Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-05-18
A City of the Future
By Frederic j. Haskin.

| America. While the nation st large ms
| made only beginning IN the conquest
| of vice by nbolishing alcohol more OF iess
| completely, and making few Vaguo
| threats against tobacco, zion CITY, ever
since it's foundation, has prohibited not
only tobacco and liquor, but also pool
| rooms, movies, and various other devices
| which tend To distract the mind OF mnn
| from righteousness and salvation. hs
| Zion is, so are the proud cities OF ChicaRo
| and Now York to become. Zion City
| may fairly be called the moral model ana
capital of America. :,
| Most of us, who are thirty years old
| or more, remember the days when Johh
! Alexander Dowie founded Zion City
and in 1908 led the hosts OF his faith 70
| New York To regenerate the fallen city
| In 1906 Dowie was suspended from the
| church he had founded. He was charged
with misuse of investments, tyranny,
polvgamous tendencies, and some other
| things. Since then, tho public at large
/ has heard comparatively little OF zion
| CITY, but it still lives and thrlves under
| the leadership of Wilbur Glenn Voliva,
who has succeeded to the post Of general |
oversecr of Zion. lie is regarded as an |
excellent business man and n powerful /
/ exhorter with q special gift oil lnVectlVe. /
| The town manufactures lace goods, /
electrical supplies, office, milling and bok- /
ing supplios, and candy. At the last +
census it had population of nearly five
| thousand.
/ GOOD MORALS AND BAD ROADS.
The moral porfection Of Zion City Is I
| generally admitted and admired, but Il |
has certain physical mperfection which /
| has recently brought il into conflict with |
| many of its nciahbors This impcrteotion I
| il the mile and halt of highway which /
| passes through the city. IL IS part 81
| tho road from Chicago 10 Milwaukee,
which is an excellent road everywhere
except along this stretch through the
town Of tho Golden Rule. There Il IS
ns tho roads OF century ago, iiiil ot
humps, holows, and deep and treacherous
mud holes.
The motorists who pass through Zion
are bitterly resentful Of this road. They
have even talked Of boycntting tho zion
CITY industries unless the roads are re-
paired.
The feeling against the road through
Zion has reached the point where Il can
only he expressed adequately in the same
strong language that Vollya Uses n the
pulpit.
, A year ago the general wrath of the
motorists came to a head in the Illinois
State Legislature in the form Of resal'i-
i ton introduced by MIR Shurtlcff. calling
; for an investigation Of Wilbur t'lenn
Volya and the Christian Catholic Apns-
tolic Church. On April % of this year.
tho Illinois Supreme Court decided that
such an investigation was illegal, and tins
, was regarded by the Xionsis as = great
!. victory over the devil
: LICKED THE LEGISLATURE.
i The Saturday afternoon after tins
triumph was the occasion Of great ceie-
bration. There was a parade through
! the streets. with much singing and shout
y ing and waving Of American flags and the
I blue. white and yellow Zionist flags !
, huge volume of sound made by horns
n drums human voices and the beating Q
| tin mans. rose 70 the heavens over Il0n
Ir This last celebration oi the Iionsfs !
also the occasion for no little reiolc!ng
among the motorists. There are ruInor
that novv that IoIlva has tFiumphed owe
Satan and Mr.. Shurticff he viii improve
the roads lust Cd show that there are nt
hard feelings. It i oven said ne lntimhted
when the investigation seemed imminent
that IL he were spared the expense g
beng investigated he might be better ADJ
10 afford to make his thornughGares NOR
secmlv. Citizens OF Zion. when questioned
about this, give various answers tine sal
that the roads could not vet be improve
because there was not enought none
IN the town treasury Another SAID ina
work was about TO be begun upon q
roads. God willing. because ST last q
town could afford It Still another SCENE
to think that the State had better pa
for the improvements. since the roaC
were mainly used by outsiders VINO adde
little 10 the pure and exclusive atino
nhere nj the village But the gencrs
feeling Is that the supreme court decislo
has brought a double blessing 70 humani1
II these parts, It has defeated ne deF
and made certain smooth thoioughlat
To Milwaukee.
Il this il the case Zion viii probably
visited by a greater number Of tourists
the future. These tourists should 1af
warning. When they enter Zion the
rad better mind their P's and q II the
are caught smoking pipes, cigars,
cigarettes. or chewing tobacco they VI
be- arrested and fined twenty-five dolla
each. and the fact that they are Ameriea
citizens will be no protection. And as I
having alcoholic beverages conceaIe
about them the sad fate Of the trucl
from Milwaukee Is too well known Y
repeatcd here. But 1t viii be repeated -
warning nevertheless. Ihese two ifleN
careeulng over the troubled terrain
Li0n aroused the SUSPICIOUS q ~ SiI'
of the i8W They We're stopped, the
contents we're investigated and be'
found gallons and gallons of beer bouf
for wicked Chicago. Il was al prompt
emptied in the sewers Of Zion and Il
devil suffered another Knockout blow.
Zion IS "A town Of little frame house
and row of small stores. The Zion HON
hotel. Is a huge yellow edlhce, and q
Administration Building opposite IS q Z
same hue. The homo Of the late Joi
Alexander Dowie Is the most prctentlo'
"a dwelling in the place It Is of bright Il
brick with many angles and sharp pr
ieetions Its beetling and irregular 70
of vivid green tiles ~ decorated m
tf4 zigzag design of raw brown and yellow
The Shiloh tabernacle Is OF course 4
- main objective for slght->csrs II Is
= huge white she'd AMI stands short 81
i tance from the village L seats near
y seven thousand people ami II : general
+ pretty we'll filled II contains one ct &
= largest pipe organs III the world. /
= walls are decorated With designs made
II crutChes, canes, hot water bottles ~
f stretehers which used to belong 70 lnyali
II and cripples who are said TO have be
II healed III the faith. These designs 3
+ varied by some in swords and gu
II relinquishod by converts TO pacltsm, a
II | surgical Instruments Masonic emhleI