The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1925-01-02
GOING TO HELL
In AUTOMOBILES
Yes, Some Folks Are, But
They Would Go the Same
Way With a Mule.

just passed by. AS usual. ne )
been nosing around trying to
find something to grumble at
and, since YOU usually find
what YOU look for. he hasn't
been disappointed. 'Lige Hen
slcy's boy was caught hauling
bootleg liquor in his second
hand flivver and now Brother
Scruggs is paying his vitriolic
respects to the whole gaS-bug-
gy tribe.
These here automobiles is n
curse To the country! was his i'll
tplligent comment. They're the
cause of more boys going to the
bad and girls being ruined than
all the other works of the devil.
Id like to see 'em all &crapped and
burned
To which everybody mods amen"
hut. so far, | haven, noticed any
body sacrificing his particular John
Henry on Brother ScruggS altar.
We'll. it's the same old whine,
Dear old Scruggs is one of those
professional miSery-mOngerS who
sit. like owls. in dark places and
blight the serenity of Il happy day
with their melancholy hOOting: one
of the inmumerable iackaSSeS who
stand by the roadside of Progress 10
bray and hpe-haw at every forward
movement of this struggling race,
If Doctor OSler's plan for rcmov'
ing unnecessary old men ever goes
into effect. ! shall recommend for
the first victim. Brother Scruggs
OF course. think most folks now
adayS have enough sense TO know
| that an automobile, like anything
else. is IL power for good or evil
/ depending upon who rides therein
! that she'll 20 tQ-Sunday School ol
70 a bootleg still. to a revival meet
/ ing aS easily aS to cabaret: that
she is. however. utterly devoid O1
/ conscience aud will run as fast 10
! ward hell as heaven. But its the
/ principlr-thc bcarin'S, thereof
that I'm driving at,-this habit "l
condrmniny things in : ea OF
thoughts. blaming the fiddle instead
of the fiddler. 1t isn't the things that
are bad. it Is our misuse Of them.
And if you are going to condemn our
flivvrrS NrcauSe some are miSllscd,
then chCp up the pianos. because
some play bad music. burn up all
houses hccnuSe some are hauntS OF
shame. shoot all officers because
some are crooks. fire all preachers
because some preach hcresy. dis
card all government because some
forms are rotten, fOrsakc God be-
cause there arc idols.
If boy intends to 20 to the
bow-wnwS. taking his gasoline con-
vryanrr away won't stop him. loll
can 20 TO hell Oh IL mule. or h0Of it.
And the girl who will sell her Nir-
tllc for car-ridc won't retain Il
. long nnyway.--and. besides. it isn't
virtue if she remains pure merely
for lack of opportunity to he other
wise.
After all. badness is the corrlip-
tion Of the good things with which
the Father has provided us. Drunk
ruucss is the misuse of orr desire
for stimulation. SenSuality Is III"
ucrvcrsion of passion. Ii is the
i'll Use of money that is harmful, the
miSyovcrnmcnt of ambition that Is
wrong There is Il righteous use
of anger. And pride is drbaSlng
ONLY when miSdircCted. The big
Bible preacher. Paul. was aS proud
after his conversion as before. but
his pride was glOrificd by Il new
purpose.
So. away with all this silly till
kcring with inanimatc objects. this
Indictment of mechaniSmS. II l.
not what goeth into man that de-
fileth him and | might add, 1t Is
not what he gOeth into.
No. Brother Scruggs. you are
wrong. \ boy and girl may drive
thru Lovers Lane to the parSOn :
house. and thence to IL bungalow,
live beautiful life, rear great chill
drcn. and bless the whole world.-
all because of one ride in Ford.
Another couple may drive To Il
shameful resort. sacrifice honor and
purify and 90 TO hell. in the same
Ford. 1t all depends upon whether
Love or Lust sits at the steering
wheel The trouble is where il has
ever becn.--in the human heart.
You can't make the criminal better
merely by taking his gun away.
He must have new heart, not
merely new suit. \ heart set
OH things low and sordid will sink
10 ruin. though alone in Il desert or
brought up in Il perennial camp
meeting. \ heart that is set on
things Divine will struggle thru