Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1870-09-17
CASUISTRY
trd Beecher on Three QuCS,
Of business and Religion.
Erom the New York LEDGER

&c have received three questions,
p III the request that VIC would re-
in the Ledger.
l, Is it sinful to make bottles for q
whisky or brandy bother?
z. Is it sinful to sell an instrument
Innocent in itselt-to a gambler for
gaming2
3. If one takes a billiard table for
should he sell it fog public play
These questions belong to a very
large company of like questions which
spring up in business life, and which
are extremely pcrp'cxing to the Chris
tian caSuist,
The root of the difficulty is created
by the ethical principle that no man
has a right to lend his influence, di-
rectly or indirectly, and still less to
derive his advantage from, the pro-
motion of evil. But while this gem
eral statement is true, there arc many
cases which in the application of it is
impeded.
In regard to crimes against life and
public veal, men hardly hesitate
as to duty. No one would sell
q pistol or knife, knowing that it
was to be used for purposes of muir
der. And yet, if one keeps a maya
zine for the sale of firearms, aud men
come in to buy arms, which more
likely than not will go into brawls,
shall the merchant refuse to sell p?
A temperance mar refuses to sell
whisky, but shall he refuse to sell
corr to q corn merchant, knowing
that it will go from him to adistillery ?
Shall a merchant refuse to sell red
flannel because it will be used in dis
tilling, for strainers? And,S if yes,
shall he refuse to sell nails, glass and
paint to be used in repairing a distil-
lery? And if yes, shall he sell tea,
coffee and flour, broadcloth, shoes and
hats to the distiller, knowing that all
these will keep him alive and aid him
in carrying on his business? And if
10 this one says yes, then it amounts
to this; that a temperance nan should
endeavor to prevent distilling and
selling of liquor by commercial nom
intercourse end this brings to the
surface the real question Will moral
reform be promoted, on the whole, by
coercion and by social disfellowship ?
Take another instance. When the
member of Congress Tor New York
the Hon. John Morrisy, wishes to
open n gambling saloon at Saratoga,
and goes to Mr. A. Il. Stewart for a
loan, Mr.. Stewart would refuse it on
the ground Of its immortality.
But if, instead of a loan, Hon. Mr..
Morrisey selected five thousand dol
lars worth of carpets, curtains, linens
etc, should Mr.. Stewart refuse to sell
them? is a man bound to trace out
the ten thousand veins and arteries
by which u bad man is socially CON
nected with his fellows, and refuse a
drop of blood to any of them, lest he
participate in that mans evil? Would
that mode of action, on the whole
best promote the cause OF virtueY If
it would, then there is no doubt as to
the line of duty Every man must
become a Judge of his fellow mans
pursuits, and, if he be evil, must sep
arate himself from him in all things.
But such a thing would make socio-
ty impossible. Ii would do to social
life what the principles OF authority
and sc"ctarianism have done for reli-
gion, splitting up the Christian world
into splinters, and consuming the
power of religion in quarrcls. The
genius of the Old Testament was to
separate from evil men, and keep them
aloof. But wheer men had grown
morally robust a new principle came
in, and good men arc. to live With bad
men, TO restrain them by their exam
pie and by kindness, God does not
produce evil. But he lends his sun to
the good and to the evil. and sends
rain on the Just and on the unjust.
With such explanations, | would
say, specifically
|. If you are manufacturing bottles
for the market at large, and a distiller
wished a lot, | should treat him like
any other customer, on the ground
that, Oh the whole, taking ole case
with another, commercial non-intcr-
course would injure rather than pro-
mote the cause of temperance.
., If had o fast horse ! would not
sell him at all, if | could help %it--pro-
viding he was very fast but if | was
going to sell at auction | should not
refuse any responsible mans bid. |
would, if | could, sell to Mr.. Bonner,
who never bets; but if he would not
buy, l would sell to Mr.. Vanderbilt,
even though he should be known to
bet on horses and to be fond of ban
tering men who he knows won't bet.
3. | should certainly sell a billiard
table to o public saloon. Billiard
playing lis not necessarily evil. The
old concomitants OF it, drinking and
gambling, should be stripped off from
It by moral influence. The way to
cure a bad saloon in a village is to
open q good one, without any evil
surroundings, and make the young
people safe there.
So long as Christian men refuse to
take charge of amUsements, and aban-
don them to selfish men, so long they
will have incidental mischiefs. But
Christianity ought to cast out the dew
il from amusements, and restore them
to their right mind, and let them
serve religion as now they too often
serve vice.
Baron Won Munchausen, formerly
Prime Minister to King Earnest Au-
gustus, Of Hanover, las been arrested
q g sncrnI nmiLalnr for lhe rnsInratinn