Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-02-15
TEMPERANCE TALK:
MINISTER MoFFAps SUNDAY SER
MON ON A TEMPERANCE TtW.
Woe Unto Him that Puttest his Bottle to
his NeighbOrs lips.-A Logical Review
Of the Anti-temperance Argu-
ment.

Rev. d.. Mofat, preached IN the Secohu
Presbyterian Church OF this city, on
Sunday last, on the prevailing topic
Of temperance:
Habakkuk. els. "woe unto him that giyeth
his neighbOr drink. that puttsst thy sotue 10
him and mskest him drunken"
Drunkenness is denounced in the Bib.e
as a sin. In the New Testament 1t is
elassed with iornication, idolstry, ex-
tortion, the #, rioting and murder. 1t
is one Of the sins which exclude from
the kingdom OF heaven, and christians
are advised TO hold no friendly CON-
munications with a drunkard, mo, not
10 eat with such an one" And nobody
in a christian land defends drunken
ness. TIE drunkard calls himself a fool
for over INDUCING his appitite, and
every body agrees. Even the dram
seller condemns that which disgraces
his business and kills off his customers.
1t is not strange then, that the word OF
God goes a step further and condemns
all who assist in making men drunk.
"Woe unto him that giyeth his neigh
Dor drink" He becomes particeps crini-
nus, an accomplice in the crime. His
participation IN the drunkard's guilt de-
ponds, OF course, upon the closeness Of
his connection with the act. The man
who begs his nelghbor to drink to excess
or soliCits him in anyway to get drunk,
may not drink himself, but is undoubt-
eddy an equal partner in his neighbours
sin. The men who stand behind
counters ready to furnish, for a con-
sideration, the facilities for producing
intoxicatiOn, stand next in NE grade OF
participants. The retailers OF liquor,
knowing we'll that nearly the whole
amount of intoxicants they sell will be
devoted to the production OF intemper-
ance, cannot be held guiltless; and the
wholesalers, who go on the bonds OF
the retailers and stand behind them as
their sureties, are not yet so far re-
moved from the drunkards as to escape
the charge Of putting the bottle to them
10 make them drunk. Some of these,
indeed, may not know what use is TO be
made OF every gallon OF liquor they sell;
but in these days when drunkenness
abounds and its evils are everywhere,
thsy ought to know, and they cannot
deny that they do know that the great
bulk of that they sell is sooner or later
converted into drunkenness. In this
dav, when the extent and evil OF in
temperance have been brought clearly
to light, they cannot justly complain II
they are generally classed with the
whole profession OF drunkard' makers.
Outside of these classes stand men
who in a variety OF ways aid and abet
them. They are the ministers, the
politicians, the lawmakers, the voters,
the writers and editors, who throw
hinderances in the way OF all move
ments that promise to diminish the
traffic, or who fail to support measures
that they have reason To believe Will
promote temperance, for ito him that
knoweth 10 do good, and doeth 1t not,
20 him il is SIM" These classes OF
persons may often be falsely charged
with sympathy for the liquor interests,
by those who differ from them rs to
ways and means. Every man should
be hs own judge and We must not
be forward to Judge one another and
make charges OF personal character.
As man and as a minister, exerting
some influence by reason OF my position,
| am determined that my words and
acts and the course OF my life shall he
such as to give no one any reason to
suspect that have even the remotest
connection, directly or indirectly, with
the drunkenness OF single human be-
ing; and this believe to be the ground
that every christian anl every lover OF
man should occupy.
This IS my apology, if any one feel an
apology is needed, for introducing this
subject at this time.
on the 10th OF January, distin-
guished minister OF the Presbyterian
church, delivered lecture in the city
Of Boston, which he entitled "a Calm
View of the Temperance Question. HIS
reputation as one OF the best OF our
preachers, the prominence OF his posi-
ton as Chancellor Of the University OF
the city OF New York, his high standing
as a citizen, and ability as a scholar, his
public utterances always clear in
thought and vigorous in word-all
these secure for him a respectful hearing
and give 10 his views great weight. His
lecture was simply an attack upon the
total abstinence system, and, as inyolv.
ed in il, the legal prohibition OF the
traffic. That the lecture was strong In
language no one questions, but there Is
difference of opinion as to the strength
of the argument, the correctness OF the
positions assumed, and the propriety OF
uttering such sentiments. There Is
scarcely a good man anywhere but re-
grets that the learned lecturer made
use of such expressions as II charge
upon this system (Df total abstinence)
the growth OF drunkenness IN our land
and a general decentralization among
religious communities" aud total alb
stinence is IAN expedient for the weak
and Diseased. ~ Through out the
lecture there are sentences which the
advocates Of LIQUOR drinking and liquor
selling will commit TO memory and
ouute them at us on every occasion.
In our own city the opponents OF the
pYoposed amendment to our State
Constitution, the men who are trying to
secure the denial OF the prayer OF more
than 5000 OF our citizens, to have the
amendment submitted to the people,
could find no better weapon with which
to fight this righteous measure, and
have had copies Of it printed, with
headlines Of their own invention, and
circulated. OF course the distinguished
lecturer il no. party to this use OF his
lecture; but such a use renders the
review of the lecture Observation-Disclosures
necessity.
/ hope To give it calm review, and to
iadulge in no personalities or denuncia-
4 ns. The, have lie, n common enough
Already. However men may ditfer from
his views and protest against them,
they are not justified in denouncing
him as 1.-THE saloon keepers advocate"
nor in praying for him as one did re-
Gently in Boston, that the Lord would
give him a baptism of common sense"
nor, in ignoring the brave and earnest
work he has done in New York, in
securing the closing OF 1000 saloons
and bringing to light the corruption OF
the Excise Board Of that city.
The lecture aimed to prove two points,
l.