The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1874-04-02
The Whisky Crusade !
A jewish Rabbits Views.

The Friends of Inquiry lately as
sembled in large numbers in the base
ment of the Pantheon, Cincinnati, to
hear an essay on the temperance ques-
ton. as now agitated by American
women, by Rabbi Isaac NJ. Wise,
whose pastoral workshop occupies the
opposite corner-ot Eighth and Plum
streets. DR.. Wise said:
Is it morally wrong to take a glass
OF beer, wine or champagne at dinner
or al any other time? or is it hypocri-
sy or hypOcrisy's sake that persons
using such beverage do il secretly as
long as they can hide the fact? Let
us see first what might be called NOR
ally wrong.
Morally wrong is that which the
intelligence by common consent calls
SO or, as our religious friends main
tain, which the Bible characterizes as
such.
All nations of antiquity used wine
or strong drink as they called it in
Hebrew, as beverage, and as ingre-
dients of the sacrifices. Among mod
ern nations the Mohammedans only
make an exception. They drink no
wine and eat no pork. We have no
statistics to prove that this has made
them any better, purer or wiser than
Christians or Jews. They use other
stimulants and in another form, some
of which are of an unchaste and de-
structive nature, such as opium and
polygamy. There is no difference in
taking the stimulants in this or that
form, the effect being precisely the
same.
Outside the Islamites, however, the
use of wine or strong drink as bev-
erage is common among all classes of
society, excepting, of course, honest
and upright temperance people in our
country and in England, who are
rather scarce, as were the Nazarites
and Rachabites among the ancient
Hebrews.
Well then, intelligence by common
consent does not declare the use of
such beverages as being immoral !;
hence it is as moral as eating choice
food, sleeping on costly couches,
promenading, or seeking amusement
and pleasure in any legitimate form.
What does the Bible say on the sub
ject?- Moses certainly had no idea Of
prohibiting the use of wine or strong
drink, for he says to the priest (Levit.
K, s. "Wine and strong drink thou
shalt not drink, thou and thy SONS
with thee, when ye come into the tab
ernacle of the congregation" &c, or
wherever and whenever acting in an
official capacity; but outside thereof
no such prohibition exists in the laws
of Moses, for either priest or people !;
and Moses was very strict i'll dietary
laws. Whatever was sacrificed upon
the altar, like salt, flour, oil, pigeons,
doves, turtle doves, sheep, goats aud
cattlc-was also intended as most de-
sirable articles OF consumption. With
the exception of the least of booths,
wine was one of the ingredients of the
sacrifices, and included also in the IT,
ties given TO the priest. SO it was
considered one of the necessaries of
life The law concerning the Nazarite
is an exception for the sake of gloomy
ascetics, in which the Orient abOunded
Whatever Moses did not prohibit
the Prophets did not. Isaiah, up
braiding the weakness of his people,
SAYS: ''Thy wine is adulterated with
water" and the Psalmist sings, "And
wine gladdeus the heart of man. -
Rachabites are praised by Jeremiah
for their obedience to their fathers
teachings, without any recommends
ton whatever of their custom. The
ancient Hebrews called the public
banquet mishtch, 81 a drinking occa-
sion." They opened and closed every
meal on Sabbath or holiday with wine
as is the case to this day among the
orthodox Jews, who must have wine
to perform their religious duties well.
Moses and the Talmud are not op-
posed to the use of wine or strong
drink. The Jew might consider It
superiuous to be more orthodox than
Moses, the prophets or the rabbis o.
old.
did not succeed in finding in the
New Testament that anything going
into the mouth" is sinful. Jesus and
his disciples did drink wine, that is
certain, also at the Last Supper; so
| did the primitive Christians, as Paul
says, and SO does the church to date.
There is not passage in the New
Testament which prohibits the use of
wine or strong drink as beverage,
and is is difficult for Christians of the
nineteenth century to be more ortho-