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Show SOCRETY MUSI LIFT FALLENJUMAMITV Solution of Economic and Sociological Problems Lies in Salvation of Men. PROFLIGACY IS DUE TO WASTE, NOT TO "TIMES" Baptist Minister Says Legislation Legisla-tion and "Isms" Are Not Relief Re-lief for Condition. The Rev. D. A. Brown, in a sermon delivered Sunday morning' at the Jewish Jew-ish Temple, where the congregation of the, First Baptist church is meeting, until un-til the completion of the new cdifieo, spoke on tho economic and social life of cities. Dr. Brown took exception to the wasting wast-ing of money for amusement and the laying of blame- for dissolute deeds to the "times" and "economic conditions." condi-tions." 'We spend too much money in our citv iiud throughout our State for so-yjjlled so-yjjlled diversion. The avcrago mining camp has more money put into tho hands of its citizenship than the aver-ago aver-ago town of the same size in au agricultural agricul-tural community of tho East. There is nothing helpful, and certainly nothing elevating, in the cheap places of amusement amuse-ment in our city. And besides being an economic waste now, there is a danger of them leading our young pooplo into a life that will make them a greater economic burden in the future, if they do nothing worse for them. Legislation Without Effect. "What will stop the waste from these and other places of evil in our city? Legislation will not do it. Our City Council may legislate a new path for our citizens, but they cannot force them to walk in it. To do that, authority au-thority must come from a higher power. pow-er. Socialism, apd other economic the ories will not do it. These have economic econ-omic truth in them, but economic truth alono will not make a secure foundation upon which to rear the multiplex life of our citv. The wp.nkness of Hie Snfi;ii;t;(. propaganda, and every other similar movement is that thoy divorce economic econ-omic questions from moral precept and power. "In other words, they lack the vory foundation that true Christianity supplies: sup-plies: tho power to lift man into higher and .better, wants.- -For - to -give unto men who are not industrious, sober and honest tho property of other men will only increase the evil of their own dispositions. dis-positions. This is attested to by the evil that comes from the money of unprincipled un-principled rich men. Mission Is Salvation. "No chango toward a better life is made by the mere acquirement of wealth. Money may be be used for evil ends in the hands of bad poor men just as it may bo in the hands of bad rich men. The only way to stop these economic wastes in soeioty at large is to save men from tho sins that cause them. This is the mission of Christ ad the church. Our message is tho essential, essen-tial, the fundamental principle. for every indiivdual- Men ma3' deuy the message and defy the messengers, but the' will come back to both, "Another tiling of practical value would bo accomplished if the social life of our city were built on the foundation of the doctrine of salvation: the problem prob-lem of public charity would be simplified, simpli-fied, if not solved. At tho bottom of the great majority of appeals for money there is sin. Eradicate sin and you tako away tho appeal. I know of several sev-eral families in an Eastern city who were ouce objects of eharit'. One of them is now the owner of hundreds of dollars' worth of property, if not thousands thous-ands of dollars' worth. lie received and believed tho doctrines of salvation. The economic waste in his life and tho lifo of his family was stopped. lie solved his own economic problems, affil so could many another man, if he were honest with himself. Profligacy the Cause. "It is easy enough to lay the blame upon the 'time' and 'economic conditions. condi-tions. But if many a man found tho right instrument of blame, ho would not need to go farther than his own mouth or hand. The beggar at tho beautiful gate was a cripple. Ife looked into the preacher's face and expected lo receive tho money for which he asked. The preacher "said: 'J. have no money for you, but T have something 1 better. What .you need is the power: that will enable you to make your own ! living. Tn tho name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. I saj-, arise nnd walk!' "I believe that we are not doing ;i man any permanent good who asks for financial hplp, unless wo go to tho root of the matter, as Peter did. When we look behind the request for alms, in tho majority of cases we will sec the 'broken 'brok-en limb. 5 It is drink, gambling, profligacy, sin. A. week ago a innn sat. in my study and asked for help. In course of the oonvorsntion. he told me that a few weeks before lie had gambled gam-bled awnv more than $100 in a mining camp. rlhe doctrine of salvation will stop tho source of waste in that, man's life and relieve society of a.nothor outstretched out-stretched hand. And I. told him ao, after giving him the iuea,iis to keep him for a dny." |
