, 1881-02-20
WHAT IS TEMPERANCE?

DIR. Crosby Gets III n Sroadsfde Agnins
TcototAlls.n - Two Fools Sippin:
Liquor on Trcat.s'
The following letter has been addressed to thu
Rev. Dr.. Cuyier, Of Brooklyn by the Rev. Dl
Crosby, OF New York City. 1t is interesting
! reading for tcctotaters as well as moderat
/ drinkers:
New YonK. Feb: 1e, lssl-My DEAR Dr. cgy.
! know me and my manner ut life thoroughly.
cau, therefore. write to you very plainly and moi
! have my motives impugned nor my personal
character Slundered Yu1l have writt0n nn article
IN tho l'!dcpendcnt entitled Joseph Cooks Pul.
| pit and Temperance" which is. III fact, Il reply
tony to ny Boston lecture on temperance. To youl
article address myself.
First, let the say that was invited to lecture
NJ Hoston, without any restriction being put
upon my subject or the views l should express
supposed was going to II free platform. Ny
subJcce and tny views were knuWa to tho Com
mittee long before lectured, and. II they had
given me hint that either would be unwcl-
come, should have shr,lnk from presenting
them. DR.. Gordon's apology to the Boston pub
lie for having invrod me was, therefore. scarcely
courteous. 4 large part of your article goes to
show that m: rot OF tho same views with Dir.
Joseph Cook and aonle others; but old you ever
think thnt truth does not reside IN human dictu
aud arEuinent ls not found lit human authority?
Sfr. Cook is an eloquent and grand man; but he
would be sorry TO have either you or me believe
q proposition because he utters it. We must 70
-Anothor mstake Of yours is In coufounding
total abstinence III good thiny] with the total
abstinence system &. very wicked th!ug}. Some
dcspise1 the system as much as do. as have
known frum personal Intimacy With them. The
system denounces a!t who drink wino and holds
to the drunkard. The system trayestics
Scripture. Tho systom destroys fundamental
differences. anu SO perperts the human reason
stunning from Intoxicating drinks, us you nuke
1t out You laugh ar the con.icality OF my a<
custng tho teetotal crusade as demoralizing.
Que Of the saducst fenturcs Of this demoralizil-
ton is that good men. like yourself. overlook I'LL
the evils that the fanaticIsm is doing, and treat
enrnest appeals to Gods Word ngaitst 1t with
anger. The publication society to which you be-
long is duly Issuing false Scriptures. which you
know to o be 1alse g qnd q, yet You nre Wiling #
FORK, after copying your article from tho l'ntc-
pendent, adds: "'Touch not, taste not, handle
not' is tho only safc motto, and one which the
n. Il" will thus abuse Scripture text, making
it mean the oposit Of tho Apostles intention. In
59 trst end
US 1t really is, destroys your army OF Insertion.
hip and thigh L system which makes new sin,
and then changes Scripture to support the
u true and humble Christianity.
You spenk Of the efforts In which have en-
gag gaged tn New York to shut up tue grosgories.
months You mike ucrry over my future. Let
mo tell you that for nino days In December, 1S77,
they were ul shut up as the direct result Of our
work. when Mayor Ely and tho Excise Commits |
sioners stepped iu and the latter, By giving 4 |
false license to every Illegal place, put tho whote
matter back where it was. We then fought the I
Excise Commissioners for this outrage, and a |
Eury acquitted them. Now, let me ask If your !
great Teetotal Society, with its hundreds Of |
thousands Of dollars, ever shut up d single |
iquor-shop in New York City? Your compAr-
son Is nn unfortunate one. Your Society is n |
5rcnt Que for speeches und fiery assaults on |
moderate men, tut have yet to sec that it has
lonc nyth9ng to shut up tho ,gToggerles- You |
lgnin mistake the "plcdgc" argument alto
;cther. L pledge In church. membership or in !
marriage Is Contract in which another party
must hive sign. The pledge in the Tcetutal
Society is Il piece Of self-depcndencc. 1t has
lone OF the necessities Of contract.
have rpon for only one othe- comment. You |
hinll that my declaration f. moderate drinking
cads to drunkenness is an atrocious dogma y
extraordinary, dangerous, etc. 1t Is atrocous, |
or 1t implies that every moderate lrnkcr Is on
he road to drunkenness. 1t implies that our
lord Travelled that rpnd. Don't wriHgle ont OF
l1At with the foolish two-Wine theory. That |
cvicc Is 1hreadbarc, If you mean by moderate |
rinking the imm0deratc drinking Of tho liquor
i loon or the 1oria1 party, then you are right
lost tcetotaiers have no iden Of moderate
rInkfng other 1hnn tippllng. The phrase i'm
ictlatetr suggests to thgtn two fools slipping |
1uor on IL trent+ hut use moderate drinking
pr just such drinking as our Lord 7racticcd. |
q say thAt leads to drunkenness is ''atrocious.''
owever We differ. I am always yonr cordial
,iend and brother, HQWAKD CRQSnr. |