New Britain herald., 1925-12-07
LAWMAKERS FOUND IN EVERY CALLING
Short Cuts, Ignoring Good Standards, Hit by Minister

The boy with his pocket flask, tho girl with her cigarette, the unethical minister who resorts to sensational ism just 10 get out q crowd, the thcatcr manager who permits the morals Of his acts more latitude than good taste provides, the work CT who kills time al the expense Of his employer, all are "jaywalkcrs" and violating some law moral or otherwise, according to the Rev. w. G. Aldcrson. who delivered q ser mon last evening from his pulpit in Trinity NJ, E. church entitled "Jaywalking'.
 He took his text from Ephesians. 5:15 as follows "See then that yo walk circumspoctly. not as fools, but as wise men" He said:
 I've are familiar with many fig ures of speech in regard to living. Life has been likonod to the paint ing of a picture, in which the lights and shadows, the bright colors and the somber shades appear. We often speak Of living as building, | We admonish one to use the right material and lay tho secure founda- tion. Paul has likened living to the running of a race or the fighting Of a battle. Here in our text the fig ure of speech walking is used. l am to warn you tonight against 1 'jaywalking.
 By 'jaywalking' I refer 10 that practice of cutting corners or crossing the street In the middle of the block Two men have the same objective, to get across the street One follows the path marked out at the appointed place to cross; the other disregards all rules and cuts across in the traffic. It is self evi- dent that I am not thinking of q literal crossing of the street. I am thinking of some of the short cuts we take in inc realm of morals, when we know that another and safer path has been marked for us,
 You meet 'jaywalkcrs' on every hand. A minister comes Into the community and for the sak" of popular acclaim stoops to methods that are beneath the ethics of his profession He uses his pulpit fol purposes of senSationalism. His main object is to get out a crowd and he uses any means to do 1t. HC is cutting corners, 'jaywalking'.
 "A thcater manager in order tc sell out his house introduces qucs. tionablc lines or acts in his per. formance. He is 'jaywalking'. There are certain standards of decency and honor which are laid down fol him and he refuses to walk therein
 "A man in the shop finds that ht can draw 10 hours pay for nin' hours work. He goes on tha basis. He is taking a short cut ant q dishonest one.
 "The trouble with q great deal 0 our modern life lies in the almos universal practice of jaywalking. Tn high school boy with his hip flask and the girl with her cigarette, tn family with their favoritc home brew remedy are all 'jaywalkers The underlying motive in every cas- is one of evasion. rebellion. refusa to walk according to certain mora standard.
 Now I want 10 say three thing regarding 'iaywalking' in morals First it is dangerous to the indtvid ual who does it. One can never GU corners in morals without exposing himself to the dircst consequences just as one cannot cross the stree through traffic without danger. Tn boy with his flask or the girl wit her cigarette may never become drunkard or some of those other un namable things to which loos morality leads. but the moment h starts jaywalliing' in that particula realm of morals he immediately OK poses himself to the possibility C such thing happening. 'Jaywalkint is dangerous business.
 Then it is not only dangerous hr it sets a bad example. If you dodg across the street in mid block, tn man right behind you feels justiiie in doing the same thing. If you mak your money by questionable 'shor' cuts he feels he can do the sam
 You never know when someone
 following your footprints. Thcr
 dcvolves upon every one of us tl
 necessity of walking so that q
 children of the community of 1T
 older folk shall be safe in walkin , inc path we take. No man can Si
 to himself alone. and 1 sometime z feel quite sure that we must son day answer not alone for the dan age we have done to ourselves b' z for the placing of peril in the wa O of others.
 Finally 'jaywalking' Is again the law. In the course of his mini :. try Jesus laid down a good mar
 laws which obligate all of us ar , around which there are no sho cuts. He said Love your enemi' , and do good to them that ha o you Yet every time we il o sist upon making an eXceptio . we are 'jaywalking.' There is no va e to make an exception and still sta , in the moral path. Love your en' f mics forever forbids all short cut
 Jesus said If any man would