The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1881-03-03


loans, in the'cold climate and intense
civilization of tho Northern States,
70 drink fiery wines mixed with al
cQhol, But the main premises of the
address need some better refutation
than that of Mr.. Phillips phillip
pic or. Mr.. Mallellen's prayer. Tom
perance is not anonymous with total
abstinence. q total abstainer may
be a most intemperate man, and a
good many of them are, The Bible
oomInends the use of wine; Christ
lived in time when drunkenness
was more excessive than in our own
time when total abstinence socie-
ties existed and pledges were pre-
scribed, land He never Joined the
one or recommended the other; He
made wine by q miracle, used 1t So
cially. and dying, recommended 1t
to His followers Tn O memorial SER
vice appointed to keep His name in
loving remembrance among His
followers, In the face of these facts,
to denounce all wine drinking as a
sin Is to denoupce Christ, and to en-
force. total abstinence as the sole
remedyi for Intemperanee Is to re-
nounce His example. To avoid this
conclusion by inventing two kinds of
wines, one .fermented. the other un-
fermented, Is to violate intellectual
honesty for the sake of securing
Biblical sanction to an ethical hob
by, The cost Is too great for tho
benefits. There Is not n single liv-
Ing independent Bible scholar In
England, America or Germany, who
can be cited in support of this weak
and untenable invention. There Is
clear and unquostionable distinc-
tion between distilled and fer
mented liquors In the process of
their production, their essential ma
ture, and their inevitable effects on
the system. David Willard Parker,
the foremost authority on temper
ance problems in this country, has
recently in our columns demonstra-
ted this difference so clearly that no
reply 10 the demonstration has even
attempted, Any method of reform
that ignores or denies these princi-
Piles sets itself against truth, and
though in short battles passionate
invective sometimes yanquishes
truth, in long campaigns truth al
ways conquers. The permanent and
final temperance reform must rccogv
NICE these truths and recoacilc itself
10 them. .....
We wish that DR. Crosby, ia his
proposed method of temperance re-
form, had placed greater emphasis
on the truth that there i no specific
for intemperance that the only
true remedy ia reform of lhc
whole nature. Temperance IL "a
plant Of slow growth ; Il can not be
forced. InteInperance Is tb, mas
terry Of the animal over the intel
lectual and the spiritual; temper
anoe is the mastery of the intel
lectual and spiritual over the ami
NAL. Prohibition puts the tiger In
a cage and denies him the use of
blood; the pledge ia his promise 10
turn vegetarian; Christianity takes
his blood thirsty disposition of him.
PrOhibitorY laws and personal
pledges may sometimes serve a
useful temporary purpose, but moth
ing less than Christian life makes
radical and permanent reform. A
genuine revival of religion is the
best temperance movement; q gem
uine Christian church is the beat
temperance society; and a genuine
Christian preacher. who puts tenn
perance where Paul put 1t, between
righteousness and Judgment to
come, is the best of all temperance
lecturers.