Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-05-20
WHAT TIME is 1T?
By Frederic J. Haskin

~ IN ~, ~ - AAt, M"y 10. 80. ms
IL Chicago, may fairly be taken
as a vision of the future in
America. While the nation at large
has made only beginning in the
conquest Of vice by abolishing alco-
making few vague threats against
tobacco, Zion City, ever since its
foundation, has prohibited not only
tobacco and liquor, but also pool
rooms, movies, and various other de-
vices which tend to distract the mind
Of man from righteousness and sal
walton. AS Zion is, so are the proud
cities of Chicago and New York to
become. Zion City may fairly be call
ed the moral model and capital of
America.
Most of us, who are thirty years
when John Alexander Dowie founded
Zion City, and in 1903 led the hosts
of his faith to New York to regen-
crate the fallen city: In 1905, Dow
lie was suspended. from the church
he had founded. He was charged
polygamous tendencies. and some
other things. Since then, the public
at large has heard comparatively lit
tie Of Zion City, but it still lives and
thrives under the leadership of Will
bur Glenn Voliva, who has succeed
ed to the post of general overseer of
Zion. He is regarded as an excellent
business man and a powerful exhort-
er with a special gift Of invectiye.
The town manufactures lace goods,
electrical supplies, office, milling and
| baking supplies, and candy. At the
| last census it had a population or
nearly 5000.
Good Morals and Bad Roads
The moral perfection of Zion City
is generally admitted and admired,
/ &r;. IL vol nc
lection which has recently brought
| it into conflict with many Of its
neighbors. This imperfection is the
mile p \ half of highway which
passes through the city. 1t is a part
| Of the road from Chicago to Milwau-
erywhere except along this stretch
| through the town of the Golden Rule.
| There it is as the roads of century
| ago, full of bumps, hollows, and deep
AMI treacherous mud holes.
| The motorists who pass through
road. They have even talked Of boy
cotting the Zion City industries IN
less the roads are repaired:
The feeling against the road
| through Zion has reached the point
where it can only be expressed ade-
] quately in the same strong Language
| that Voliva uses in the pulpit
A year ago the general wrath OF
tn motorists came to head in the
Illinois state legislature in the form
of a resolution introduced by Mr.
ShurtIeff, calling for an investiga-
| Christian Catholic Apostolic church
On April % of this year, the Illinois
supreme court decided that such an
investigation was Illegal, and this
was regarded by the Zionists as
great victory over the devil.
Licked the Legislature
The Saturday afternoon after this
| triumph was the occasion OF grea'
celebration. There was parade
through the streets. with much sing,
Al erican flags and the blue, white
and yellow Zionist flags. A huge vol
ume of sound made by horns, drums
| human voices and the beating OF TIN
pans. rose to the heavens over Zion
This last celebration of the zion
| lists is also the occasion Tor a ~
tie rejoicing among the motorists
There are rumors that now that Vol
| iva has triumphed over Satan ant
Mr.. Shurtleff, he will improve thu
roads just to show that there ar
no hard feelings: It. is even 10 s sidt
Spared the expense of being invs
| tigatd he might be better able tt
afford to make his thoroughfare
more seemly. Citizens of Zion, Whe1
questioned about this, give various
answers. One said that the roads
could not yet be improved becaus'
there was not enough money in TIL
! town treasury. Another said tina
work was about to be begun upo1
last the town could afford it. Still
another seemed to think that thu
state had better. pay for the i'm
provements. since the roads wer
mainly used by outsiders who add
ed little to the pure and exclusiv'
general feeling is that the suprem
court decision has brought a doubl
blessing to humanity in these parts
it has defeated the devil and mad
certain, smooth thoroughtare t.
only chimneys Smoke
If this is the case Zion will prob
ably be visited by a greater mum
Der of tourists in the future. Thes
tourists should take warning. Whel
mind their p's and as. If they ar
caught smoking pipes, cigars or Gig
arettes. or chewing tobacco, they will
be arrested and fined twenty-five
dollars each, and the fact that the!
are American citizens will be NJ
protection. And as for having alec
holic beverages concealed about then
the sad fate of the two trucks from
Milwaukee is too we'll known to b.
!! repeated here. But it will be re
These two trucks, careening owe
the troubled terrain of Zion, aroused
the suspicious of an officer of thu
law. They were stopped, thei1
contents were investigated, and bee
was found-gallons and gallons o
beer bound for wicked Chicago! I
sewers of Zion and the devil suf
fered another knockout blow.
Zion is a town of little franz
houses: and row of small stores
yellow edifice, and the administra
| ton building opposite is of the sam
| hue The home of the late JOIN
Alexander DoWie is the most preten
tious dwelling in the place. It is o
and sharp projections, It's beetltnl
and irregular roof of vivid greer
tiles is decorated in zigzag desigl
of raw brown and yellow.
the main objective for sightseers
1t is a huge white shed and stands
short distance from the village.
seats nearly seven thousand peopf
and it is generally pretty wei
filled. 1t contains one Of the 1arg
walls are decorated with design
made of crutches, canes, hot waite
bottles and stretchers which used t.
belong to invalids and cripples VIII
are said to have been healed in tn
faith. These designs are varied b,
some in swords and guns relin
pushed by converts to pacifism, an
surgical instruments, Masonic EN-
blems, and cigars given up by doc
tors, lodge members and smokers re
spectively, who have been led to Sc
the error of their ways.
There is always a caretaker in tn
building who will show you aroun
very courteously and answer you
questions to the best of his abilit
and he will not fail to point ou
to you the advantages Of becoming
a convert to the creed Of Zion.
HAMRONF'C MEnITATION