The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1876-09-28
ADDRESS OFJL1eS. H.B. UIYLE
Ar THE UNION TEMPERANCE MEET
ING, ON SU.NDA Y EVENING, SEP
T,ElfREp QltI. 1870.

ING ON SO-ND-11 EFA&SANVs CEk-
1EMBElc 24tll, 1876.
Over four thousand years ago the dis
grace of drunkenness first appeared
Hpon the earth. Since then how the
mischief has spread till we may ask
what portion OF Old Mother Earth has
been free from its devastating power?
Where hath not the pure air of heaven
been tainted with it's foul breath? An
inspiration came ut length from the
Father above to preserve Il part of Min
nesota sacred from it's ravages. No
more elevating influence ever came to
earth. save in the presence of Christ,
for the benefit of its inhabitants. It is
q boon to be held as priceless; and may
those who have undertaken and sus-
tanned this mission, as well as those
that come after them, never be dispos-
seSsed OF its blessings. Thus will an
evil lie stunned that scatterS death and
destruction III it's train.
No class or condition of men have
escaped the demOraliZing influence of
intemperance; it touches life in all it's
parts, and deiiles wherever it touches.
Its Ominous brazen front stands men,
acing the Individual as we'll as the uni
versal good of the race. 1t is power
full check to the lofty plans and practical
work prompted by the philantlropies of
our times 1t is an enemy to the Chris
tian Church, for outside of perdi-
ton " can not be found an Obstacle
equal to its seductive and destroying
influence. 1t is an enemy to the State,
for it wastes its wealth and murders its
citizens; to society, for it is the sworn
friend of every corrupting vice and
~ RI f.nvo f0
cred relations are not kept inviolate.
When the moral nature is debauched
all pure affection is blightcd. Here
lies fearful realm of devastation.
Here the life Of woman is ':marrcd and
tortured" in that which she holds most
sacred.
The worst and most fatal effects of
the use Of Intoxicating drink are upon
the victims own soul. All those finer
qualities of the man which are said to
be akin to the angels are destroyed.
The man sins most against his highest
life by deadening his conscience, that
divine principle which distinguishes
between right and wrong action. This
is the incompatible curse of drink, for
the soul that ought ever to look upward
toward the source Of its inspiration is
sinking DOWN. ard toward it's ruin and
death. This Unreasonable loss spirit
ually is followed by 4 train Of physical
evils commensurate with it. The
drunkard in his inward aud outward
ruin is a sight for angels tears. The
sure and swift retributions of cisre-
garling Gods spiritual and physical
laws have fallen upon him. This rot
ten, crumbling, lettering creation, a
shame to it's creator, is Il faint repre-
sentative of the spirit within in its
frustrated designs. What would be
the funeral obscquies OF such !. lost
soul? ''Where shall we find the tears
tit to be wept at such a spectacle? Or,
could we realize the calamity in all its
extent, what tokens Of administration
and concern would he equal to tue occa-
sion? Would it suffice for the sun to
veil his light or the moon her bright
ness? to cover the ocean with mourning
or the heavens with sackcloth? Or,
were the whole fabric of nature to be-
come animated and vocal, would it he
possible for her to utter Il groan too
deep, or Il cry too piercing to express
the magnitude and extent of such Il
catastrophe?"
Now in view of all this, that we are
conte nding with an evil that battles
against the legitimate interests of So
clety, that is confronting all our active
philanthropics, that causes the hopeless
ruin Of souls. what work fol-. the future
present centennial year is awakening
the reflective mind to study tho history
of the past century, to see what spir-
itual and moral forces have boon gained,
for the purpose of applying them in de-
Veloping greater results for the com mon
good in the future. What work can
reach and mcliorate the condition Of
mankind i'll a deeper, broader or wider
way than in the suppression Of intern
perance. 1t is pre-eminent in value
over every other refOrmatory work.
Our battle cry should be, America for
Temperance. The achievement is SO
grand Il one that the energies of every
American citizen should be concentrate
ed upon it. Because we are comlar:,-
lively safe in Our own community from
the innovations of the drink demon.
our responsibility is not lessened but
increased. We are not guiltless of the
illiquities Of this great evil il we fail
to exert all our force to overthrow It.
The Church of Christ has an all-in,.
portant place i'll this work. We ought
to hear most decidedly from the pulpit
and also from the pew. If the Churcl,
does not rise up and troll the stone
from our moral sepulcher away" she
fails to use the power given into her
keeping. Christians can make drink
ing illegal and unpopular if they desire
to do so. Christianity has a mission in
sending forth those great truths which
educate the state by elevating public
sentiment and thus moving the whole
body in the direction of reform. If we
wish to have Christian regulation and
to see Christian ethics in government.
the Christian Church and pulpit must
do its duty. If we are DESTROYS of hay
ing His twill done Oh earth rs it is i'll
heaven, the chief fountain Of pollution
must lie dried up. The enlightened
conscientious Christian should Judge
as in the sight Of God if he has not I,
work to do i'll driving what has been
called the gigantic crime of crimes
from the land.
1 believe God has a work for
the women to do in the temperance
field. When the temperance reform
first assumed definite shape the women
were extensively associated with
it. They formed organizations which
took the name OF Martha Washington.
In the crusades which are yet so fresh
in our memories, God identified them
more closely with this labor. The
Mover of all hearts moved their hearts.
Who could fail to see God inspiring and
leading and they working and following
However grand and benelicient their
labOrs were for redeeming the fallen
and saving the tempted. and though,