New-York tribune., 1874-03-30
REASONABLE TEMPERANCE.

m Rsr II. D. Gans at ne Hai'sonars Reor~ef crurch
The Rev. II. ID. Ganse. pastor of the Madi
son-aye Reformed Church at Fiftyseyenh g. preached
in the morning upon the subject OF The Christian and
Reasonable Rule Of Total Abstinence; Chrisrs Example
no Warrant for Moderate Drinking" HIS text was
taken from Matthew xviii. :: Woe to that man by
whom the ofen,e cometh" and in tue course Of hls
sermon he said:
The word offense in the in which the Apostle
used IT, means stumbling block or temptation; tho
text therefore, can be understood to To man
by whom the temptation cOmeth Distilled liquors nave
Incorporated in them the most subtle ana IangerGus
temptation which can be subjected That VIII OF
be taken for granted Tile temptation comes too
fact cheap it that few will enable man To
make himself Ii never looses its charm, bnt on
the contrary the charm grows stronger az it IS
welded to and man who Yields uutil 1t becomes
his not only ruins himself but leaves the seeds
az min in hs children For a man tn put such tempta-
ton in the way OF another il terrible sin, and u was
denounced by the Apostle when he said, Woe to that
man ny whom tae Sn9nsf ro Tonr,. & s NJ IciD c NO
such temptation IN the way OF his feliOW-nihf In
saloons where impure and distilled liquors dealt
70 every who calls for them answer, No! unless
uubIc opnion will sustain the law in doing
a law unless il is powerfully supported by unyeldng
public opinion. And also say that the time VIII surely
rOne-ii may not be far diStalt-when such law VIII
sustained and when 1t will be considered as wrong
to open saloons for the sale of impure and distilled "a
uors as IL woud considered 10 open places for
the proIniscuons sale of opnm do not claim thnt ihs
sale OF distilled liquors should be entirely stopped for
am reasonable in .hS matter. and il We want TO src-
ceed IN il, all he reasonable. Such liquors
needed and sciences and they should always
Obtained FOR that purpose; nut they should nor Do
placed within the reach of those who desire 10 drink
them.
II is wrong maintain. to license saloons for the sails
of distilled liquors, because il is radically wrong for
this great Government to derive revenue from tho
ruin which such saloons bring upon its citizens, for
they do vast number Of them yearly by dealing
out poison them. The man who socially and haDtualy
drinks distilled liquors sets almost dangerous an
ample as the who sells them, because he temptS
Others TO join him in his vicious practice.
The theory have advanced about the sale or distilled
liquors, to me 10 be common ground upon which
ali temperance men stand. For the sake OF hu-
many then, let US have our peculiar cr0chets ana oe-
cupy that common ground Let us. in body, appeal TO
the Legislature stop the prOmiscuous sale OF distilled
auors and create such public opinion as VIII securo
the enforcement of the law fOrbddinS them 10 be SOLD
n mas been argued that wine should not be used at the
communion table, because its use even there, might
create an appetite for stronger liquors Ny answer 10
that argument Christ has commanded US 10 use vine
at the communion table, and when CHRIST has given
direct positive command it the duty OF Christians To
obey IL. -
Mr. Ganse here said that he totally differed, though
i'm The Christian spirit, rOm those who advocated
even the moderate OF the pufest wines because
was mpOssi to tell the evils which might How from
such use OF them. 1t has been argued ne said thas
Chriss example is warrant for ndulging moderately
in pure wIne Tut insist that His example contains no
such warrant An example Is authority only III CIR
enmstancps identical with those IN which the eXaDpS
was set; and His example in making wine az the feast
Is no authority at the present time, lnduglng noi-
erately IN distilled liquors, in wine. All the circun-
stances surrounding the practice Of drinking In TINS age
are very different from those attending thaf pracce h
the time OF Christi and to say that men may drink now
because He made wine centuries ago. Is about as sciisl
bic as 10 would that should eat nsh during
IA cholera epidemic because He once fed multitude
with fish