The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1922-12-04
SEATTLE NOT
VICE-RIDDEN,
SAYS CLERGY
Ministers Are Up
in Arms over
Charge City Is
Run Wide Open

Charges that Seattle In the mos
wide open" city In the unites
States. made from tho pulpit OF IN.
Plymouth Congregational churci
sunday night by Rev. chauncey J
Hawkins. met with storm Of pro
tent Monday from prominent clergy
men OF other denominations and
from city officials. Tho charges
were branded as false on every hand
small share OF condemnation.
Rev. y. A. Klein. pastor Of
Dunlap Baptist church, went 80
far as TO intimate thai, II Haw-
kins' charges are true. Hawkins
was himself responsible for .
large proportion Of the vice. In
commenting ON the sermon.
Klein hrarken~i back to the
academic controversy he had
some month. ago with Hawkins
over the significance of the blood
atonemeni of Christ.
don't believe that Seattle "
the most wide open city In the
'yuhbys %ss8 Ntfths tot " " ~
u has become -o recently. and
the fact that certain ministers
have recently com. 10 town 10
proclaim that the atonrment of
Christ was Just hrath.n super.
stifution would account To
largo degree for such q change.
II, II natural for men who arr iod
10 believe that tho blood atoneman'
Of Christ N not . reality 10 SEQ thcm
selves forever hopeless and they Try
TO get all out OF ain they can. This
drives thcm 60 tho very life which
Mr. Hawkins now prssends 70 ls
mont"
Mayor y. >. Brown dismf~red Hsw
kin.' charges with the comment: -Hs
talks like an infsnt---f think he has
high blood pressure. ana added
I'm an expert on advertising and
II looks TO me AZ IL the reverend
gentleman was simply trying 10 ad
vertlse himself"
MFR. Hawkins makes three sugses
tiona." DIR. Brown naid. HE wants
TO close all the cabarcts and public
dance halls: he urges the rropening
of she state worien's hospital nj
Medical Lake. and he thinks the
working girls wages should be
raised. agree with him on two Of
these points--the reopening OF Medl
cal Lake and raise for the work
ing girls. I'd like 20 know how he's
going to raise the giris pay. a point
which he neglected In his sermon
hut well LET that pass.
But let's look into his first propo-
sition--the closing OF all dance halls
and cabarcts.
"Resmrmber. II We did that
we'd have to close the DE
Haneys'. the Hippodrom~ and NIL
the rest of the dance halls--be-
cause the ones above YesI-r way
are Just ~ bad ~ those below.
Tho other night Mrs Brown and
I went TO the Varsity baiI--and.
well. II the girls In the dance
halls below the line dressed like
some Of the girls nj the Varsity
ball. therc'd be some cause for
complaint from the clergy.
'Tn the dance halls which Mr..
Hawkins denounccs no fervenily
there are Is women who support
their children with the money that
they make In these 'dena OF iniauity.
MIR. Hawkins doesn't offer any sub
stitute for the dance halis--he just
says Close 'cm up What would
happen to these women II we follow
ed his advice7 Does Mr.. Hawkins
expect them TO 30 10 work for si3
n week, instead OF the $40 or fsb
which they now make and which per.
mits them 20 live decenuy7 Or does
hc want TO drive them 10 the strccts7
My conception OF Christianity has
always been something 10 lift people
up instead Of crushing them down.
Turn 20 Page 8. Column u