The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1872-12-14
TIE PACIFIC
Commercial AoOrrtistr
SATURDAY. T. II.

LAST S,EEATH evening We listened with = great
and somewhat startled interest q a very able die
course by the Rev. Mr.. Frr1r. "f Fort Street
Church. un intempeance.
Probably .hrre WIS MT one amongst thosr who
listened To that sermon, who did not fully en-
du-e. - a terrible truth. the declaration made
that The drinking "f intoxicating IiquOr bad
become recognized a. one # the greatest sins
wherewith tie earth was afflicted and yet. #
the speaker tad confined himself to this general
statement md the proof Of IT. correctness we
have NO doubt bat that the impression produced
would have been NO more lasting than former
DDr- have been. We would all have been "a
willing a. ever to dspIoIe tine fact that the in
diligence ia strong drink - the cause 81 three
buFths Of the misery, destitutinu, diseases.
crimes and deaths that the mortal world bewaiis,
buta the same time many who are not Influenced
by the teachings Of the pres might have secretly
Rugged o. themseIyes the comfortable thought
shat Hawaii mes was withput the range Of this
dread cure. aud they therefore needed the pulpit
declaration that iutenreTance j. with III a
material curse.
The particular truth enforced IN the di-cOurse
10 which We refer T., that the Law prohibiting the
selling Of liquor o. the native Hawaiian i not
enforced. True, this has been known for some
time, and each morning Leree ut the Police Court
hat makes the truth palmer but never before
has Sc been deemed necessary 20 call attention 10
80 irum the pulpit.
Now. We whD profess and call ourselves Chris
tiaus have IL placed fairly and -quaFcly before ~
whether We shall continue to counteuancc this
Iaxity IN the enforcement of a statute law. or
whether we shall make an effort to remedy an
evil that grows apace. II we conclude that we
can do nothing, then we may be- able to dIsmiss
the subject until we are summoned before the
har Df God. But IL, on the contrary. We feel that
W. must exert ourselves to arrest TIE growth Of
drunkenness in our midst. the remedy j. at hand.
Enforce the law There il scarcely one amongst
our many readers who, iT he Jaw "a brute NAL
treated would not call upon the PDlice 10 arrest
the offender. and an adequate punishment would
bs sure To- be administered IT'LL hoY often
W. see a native Keeling through our streets with
out an effort being made to discover who has
reduced him to n level below the brute whose
tyrant We punish
We jcalously guard against the introduction of
any law thnt can possibly infringe upon the IA
tonal freedom Of the Hawaiian, and gaze with
dull apathy upon the agency that robs him Of his
reason
We are stirred to our Utmost depths Of feeling
by a thoughtless act that Looks toward the desecra-
tion IT the ashes Of tine dead. and only shrug our
shoulders when We see tine living fire Of the soul
OF the Hawaiian extinguish,i ny strong liquor,
the snle Of which, L. him, We know u bca crime,
And why Is this Can it be because the
victim - a native? Ur must we confess that rs
The bar-rOums could not keep open dd they not
-eli u native. therefore the law prohibiting such
train, must be- n bead letter?
Bs the reason what Il NAV, the law stands III
operative. and the consequences are such that we
are called uppn from tie pulpit To redeem the ma
ton from the sin Of drunkenness. How the
dread demon 81 strong drink must laugh IN horrid
glre &C tue picture Of = nation redeemed from tie
.tJlltry VI bowling down To- wood and stone, to
De gwen over To- his licensed agents through the
influence Of revenue and profit! and We may add,
how would tiis rampant fend draw in ms head,
did but the prufessedIy temperance organizations
W. have in our midst devote their energies to the
regulating the sale Oi liquor.
But H7r lack Of concerted movement is no ex-
ci-s for apathy on the part Of those outside their
membership. We declare that we believe it to
b. the duty Of every good citizen To use his iniu-
rure O. stop this shameless violation of the law,
and ~ thank the reverend gentleman who has
aid. have ceased to expect a living interest
~ Christianity from those members 81 the church.
Who place the glass to their lips, and ! cannot
believe that any will find Christ without they first
abstain from Intoxicating drink"