The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1920-04-09
MORALS AND BUSINESS.

When used to stand on the streets Of
the infamous south side levee Of Chicago
with the little band Of warkers Of the
Midnight Mission trying to get young
men to go home and keep out of the sin
Of that district, wondered how the busi-
ness men of Chicago could stand the
losses that that district cost them.
Here was what.I saw. Young men with
intelligent faces. wearing good clothes,
and bearing thmeslves as men of pros
perity. were going in and out Of the
houses of prostitution just as though that
was the ordinary course of life. Yet,
those young men were risking health and
even life itself every time they went in
to one Of those houses. Some people say.
That is their own affair" But that Is
not so When any man sins, every other
man helps to pay the penalty, for mo
man liveth unto himself"
Here is how 1t works. Every industry
needs strong. capable men. II II cannot
get the best men, 1t has to take what is
left 1t must pay less for poorer service
than for good If it can. but 1t is not al
ways possible to do that. There Is limit
below which II cannot go, for a man must
have the necessities of life or he cannot
work. Every time, therefore. that an EN-
ploye waists his strength. becomes dis
eased. and blunts his Intelligence by SIN.
his employer suffers. He. In turn. must
price of his products. The ultimate con-
sumner pays 1t all.
But this Is not all Many of the Young
men seen in those streets showed that
they had native ability to rise In their
profession. to become foremen. managers.
superintendents. chiefs. Every time such
a young man is ruined. and many OF them
are our whole industrial fabric has suf-
fered loss. for capable leaders are
scarce and II Is serious to lose one OF
them. When, In the providence of God. a
good man Is taken out OF the world, we
know that God is able to raise up another
in his place so that the world Is none the
poorer But when the devil destroys a
man, he never raises up another as good
to take his place. That man Is lost to our
civilization with all that he might have
done to make the world better. richer
and happier.
One thing more. No good man goes
down to ruin by sin without leading u
host of others in his train. The very vir-
tues of the man make his downfaii tue
more disastrous, for men exalt him for
his virtues, but emulate his vices. As an
example, how many many men nave
celebrated the birthday of Robert Burns,
not with q response to the finer senti-
ments of his noble verses. but by gain
ering together to drink themselves drunk
in imitation Of his ignoble vices.
Oroville Is q new town with very srett
possibilities God has given her WONDER
full climate, soil. water. and minerals. ev-
erything a community has right to ask
of a beneficent deity. With these men OF
sense, enterprise. and industry. can build
up a community rich in everything man
can use. But it will take just that KIND
of men to do 1t. The men that Will ouiid
this community, n 1t is built. are the
men that put their strength. their atten-
ton, their money. into the production OF
wealth, moral and physical Every time a
man wastes his time, money, and mind'
gambling, drinking. or fooling with loose
women, he is robbing this community.
How Is he doing this? Think 1t through
again. That man insists on just as high
wages as the man that gives his fuii
mind and strength to his work-often ne
asks more, for such sins cost money II
he II a business man, he must have
higher profit to cover his losses OF time.
strength and money. We all help to pay
his losses But that Is not all He Is influ-
encing others, boys and girls II not older
people, and Is leading them into the same
course of wickedness and wastefu'ness.
Is he not robbing the rest OF usF Is ne not
our enemy as we'll as his own3
Oroville cannot afford immora1ity we
must have the best of morals In order to
have the best of other things.
MnHI.ER.