The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-04-15
Chr &utland daily Glubs.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL Is, 1874.
Total Abstinence Defended.

The Rev. Y. L. Cuyler of the Lafayette
ave. Presbyterian Church, Brooklyn, de-
lvcred on Il March evening Il sermon in
answer TO the discourse of the Rev. How
ard Crosby on drunkenness" 1t was
in defense of the total abstinence opinions
of the National Temperance League, of
whose Executive Committee DR.. Cuyler is
chairman. His text was taken from |,
Thessaonians, ", % "Abstain from all
appearance of evil" He said in substance
This word appearance should be
translated "form." These words rightly
rendered signify, abstain from every form
Of evl-every species of evil There are
certain pursuits and practices that must
be judged of by their effect and their or
binary influence. If a practice is produc-
tive of vastly more mischief than benefit;
if it is opposed to the best welfare of home
and society and the State; if it is calcu-
lated to tempt the weak and unwary to
stumble; if it is so deceptive in its nature
that it gains dangerous hold upon us be-
past to more disease, woe, poverty, mis-
cry, and death than any one practice known
to humanity, then that practice may be
pronounced an evil one. Is there prac-
ticc that meets all these conditions? Yes;
it is the practice of drinking Intoxicating
beverages. Here is form of evil, prev
alcnt form of evil, an unparalleled form
of evil, for its terrible consequences in this
world and in the next. DO common sense
and Christianity teach me to ''hold fast &c
it, or to abstain from it? That is the qucs-
ton before us The speaker then discussed
the nature of Intoxicating beverages; the
dangers from the reckless use of intoXi
cants as medicines, and the various tempta-
tons to drunkenness.
No man, said he, defends drunkenness.
Every one hates it, The drunkard loathes
it and himself for being sot. The dram
seller hates drunkenness 1t dsgraces his
business and kill. Off his customers. 1t
costs nothing either to dcnouncc intemper-
ance or grog-scllng. How to keep men
frem drunkenness, and how to stop the
dram selling, are the practical questions of
the day. My own answer to the first one
would be very simple If drunkenness
invariably arises from the practice of
drinking intoXcants. | would say, stop the
practice never drink DROP This is short,
simple, common sense, and not opposed to
Gods word. This means total abstinence.
But an eminent pastor in New York has
lately declared from his pulpit that total
abstinence Is Il deluslyc remedy fur drunk
enness, and that its advocates hinder more
than they help human reformation. AS
this discourse has become Il public docu-
ment through the daily press it is Il fair
subject for frank, courteous criticism
Mine shall be courteous, Cor | love the
author warmly rs personal friend, and |
honor his ability, scholarship, and zeal for
the conversion of souls. lie is courage
ously independent. Indeed his indepen-
dcnce often leads him to fly in the face of
the settled opinions and convictions of his
brethren on many questions. | honor his
frankness. even feel obliged to him that
he has made the desperate attempt to prove
that moderate drinking is better remedy
am glad that Il man of his intellectual stat
ute has made the attempt, for the utter
fracture of his argument through the weight
of its own inconsistency is an indirect aid
to the cause of total abstinence. For much
in his discourse | thank him. Where we
agree, we can work together as friends !;
where we differ, we can differ as brethren.
Chancellor Crosby's text has often been
quoted in defense of moderate drinking.
The words are, ''Let your moderation be
known unto all men," The original word
here translated ''moderation," means pro-
priety, gentlcness, torbcdrance. Paul is
eXhorting his suffering fellow Christians to
forbcarance, in view of the coming of their
Lord Now just imagine that Paul had in
his mind the idea of drinking liquor, and
see how the whole passage would read {:
"Rejoicc in the Lord always and again !
say rejoice Let your moderate use of in
toxicating liquors be known unto all men.
The Lord is at hand" Could any reading
of this passage be more ridiculous? 1t is
often charged upon us abstainers that we
twist the necks of Scripture passages to
suit our purposes. So | am happy to
straighten the neck Of this passage, which
is certainly very uncomfortable awry. The
first position taken by my eloquent brother
is that drunkenness is SSH of grossest
depravity" 70 this we cordially respond,
amen! His second position is that drunk
enness is so heinous n crime that every in
ebriate should be arrested and imprisoned
as summarily as for theft. As DIR. Crosby
well knows, our present laws arrest and
lock up the wretched drunkard of the streets
although the aristocratic incbriatc is driven
home in his carriage and sleeps off his de-
bauches on damask and down. My friend
would erect terrible tol-gate of punish
ment on this road to ruin. But he puts it
too far along. lie places it whore the mod
crate drinker, no longer able to control his
appetite, reels off into drunkenness. But
| would put the gate at the entrance to the
road. | would make it the seven. barred
gate of total abstinence, and write over it,
Look not upon the wine when it is red i,
hiteth like an adder. Wine is a mocker.
Abstain from every form of evil" Instead
Of punishment | would have prevention.
The Chancellor's third position is that tip
plina houses should be prohibited by law.
Let all the people say amen! In behalf of
my fellow prohibtionists, ! thank DIR. Cros-
by for his pungcnt advocacy Of one prin-
ciple for which we have been battling for
20 years We welcome aid from every
quarter But there are certain truths which
our longer experience in this warfare has
taught us. One truth is that no men
are likely to make any vigorous or
successful Roadway against the Ii
quor traffic while they are them
selves even the moderate purchasers
and users of intoxicating beverages. While
the rich and the reputable are buying their
baskets of champagne and bourbon, the
poor man counts it hard that he is prohib-
tied from buying his sixpenny glass of rum
at the saloon or grocery. IL the influential
and reputable classes are unwilling to give
up their patronage of the liquor traffic fol-
> the sake OF the weaker and more degraded
classes, they will make but small Roadway
F.. against grog selling and drunkenness. The
whole liquor from brown-stonc to
aforementioned, from wholesale store ia
the dirtiest drinkng-den, is one compact,
concentrated system. Every moderate buy
or mud drinknr nlnys AN imnnrtnnt mart In