Chapter 8—The Cities
The Original City Builders
Upon receiving the curse of God, Cain had withdrawn from his
father’s household. He had first chosen his occupation as a tiller of
the soil, and he now founded a city, calling it after the name of his
eldest son [
Genesis 4:17
]. He had gone out from the presence of
the Lord, cast away the promise of the restored Eden, to seek his
possessions and enjoyment in the earth under the curse of sin, thus
standing at the head of that great class of men who worship the god of
this world.—
Patriarchs and Prophets, 81
(1890).
For a time the descendants of Noah continued to dwell among the
mountains where the ark had rested. As their numbers increased, apos-
tasy soon led to division. Those who desired to forget their Creator and
to cast off the restraint of His law felt a constant annoyance from the
teaching and example of their God-fearing associates, and after a time
they decided to separate from the worshipers of God. Accordingly they
journeyed to the plain of Shinar, on the banks of the river Euphrates....
[110]
Here they decided to build a city, and in it a tower of such stu-
pendous height as should render it the wonder of the world [
Genesis
11:2-4
].—
Patriarchs and Prophets, 118, 119
(1890).
The Cities Are Hotbeds of Vice
The pursuit of pleasure and amusement centers in the cities. Many
parents who choose a city home for their children, thinking to give
them greater advantages, meet with disappointment, and too late re-
pent their terrible mistake. The cities of today are fast becoming
like Sodom and Gomorrah. The many holidays encourage idleness.
The exciting sports—theater-going, horse-racing, gambling, liquor-
drinking, and reveling—stimulate every passion to intense activity.
The youth are swept away by the popular current.—
Christ’s Object
Lessons, 54
(1900).
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