Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1882-12-14
Christian Cooperation in Temper
anco Work.

The second part of the Rev. DR.. Wash
ington Gladden's christian League of
Connecticut" in The Century for De-
cember, more fully develops the idea of
Christian cooperation in the direction
Of paying of church debts, relieving the
poor, organizing new societies, and, as
follows, in temperance work. sJs
might we not, then," asked Mr.. But
-terfield, unite our churches in working
for temperance under leadership fur
nished by themselves?"
1T seems TO be-" answered Mr.. Frank
lin, "that this is impracticable. Union
work in behalf of temperance is one Of
the hardest things in the world to Sc
cure. We can cooperate in ordinary
religious work, because the lesson of toll
grafton in religion has been learned, and
because we are all ready to forget those
things in which we differ; but, as re-
spects the subject of temperance, there
is, as yet, no such liberation; the secta-
rianism of temperance advocates is fully
as violent as the sectarianism- Of the
churchmen was hundred years ago."
Are you not rather rough on the tenn
peperance workers ?" asked Mr.. Thorpe.
Il do not mean to be. But just look
at the facts. There are gentlemen in
this club, suppose, who sometimes use
wine at their tables, and who, though
they are careful to abstain from all ex-
cess, believe that they have perfect
right to use it as beverage. There are
other gentlemen in this club who re-
a,l af hox.r
careful, as sin. | do not belong to
either of these classes, but can easily
see that persons holding views so per
fectly irreconcilable can never work to-
gether in promoting temperance. What
Is more, some of the gentlemen present
are in favor of the passage of laws by
which other persons in this company
would Sc put into the category of GRIM
inals."
"Oh, come, Franklin, that's absurd
You don't mean that" cried Mr.. Thorpe.
II mean just that" persisted Frank :.
lin.
"But you know that the prohibitory
law that some Of US favor. Furnishes the
seller of liquor, not tie drinker. There
are no liquOr-sellers in this room"
"a man cannot ordinarily drink wine
without buying it, can hep
mo, of course not"
"You wish to make it crime to sell
wine to be used as beveragel"
YES
"If it were q crime to sell, then the
buyer would be morally particeps crimi-
mis-, would he not?"
81 suppose So"
"Very well; there are gentlemen here
who are in the habit of buying wine to
be used as beverage, and there are
other gentlemen here who wish to make
the selling of wine for that purpose
criminal act; how can these two classes
of persons come to any understanding
about temperance workp am not dis
cussing prohibition. 1 am not under
taking to justify or to condemn either
of these classes of persons; l am only
pointing out the difference between
them is, in its nature, insurmountabls,
and that they can only keep from quar-
ing the whole subject"
well, guess you're right" said Mr..
Thorpe, soberly.
mot only is it impossible" the banker
continued, "for these two classes to get
on comfortably together, but any one
who undertakes to mediate between
them is liable to have his head broken.
/ dared to suggest, last summer, in
temperance meeting. that it was u gross
blunder for the total abstainers to make
war on all temperate drinkers,-to de-
n0unce them rs malefactors and to hold
them up 10 public reprobation; that it
would be much easier TO persuade than