The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1872-12-28
HoSoLuLU. December 1Oth. 1872
SOME ASPECTS OF THE TEMPERANCE
QUESTION.
4 Sermon b. Rev. ". Frrar.

P'@s oil ins j. a moeksr strong drink j. raging and
FTsU - % Bs not among wine bi.be-7
We might multiply such texts a. these at length.
Let me repeat a few more Of them.
Wine aud new wine take away the heart"
They also have errei through wine, and through
strong drink are out Of the way"
It is not for kings to drink wine ; nor for princes
strong drink, lest they drink and forget the Law and
peryert the judgment Of any Of the afflicted
Do not drink wine, nor strong drink. thou, nor
thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle
Of the congregation, lest ye die"
He John Baptist) shall he great in the sight Of
the Lord and shall drink neither wine nor strong
drIrS."
dehle himself with the wine which the king drank -
Their wine Is the poison Of dragons, and the
cruel venom Of asps.''
unto them that are mighty to drink wine -
Look not thou upon the wine when il is red at
rhe Inst It biteth like q serpent, and stiugeth Ike an
adler"
who hath wounds without causeg The. that
tarry long at the wine"
BE not drunk with wine, wherein is excess"
Let u walk honestly as in the day, not in
drunkenness and wantOnness-"
"lf that evil servant shall say in his heart, my
Lord delnyeth his coming, and shall begin to drink
With the drunken, the Lord shall come in Il day that
he loOketh n0t for him, and shall cut him asunder."
1.-The works Of the flesh are manifest, which are
these fornicaGon, drunkenness, and such like, of
which | tell you that they which do such things shall
not inherit the kingdom Of God"
at IS good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine,
nor anything whereby thy brother stumbIeth, OF is
made weak"
"Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink
have written unto you not to keep company, If
any one that is called u brother, be q fornIcator OF q
drunkard."
having read TO you these scriptures. IL is not my
purpose to discuss these passages, but having thus
e4neisely set before you the MaHaO Of the Spirit VI
Inspiration, I wish, in n careful and candid way, TO
sneak Tonight ON the urgagut asuecfs of fine fpr4nqr-
ance question, rs il affects ourselves.
II - a matter in which we all. more or less
directly, have an individual and n common interest.
Not only those who may be IN the habit Of indulg-
ihg themselves in the use Of spiTituous drinks. and
upon whom the shadow Of the evils and perils Of
excess may be already falling, and not only those
who IA any way may be sanctioning by their iniu-
-nce and example sue custom Of the social glass, but
those Of Us also who are altogether a~bstemious, have
a no inferior interest in this matter. Besides our
general duty to have a care for the highest good Of
our fellow men and Of the whole Immunity in which
We live. many Of Us have children that are growing
mp, and u is no little concern, under what prevail
ing sentiments aud Influences and exposures To
temptation they sdall grow. The whole subject is
one on which il j. becoming increasingly important,
that every person old or young, should know where
he or she stands. IL IS one even that may be inti-
mntely connected with the salvation Of the soul, as
well ns with the morals and temporal prosperity Of
the community at large May IL not be that many
vi Us have a duty, IN this respect, that is not fully
recognized by usR
HE ueetA OF u lOlluE up OF pubic sentiment anu
OF cnntessing to n responsibility rs resting upon Us
all in this regard has become more and more obvious
Of late We gratefully recognize the good that the
workers in the cause Of temperance among US have
been and are doing. and yet few eyes are blind to the
fact that the Hood gates OF intemPerance have been
opened, and that the Hawaiian nation from being
one Of the suberest - in danger Of becoming n nation
OF druukards. The rapid increase Of intoxcation is
a fact OF eommOn observation. The reeling native
from being seldom seen has become a familiar sight
in our streets. The opinion widely prevails that the
Law prohibiting the sale Of intoxicating drinks to
Hawaiians - virtually n dead letter. There are some
strong selfish interests that are not very sorry 10
have u a dead letter, and all are aware that it is
violated to a fearful extent continually.
Il is remarkable also that while the volume Of
business in almost all branches is contracting, aud
while the importations and sales Of general merchan-
disc have been diminishing, those Of spirituous
liquors have been on the increase; and il is doubtless
correctly affirmed that the larger part Of these large
impOrtatiOns are consumed by the native race, or at
least by other races than the white.
The crimes Of blood that have been occurring are
but some Of the ripening fruits Of this destructive
influence IL IS working the ruin Of many, making
them worthless as citizens and fastening them 10 the
grave, and IL Is 10 be feared is doing more to dimin-
ish the population Of Hawaii nei than all that immi-
grafton efforts can possibly do to increase it. Such
an amount OF strong drink as comes to these Islands
cannot do otherwise than tell very destructIvely upon
the life and morals and religion and happiness and
prosperity OF the people. Ii Is a waster Of their sub
stance and vital energies Its work is toward pow
erty and encouragement and death of body and
soul.
Al these things lead US to ask what is our respon-
sibility. and where is our inhuence2 Every man is
not for himself alone IN this any more than in other
things. The moderate drinking in the higher society
runs right down into beastly drunkenness in the
lower classes
And IS there no peril to ourselves, our families.
our friends and n~eighbOrs in the wine and strong
drink that are used so much among us? Is there no
wrong in it, Is il a good thing to encouraged Can
We put our finger upon no positive injury that even
sn occasional indulgence on our part may do?
Let me then ASK your attention To "a few reasons
why we should not be among wine bibbers.
Looking at the subject in its broader bearings.
there Is to me a very important reason to be found
in the general fact that Indulgence in intOxicat-
ing drinks is now recognized and known to be one
Of the great sins and curses Of the world. What
ever ignorance there may have been on this in
former days, and however much the sin and curse
OF common drinking may have been winked at,
however little wrong there may have been thought
10 be IN it. certain il Is that now the intoxicating
cup Is clearly and generally recognized as one OF
the great evils with which mankind Is afflicted.
There is a kind OF progressive development OF
Sin in the world, and this sin has been So developed
a. to become exceedingly sinful. The sin Of slavery,
which so long was cOnnived ut. and scarcely con
demned the cOnsciences even Of the good. has now
almost the world over become iHiOisTdbls TO good
morals aud to the spirit OF humanity. SO the wrong
and woe Of intemperance have clearly in these
days placed it among the great sins and curses OF
mankind.
do not mean that every one who takes a glas:
Of wine for any reason does a wicked thing. moi
that to partake OF spirituOus drinks IN any way l.
in itself n sin j would not say that no one could
be a good man or a Christian even. without refrain
ing altogether from their use nor am l so ignorant
as to say. a. i sometimes said. that alcohol bai
no uses either incidentally or mechanically. Blu
even granting that there may be times and case:
when a little wine for the stOmach's sake-a very
Iittls-may be beneficial. yet bow glarinGly auC
f~earfully true IL Is ~ every one Of u that the drink
iHR Of wine and strong drink il to-day. and IN
crTa7ingiy 80. one OF tie greatest woes % earth.
mere - CONNECTED NH e - go
- ~. 80. i{n sorr0w aad suffering Gu
there - scarcely one -pecih