The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1878-02-02
objections to Good Templarlsm'
REPLY, BY ELLA WHEELER

come before you 10 proclaim
Our ORDERS worthiuess and fame
You. Sir, or madam, may reply,
=. You're quite as temperate as /
=. You ike the principle we teach
Jf vve hut practice what We Preachj
And will help Us heart and hand"
Then come, I say, ard join our band.
But no. 8. You'd rather not because
We're bound by secret codes and laws.
Novv friends this secret is 20 small
II need not block your way at all.
there most soIsmnly declare
We have no goat hid anywhere
We keep no animal to ride
And no creased POLE" down which to slide
Nor do We keep tub ofwater,
In which we douse each son and daughter.
We neither freeze nor fry member
Nor give them seats on glowing embers
We meet to plan conrse Of action
Against the mighty liquor faction
To aid and strengthen one another,
Each knowing each friend or brother
And. simply to avoid Intrusion,
We guard ourselves by this seclusion
Like soldiers, we've a countersign,
That all must give who pass this line
A whispered word or harmless grip,
That proves the right to fellowship
This constitutes our secret dread,
Ger which YOU sigh, and shake your head
Nogs these objections done away,
reach the next. You, madam, say
You'd j5in Us but for this fact:
-TgouId throw you in such close contact
wfh-weII. with people quite below you,
And those you'd rather should not know you.
Madam, the way that leads to God
Slaves G-cI a. WI as kings, have trod
And Christ. who walked beside the sea,
Said TO the fisher, = follow me
And forth they went to preach the word
The humble fisher. and our Lord.
And are you better, then, than Hel
VIII you refuse to bend the knee
In church, because across the aisle
KneeIs one whose bonnets out Of style
One who is ignorant and low,
And one you would not care to know
Refuse to battle for the right,
Because so many pIebeians fight.
Or labor for a souls salvation
With those below your social station;
Then what viii you bring in your hand,
When at the Masters feet you stand
Where humble souls lay golden sheaves,
Must you say, &" Lord. bring but leaves:
No treasures bought without, price,
No gain without sacrifice
Where'er we go, or near or far,
We fnd some things that fret and jar.
Madam, no more in this connection.
Now, sir, pass to your objection
You say we've glorious end in view
You think our cause is just and true
You think our end noble one,
But there's too much sparkling going on
You think there's lots of that done here,
From the way our boys and girls appear.
And you think it isn't right, because
We dedicate our hail TO 4 cause
A holy cause and it isn't right
To do Iove-making there each night.
Does my Christian frSend remember, still,
An old brown church upon the hill!
Aud how, each Sunday, his feet strayed thither
In spite of water, wind, or weather.
How he sat through sermon, long and dry,
With u beating heart and glowing eye,
Because he could see, in the choir above,
A gentle face he had grown TO love!
Does my friend remember, when she glanced down,
How the red blood stained his cheek Of brown!
Has n forgot the doorway, where
lie fingered till she came down the stair.
How h- walked by her side, with little thought
Whether the sermon was fine or mott
And learned the sweetest lesson Of youth,
As he listened TO Gods great word Of truth !.
So. fat lodge Jane looks at Hal,
Over the top Of her ritual
If John clasps Josie's finger tips
With something beside Good TemPlars' grips,
Or Tom. to guard at the inner door,
shouId whisper the pass word and something more
Why. where is the harm? Methnks a wife
Might prove as true TO a man through life
Ifcourted in church, or in our hail.
Asnhe won her at rout or ball.
Away with objections. Come, my friends,
And rush with Us to the glorious end.
Now is the lme-there Is work 10 be done
And westward sinks the
The Master calls, the day grows dim!
All where are the sheayes We would carry TO Him