The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1860-06-28
Misrfaanrntla Raaaitlas
The Traffic In Strong Drink,

u
time, have been caused BY the sale and
use OF intoxicating liquors. BE makes
w,thal 2 most startling statement of fact,
OF which we, present the substance.
Wher: he joined the church, there were
in the village near it, three houses for
the traffic in strong drink, kept by men
OF the world. Several revivais of reli.
gion compelled the closing Of these hou.
ses for want Of support. The commun.
lty was sober; the Church flourished !:
and TOR six years, not single case Of
drunkenness occurred within It's com.
munion. Attempts were made, indeed.
oy' ungodly PERSONS to revive the traffic,
but they were, frowued down BY popular
sentiment. At length, however, the
deacon OF neighboring Baptist Church,
. man Of high standing, both among
lns brethren and those WITHOUT com,
menced "tfe sale Of the devils water ("
in sight Of the house Of worsbip. with
the aid Of a wicked partner who took
great delight in getting members Of the
Church and Sons of Temperance TO
drink" The weaker members of the
Church persuaded themselves that TO
use ardent spirits as beverage was not
wrong, since the deacon not only used
them himself, but sold them in his store.
and treated" (say rather saui treated)
all who visited It,, II tell you," writes
our correspondent, that they are sap.
ping the foundation of the church and
community, and doing more harm to
the cause of religion than could have
been effected BY half a dozen low
{" doggeres." AT nearly every meeting
for business and discipline, I'VE have
sotnc one before the Church 20 answer
the charge Of drunkenness; and we hear
that mapy. Others drink TO excess.
against whom we have not been able to
secure adequate testimony. ~ Two negro
men belonging TO members OF the
Church, haye lost their lives BY. drink; /;
one white man has killed another in a
drunken frolic and member of the.
Church has been found frozen TO death.
with half emptied bottle Of ardent
spirits by his corpse" r''e.'.,
II chills our blood, to write these
things. The sale Of ardent spirits as a
beverage, when tried BY the standard Of
'bivine law, is an inansorasfy, which
dngit- to be diseountepanced and re-
pressed; In the absence of light, or for
want of Investigation. worthy land
even Christian) men may embark in:
But "those who have the means
understanding its nature and effec
and who refuse to abandon it whe
subject has been urged upon their at
ton according TO the apostolic rul,
speaking the truth In love "-sho
not be retained as members of c.
tian Churches. 81 s2.-a. s-s'.''s' n
Soch, at least, are our mature corivi,
tons. and, with the preceding statement
OF facts before us, we dare not smother
them. The reasons on which they rest
are well grouped together, in the fol.
lowing extract from. the RiftE Annual
Report, Of the American Temperance
Society. We ask for them the candid
and prayerful consideration of our read :.
ers-of those especially who are en-
gagged in the traffic. -. ....,.,g ~.
| Il. Il is.lhe selling Of that, without
the use of which nearly all the business
Of this world was cond ucted, ill within
less than three hundred years; and
which Of course is not needJal. .1'-
( "2. IL is the selling Of that, which
was not generally used by the people Of
this country, for more than a hundred
years after the country was settled and
Which. by hundreds Of thousands, and
some in all kinds of lawful business, Is
not used now. Once they did use, and
thought it needful or Iuseful. But by
experiment. the hest evidence in The
world, they bare found that :hey were
mistaken, and that they are In all re.
spects better Without it. Aud the cases
are so numerous, as to make it certain
that should the experiment be fairly
made, lhis would be the case with ali,
or course, It is not useful. D &0''1'
"s: II is the seiIing Of that, Which is
reah a suh:ilo, and very destructive
poison a poison, which by men in
heath capnot be taken without derang.
ing healthy action, and inducing more
i or, less disease, both Of body and mind
which Is, when taken in, any quantity
positively harDH and which is, O
course, forbidden by the word Of God
20. It is the selling of that, which
tends to- form an unnatural and yery
dangerous and destructive appetite
which by qualification, like the desir,
Of SHINING in the man who sins, tend
continually TO increase and which thu
exposes all who form Il. to come to
premature grave. 80 rtlps;-. ,.z'. -,
4 49, II is the selling Of that, whicl
| causes a great portion Of all the paul
ism IN oar land and thus for the ben
eft Of q few, 9hose who sell,| bring
an enormous tax ot the whole cossmun
4 tty. Is that faisf.z Is Il fustf Is
not exposing our chi,dten and youth q,
become dtupkasdsf And is IL not 10
Aicting great evils on socistyf )
I "6. N.is the selling .ef that swhie'
fxeites 70 : gress portion o. al ii
Itrine8 that Are cayumitted. and uvhi<