The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1878-02-26
DIR. REYNOLDS.


A reporter OF the Chicago Journal
recently interviewed DR.. Reynolds, to
the extent Of column. We give some
OF the salient features OF the interview:
as there any truth in the statement
which has been made in some papers
that you do not preach saving grace
and seek the regeneration OF men, but
only To reform them after a sort Of in
dependent reformative method, with
the plan Of salvation omitted ?"
''My work ia not that of preacher"
replied the Doctor, "but il is 30 induce
men to sign the pledge. i consider
that the first step toward salvation in
the case Of some men, TO sign the
pledge, and we trust God TO help them
keep II. I'm not preacher-Im
REFORMED DRUsKARD,
and know that some men have to be
brought mp TO certain point before they
can accept the idea of salvation by
faith. was probably about as low as
any man ever was, but i signed the
pledge. Isn't it better to have a man
stop being a drunkard even though he
isn't converted right away. I signed
the pledge and that was the first step;
then after a while l found how to trust
God to help me-"
lis the effort TO get men to sign the
end OF your work ?"
''Ill tell YOU" said the Doctor.
Here's John for instance. His wife's
sick at home and hasn't any bread or
medicine, because he spends his money
for rum. His children can't GO out to-
4 Al
they haven't any shoes. Well, John
wishes it wasn't that way. He's been
wishing so for years, but he's kept on
drinking. He signs our pledge. His
wife gets a doctor. They get pane Of
glass where there was an old hat. John
has stopped drinking. His wife can
go cut to church. He stays at home
and curses and swears as much as ever,
maybe, but he don't drink any more,
or maybe he wanders around on the
wharves TO kill the time. He won't go
to church. he has prejudice against
church, which liquor has produced.
aud OF which liquor has produced, and
of which we all have enough anyway
without liquor; but by and by there's
n rainy night, and John stands at the
church door waiting to take Susan, his
wife, you know, home from prayer
meeting. He goes in-just inside the
door; that's all. He sees it isn't such
a bad place. The children have been
bringing home tracts. He gets TO
thinking about these things. Now,
hasn't there some good come from
signing that pledge ? think so. II,
when John gets 10 thinking, he gets
converted, so much the better; but il
no don't, isn't ii better TO have him O
steady man than a dirty drnnkard p
The reporter assented, and the Doc
tor continued. You see there are
narrow-minded people who can't see
the good OF reforming a man without
converting him; but there are indirect
advantages. If man becomes steady
and sober, and some Of his children
get to going to Sunday school, it seems
20 me there's some good in his signing
the pledge, even though he don't get
converted himself.
After considerable further conversa-
tiop, in which the Doctor stated that
the object of his work was to get men
on 10 the right track, so that they
could lead at last out into the light, he
spoke Of the
EVILS oF SRER.
"The hardest men we have to deal
with are youpg fellows from II to %
Who drink boer." said he. Beer is
'he curse of the West. Men persuade
themselves that because they don't
iriuk whisky, they're not drunkards,
hut it ain't so. I've been as drunk on
beer ns ever / was on rum. These
Young men like you, my brother, who
lriuk beer, ten years from now will be
lrunkards. Alcohol is alcohol, and it
lon't matter how a man gets it into his
stomach, the effect is the same. Some
lay the people will see it. This evil
is going TO be abolished. Godll bless
this work. 1t may not be in my day,
but know that sometime-I don't
know how or when, but sometime
this will be realized. It's going to
ruin the business OF the saloons.
They've got to feel it. and only wish
10 God 1t would cut or their business
altogether"