going this way. It is time the Amer lean people began to regain their Tights. The American people can a1-- ways he depended upon to remeny any eAlstlr~ evil by legislation. There Is no necessity of any small group trying to do this 1u- them. Christ, the greatest spiritual success the world has known, never forced any one to follow him. He reasoned with the people and taught them the value of example and thought
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