The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1881-03-03
THE rr,IrERASuE ouEsrIoS
HENRY wAKD BEEoHEn N REPAY 70 aow1Ro
CEos3T. Nua
from the Christian Union,1

From the Christian Unlon,. a
DR.. Howard Crosby has made nC
little excitement in Boston by -hil
Monday lecture, "a Calm View %
the Temperance Question Th'
total abstinence apostles have Sc
long enjoyed the monopoly OF an
athematizing all temperance mel
who declined TO join their chrrcl
and swear allegiance to their stan
dards, that they were at first dazet
by an address which indicted then
as obstructing temperance reform
and giving practical aid and com
fort to the liquor interest aAIweel
sufficed to rally their forces, how
ever, and on the following Monday
an hour and half before fthe reg
ular Monday lecture, they crow wdet
fremont Temple to hear from 4
Rev. Mr. Mallalieu a prayer TO
"thatl Rip Van Winkle OF the tenn
perance eause"-certainly the mos
extraordinary prayer ever offered t.
Boston audienee-and from " en-
dell Phillips a phillippic agains
Chancellor Crosby, conceived an(
executed in the best vein OF al
orator who is as distinguished fol
his singular inaccuracy. of statemen
and looseness Of logic as for hi:
brilliant diction and elegant elocu
ton He admirably exelnplifet
the popular method of demolishint
an antagonist. This consists in ma
ing a dummy of straw, hanging
loosely about him garment made
up of shreds and patches OF sen
tences from the opponents address
put in quotation marks, and theI
beating him to pieces before an ad
miring audience, who are Away
sure to applaud such blood
less gladatorial show. That Wen
dell Phillips, retained to demolisl
the Chancellor, should begin by
travestying him was to have beer
expected {; that religious newspaper
should represent HIM as arguing
moderate drinking to be a Christian
duty is unpardonable.
DR.. Crosby's position can be easily
stated in a paragraph. He distinctly
declared that he did not oppose fol
the individual total abstinence from
all that intoxicates: but he con
demncd the total abstinence upoI
the community as the duty of all
the putting under the ban every ono
who does not follow that standard
the insisting upon total abstinence
as the only safety against drunken
ness.D This total abstinence crusade
he condemned in a vigorous indict
ment as both inexpedient and i'm
moral. He declared it to be mex
pedient because it will not and car
not secure the appreciation of think
ing men; it refuses the cooperation
of all in a temperance movement
who decline to adopt the total absti'
nence shibbeleth; It violently
wrests the meaning of the word
temperance, and perverts and be-
Titles it from its true meaning ot
self-control to the MANNED and mutt
lated function of total abstinence
from one particular kind of bever'
age 1t twists and distorts Scripture
and forces into it a meaning repug.
nant both to the best scholarship
and to the common sense of the un'
lettered reader; it substitutes fol
the development of a manhood able
to Judge for itself, and to govern
itself. system Of external checks
and artificial rules; 1t proceeds
by a policy of bull-dozine
and intimidation, endeavoring tC
make unanimity by shutting NJ
the mouths of the other side
But. it is more than inexpedi
ent, it is immoral. 1t has obstructeC
true, healthy reform; it has pro
NOTED the growth of drunkenness
has demoralized the community by
its fanaticism and its lack ofdiscrinr
ination. 1t regulates the diet of tht
well by the needs Of the sick, and
forges for the temperate the bondI
which are needed only tor the vi
cious and the self indulgent; it false
ly assumes that moderate drinking
leads to drunkenness, dogma con
tradicted by the experience ofmil
lions upon millions of the race VIII,
have been accustomed to drink win,
and yet never know drunkenness: j
ignores all discrimination as be
tween fermented and , distilled
liquors, liquors pure and liquor
adulterated; 1t represents all alco
hol as poison, whereas science show
that "there is an essential differenc
between the effects OF, large ant
small quantities of alcohol, a differ
ence Of kind and not Of degree;
depends for moral reform on pledge
not on permanent change of charac
ter; on contract, not ON the mora
sense; on resolutions signed in 4
momentary excitement, not on priD
ciple; it debauches the conscience b.
leading to O wholesale making ant
breaking of promises; and, finally
it includes in its condemnation o
wine drinkers, as sinners, Jesu
Christ and the apostles, who custo
marily and habitually used ferment
cd wines in an age when drinking
was universal and drunkenness no
uncommon, and attempts to eyad
so doing by wrestling the Scrip
lures with q learned ignoranc,
which is fairly splendid with bold
ness. Over against the total absti
nence system thus indicated b!
Howard Crosby sets the system h
would have a temperance maj
adopt; a discriminating system
which would practically recogniZ,
the difference between excess anC
moderation, and between injurious
and harmless drinks; an honest sys
tenn, which would deal fairly will
history, science and Scriptures /,
manly system, which would give NJ
cant and no foolery of orders or rib
bons, degrading matter of bigl
principle to the hocus-pocus of {
childs play; a system which would
exclude distilled liquors from com
mon use as beverage, both by pub
lie opinion and by law, and would
regulate the use of vinous and mali
liquors; : which would shut out from
society the drinking usages which
lead to excess, and reduce by g
license law the liquor shops to not
over one to every 1000 Inhabitants
which would make conviction Oh
the law breaker easy, and the pun.
ishment imprisonment as web as
fine. On such a system the hhion
of all good men could be secured in
an effort to stop drunkenness and
its attendant crimes and misery's
union which can never be accom-
plished on the principles of the
total abstinence propaganda.
We are glad that some one has
been found bold enough to deliver
such an address in fremont Temple,
for it will compel men to think and
the chief hindrance to the temper
ance cause is want Of clear thinking.
There has been q snperabundanee ct
passionate, hasty action,