The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-04-07
TEE REV. HOWARD CROSBY.
Storm Raised by his t,OStOn Lecture.
Abusive lrtter---CrttjciSin of la-
temperate Temperance aaI
HuIIi0zi.sx EeetO-
taierS.
New York Evening Post, March H..

New ! Orh Evening iOSt, Mnrcu H.
A letter was copied in the evening
Post Saturday from ~. Schumacher,
president of the Ann Arbor reform
club" violently attacking the Rev. DR..
Howard Crosby's recent Boston lecture
on "a Calm View Of the Temperance
Question" A report that DR.. Crosby
had received large number of similar
letters led the reporter of the Evening
Post to call upon him last evening for
information in regard to the excite
ment aroused among teetotalers 10y
the lecture in question.
"Here is the whole story in Il nut
she'll" said DR.. Crosby. ";Six months
ago | was invited to lecture in Boston,
and accepted the invitation, giving
the lecture committee the title of my
lecture, "A Calm View of the Temper
ance Question: and supposing that
my views on the subject were pretty
well known. A month before | deliv-
cred the lecture an opportunity was
given to the committee to cancel the
engagement, for, according to their
contract with the Boston 1rareier, the
manuscript of all lectures was to be
delivered to that Journal in advance
Of the lecture. When was requested
to send the manuscript of hy lecture
to Boston so that it might he put in
type in advance, | refused to do so,
saying that it was against my rule.
The committee wrote back that it
would cost them S25 to have my lee
ture taken down in shorthand. re-
piled by saying that | would pay the
S25, or that they might cross my name
Off the list of lecturers. They accepted
my offer Of S25, and refused to cancel
the engagement.
The morning after my lecture |
was amazed at an impudent card in
serted by II certain DR. Gordon, n Bap-
tist minister, in all Ofthe Boston news
papers, apologizng for having allowed
me to lecture. Ii was only then that
| began to realize to what foolish fa-
naticism such n hobby Is teetotalism
may carry honest, wsi.S-heaicd men.
Since my lecture was given IL HAS been
publicly answered hy Wendell Phil
lips, II Mrs. Ellis, several clergymen,
and others, all OF them reveling in in
vective, bat avoiding argument.
My position on this teetotalism
question il Just this: | believe that
any person afflicted with an immod-
crate desire for strong liquor should
never drink an intoxicating drop; it
is the only safe way, and the argu-
ment In favor Of universal tcctotali-m
has good points about it. But, unfor-
tmnately, the teetota'ers are injudi-
cious, are fanatics, and resort to lies
in order to bolster up their cause. Fa-
natics seldom accomplish anything of
practical value. 1t is well known that
! am interested in snppressing vice in
this city. want to abolish grog-shops
and gambling dens, but must adapt
my methods to the work to be done.
Practical men inclined to assist in
such work are doubtful about fanatics,
but they will listen To moderate, prac-
teal plans. My experience in snch
work has led me to beware of fanatics,
and, unfortunately, most teetotalers
are fanatics, who lost sight of dccency
and honesty, and adopt the plea that
the end justilies the means. | don't
think that any intelligent, thoughtful
man can read the letters that have
received in the last three weeks with
out being repelled and disgusted by
the spirit which can inspire such con-
coctions of vulgar abuse, which may
make us laugh. but which are never
theless sadlcning, because they indi-
heads into which the great cause of
temperance has fallen. have received
bushels of letters since the lecture.
The Evening Post printed one on Sat
urIay; here Is another:
EATON, Ohio, February o, ISL
The Rev. III. Crosby, ID. D.-Dcar Sir:
Good men died, went to Heaven,
and they told ii there; wicked and bad
men died, went to hell, and they told
IL there, that Rev. Crosby Is on the
side of the drunkard and the evil docr.
Drunkarls and drunkard makers are
everywhere on his side. In all the sa-
looms, still houses, he'll holes, dogeries
aud all the wicked and deve!ish places
in all of Gods earth the Rev. Crosby,
is quoted "a being on their side.
Cody men, christian women, with all
the churches, mourn in sadness and
sorrow that ID. u. should so far for
get his calling, violate all the princi-
pies Of sobriety rs connected with the
pulpit, and identify himself with the
drunkard and the drunkard maker.
Shame, shame, shame.
Yours, &C.,
J. CHAMBERS.
The Worcester and Niddlescx [bnil-
dozingl Temperance Union Of Massa-
chusetts sent me the following express
sion OF its good will:
Resolved, That the late address Of
Chancellor Crosby, ID. D., Of New