The Ohio organ, of the temperance reform. (Cincinnati, [Ohio]) 1853-1854, 1853-08-26
For the Temperance Organ.
CLEvEs, July 25th, 1853.


BRorHER CLARK will you permit me,
through your excellent paper, to submit
few thoughts to its numerous religious read
ers. Every system of every character, has
its professed friends and its professed enc
mics. 1t so with the cause Of temperance;
but no enemy Is half so potent and fatal TO
any cause, as one who processes attachment
to that cause, but whose acts are in sympa-
thy with the enemies of that cause. do
not wish to charge this position to any pro-
fessed friend of temperance and yet there
are some habits that may come under the
head of inconsistencies that as materially
retard the progress of temperance as the
overt acts OF its open enemies. Among the
first, and perhaps most egregious, is that of
furnishing gram and ether materials for
distillation. Here let me appeal to my pro-
Tossing Christian brethren. The Devil, our
great enemy, Is very sagacious he knows
full well that if he can get Christians to do
his dirty work, they win do it to suit him
best Hence, so large number Of distil-
lers, agents, aids and abettors, proprietors
and owners Of retail houses, are members of
some of the Christian churches. We would
say to you, my brethren, as we did to dis
tinguished member of the Presbyterian
Church, not long since, when he frankly
remarked, that "lhe man that would give
him the most money for his corn should
have it." And we have heard the same re-
mark repeatedly from elders and classic
ers, as well as from others, We profess to
have imbibed and to represent the Christian
spirit and character, and to hold as the
great end of all our actions, as Christians,
the highest glory of God and the greatest
good Of our tellow-men. We are also, but
stewards of our common master, occupying,
some more and some less, Of his heritage,
till he shall call us to give an account of
our stewardships. The earth we occupy is
the Lords and the grain we raise on it,
as well as "the cattle on thousand hills"
all of which, and all that we have and are,
We profess, as his stewards, to appropriate
to his glory and the greatest good Of our
souls and the souls Of our fellow men. Now,
can we, occupying this position, (Which we
admit,) nay, have we not called God, an
gels and men, to witness that solemn con-
secration Of ourselves and our all to his SER
vice, can WE utter such sentiment as "the
man that gives the most money shall have
my corn" and thus make the MOST MONEY
paramount consideration to the highest
glory of God and the greatest good Of our
fellOw-men; and yet knowing, as wemust,
from statistics and facts, as well as from OBJ
servation, that all that portion Of Gods
bounty that he has given to US, expressly to
glorify him with; except barely one-eighth
goes directly to swell the stream of human
sorrow and woe, devastation and death, tenn
poral and eternal ! for the mere consider
alton Of the most money. Can we do it,
my brethren, and yet be consistent temper
ance men and Christians Oh what day
will that be, when we have to give an ac-
count of our stewardships But again, it
is maintained by those who persist in this
practice, that they are thereby enabled to
contribute the more largely to build Church,
es, pay ministers, &c. Then, in reply to
that, may not any other class Of persons
plead the same extenuations for any crime,
If they appropriate portion Of their ILL
gotten gains 10 the same benevolent pur-
poses The same reasoning will apply
with equal force to raising and selling
grapes for wine, slaves for whisky barrels,
rye or hops for the brewery, or red curtains
for doggery windows, or in any other way
in which we may contribute" 10 the geper-
al support Of the. evils of intemperance
And who can estimate them as it does to
selling corn to distllers. We err and sin in
that respect, and will be held accountable at
the bar of God in exact proportion as we