Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-03-11

r strong drink degrades, brutalizes, ruins bod '
and soul, stupehes reason, beriehtens the iude-
ment, aId is frequently the cause Of shocking
, crime and untimely death, OF sOrrcx and afHis-
. ton, Of insanity and suicide. Il il fnebrist,
against which Moses holds Cd Noah and his de-
graded son Ham, Lot and his delufle,l dauohters.
against which solomon ami Isaiah. and MANI
other prophets and sages, speak solemn words Of
admonition and rebuke. The abuse is a ca
iamity, which for the sake OF humanity ought To
be remedied by just and proper means.
Here story Of the Talmud must be narrated
A heather asked rabbi, 'sIf your God hates our
gods and idols, why does He not DESTROY them II
He is almighty?'' ''You worship sun. moon
stars, mountains, rivers and all the varioas oh
jects Of nature" the rabbi replied; ss2an Won
expect OF the all-wise God that He DESTROY H,s
beautiful creation on account of some foolish
men?" This, indeed, is the real point AZ issue
Is It proper, just and wise to destroy or probihit
the use Of anything not improper in itself on ac-
count OF some foolish or wicked men who b-,-
tally abuse Gods gifts? Is it Just and wise IN
punish the innocent in order to reach the gpiIt,,
onesY Have We any right, or is it common USAGE
IN the civilized world, to prohibit things because
they are liable to abuse by the imprudeni or NJ
JustY Let Us quote parallel cases and decide nv
analogy.
one OF the most horrible causes of calamity
and crime, of the loss of honor and virtue. and
the destruction Of happiness and life. il uou,y-
Ny time Is too brief, the widest Imagination
too feeble, TO depict mere fraction OF the woes
and crimes eaused by money. 1t makes rogues
OF honest men, and villains Of generous souls.
II blinds the eyes of the wise, and perverts the
words Of the righteous. Money makes slaves.
hypoerites, gamblers, thieves, robbers and assas-
sins Money, alasi ruins virtue, beguiles inno-
eenee, turns uprightness into faIsehoOd, ont
weighs horror and patriotism, brings wiekcdness,
shame and brutality. The wealthy, aiasl as well
rs the poor, give and take brides to cripple the
arm OF justice. Thousands Of souls are lost.
other thousands languish in peniteutiaries and
houses Of correction, hundreds expire on gal
lows, countless hearts are broken and families
ruined by the curse, or rather abuse of money,
and the corrupt appetite to possess it, more,
sun more, Of it. Brethren let US pray, sing and
preach to abolish and utterly prohibit all sorts
OF money, which Is Satan's medium to purchase
lost souls. Brethren, let US pray for all those
poor sinners who use money.
But before we do, let US look upon another.
and probably no less fatal, source and cause OF
crime, shame and destructOn-its name is luxu-
~. 1 do not mean effeminaey, sensuality and
laseivioGsness; mean extravaganza indulgence
in expensive diet, costly dress ana equipage; TO
outshine and outlive, if possible, every other
person Is there any degradation Of human IA
ture 10 which an insane luxury has not misled
thousands OF Gods creatures? Is there any cat
egory Of shame or crime which has not received
ITS victims from the cOrrupting hell of extrava-
ganee? 1t is the apish pOmp and madmen's
masquerade which ruin persons and families,
force business men into bankruptcy and suicide.
and innocent persons into the dens Of shame and
crime. You have heard of public men who
must sacrifice their honor to keep up the capri
elous style and tone Of the day. You boar and
see daily the exchange OF purity for trumpery,
and OF yeraeity for glitterag and deceitful mas
querades. PurgatOry is not large enough To hold
all the victims Of insane luxury. Wen, then.kt
Us have revival and close all stores which offer
for sale such abOminable articles, Offering that
horrible temptation to the innocent, running so
many souls and families, so many helpless wo-
men and children. Let US form calico societies, .
muslin unions, and leather-cIothes associations;
and let Us move back into Adams paradise, be-
cause ever 50 many people abuse Gods gifts in
this world.
Is there anything in this wide universe. how
ever blessed and necessary, that cannot be
abused? Among all the feelings Of the human
heart none give Us more delight or genuine hap
piness than the love and affections which unite
spouses in perpetual and reciprocal esteem.
friendship and sympathy. Look upon the shock
ing crimes and nameless woes emanating from
the abuse Of that identical love Of the sexes.
Jealousy il the progenitOr of hatred lifelong
and imPla able animosity, brutal hostilities.
murder an slicide; and all that is Of daily oc-
currence- Physicians only know how many
thousands lose health, cheer and happiness. the
noblest functions Of soul and body; how many
IRE carried - an early grave; how many poor
md guiltless children suffer, wither and perish,
md all this by the abuse Of the hottest and most
generous feelings OF the human heart will
rot shock your feelings by recOunting the woes,
ices and crimes narrated daily by the press
he social evil, the abOrtiOns, the foandlinss It
; enough to know and understand what abuse
sill do.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, let US meet the
vii at the root. The main cause Of all these
wills is beauty. There shall be no beauty We
iii tolerate none. But, as our good wives.
isters and daughters cannot help being beauti-
al, and We do not like to see them DO Ike the
ster OF Frederick the Great, who wantonly de-
-royed the beauty of her face let Us build har-
ms and keep every beautiful dame or da1iseI
'eked up and well watched until a committee
grave and honorable judges shall declare her
eeidedly ugly. Then she may 90 forth into
his wicked world without danger to herself or
hers.
Take religion itself and see what abuse viii
lake Of II. All the barbarOus crueltes which
ian in his brutal rage could inhict ON man.
= =
srseeutions OF Individuals and nations were
eereed and executed in cold blood, destructive
ars were waged, millions Of men were made
serable, and other millions slain-aIl BY the
JuSe of religion. And Just now, generous
lmes and damseIs are misled 10 abuse PRAYER
nj benedctiOn themselves take the name OF
he Lord their God in vain, and make public
make public demonstra-
ons-undcr the influence Of abused religion
here is nothing 80 holy, 50 sublime, 80 divine
lat man in his delusiOn cannot abuse Shall
oil destroy his beautiful creation because fool
h men worship the objects Of nature? Can We
,Olish monsy, luxury, beauty or religion, love
prayer, because they are abused and become
e sources and causes of misery affection
anne, crime and ruinatiOn? Human nature
ID the civilized world respond emphatically,
D. III the law pronlDlLs LnaJ " men Is not GRIM
al or immoral per Sc, 1t is despOtic. challenges
renders itself contemplate, under
ines the respect also for good and necessary
VS., makes hypOcrites and hidden rebels, and
feats its own ends. ItdemOTalizeS. If public
iniOn stignatizes that which is neither crimi-
j nor immoral per Sc, it weakens itself, and rem.
rs itself p0werless. eff religion and prayer are
used to wage war on liquor to-day, they may
abused Tomorrow, on the same principle pre-
ely, to persecute and pray out Of their houses
Il homes, Free MasOns, Catholics, foreigners.
fdels, or anybody who is not fashionable;
its not the taste of his neighbors, or does not
INFORM to vulgar prejudices. II the passions
" be ignited with impunity To override and
~ the law and the Constitution, in this or
1t form or by any means, it matters not how
what, we stand at the brink Of lawlcss despOt-
d, and the gates are aiar for all sorts Ct vio-
ice and persecution, oppression, and destruc-
n Of all personal rights. As practical a people
common sense are. let u keep in sight
It the passions once reused Invariably end in
schief, and destroy the very thing they mean
build up The passions once fully r0used
" lead us back into all the excesses and bru-
tiles of the Middle Ages
70 nation on earth. modern OF ancient can
st up0u respecting higher or treating bsft.r