Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-01-15
TOUCH NOT, TASTE NOT

perance Work.
union temperance service was held at
Christ Episcopal church last night, being
the Inauguration of a movement which is
to be followed by a series of meetings in
the cause of temperance. The service last
night was very entertaining and the church
contained large congregation. The ser
vice was conducted by the rectors of the
Episcopal churches of st. Paul, including
the Rev. DR.. Thomas, Rev. DR.. Gilbert, DR..
Pope and Rev. Mr.. Kittson.
The song service was very beautiful and
at the beginning of the service DR.. Gilbert
announced union missionary meeting to
be held at ST. Paul's church q week from
next Sunday.
The service was opened by DR.. Pope,who
said that the object was to organize the
Minnesota branch of the church temper
ance movement.
He requested the earnest attention of all
present and said that the order would, con-
sist of signing the declaration of. the
Temperance. society Of the church.
The bishop of the diocese was the ex-
oficio president of the order; he was de-
tanned away by illness as was the Rev. DIR.
Knickerbacker, of Minneapolis. This So
ciety was not the creature of impulse; it
had gone through long process of for
nation, the movement began across
the waters. and had received
the cooperation of the pulpit
and the Archbishop of England. The rev
erend speaker then alluded to the begin
ming of the society and its early historywas
outlined. The motives which actuated the
meeting was the power of the bishops re-
iterated desire and of the mighty influence
of the movement which had grown up in
society the world over. On every side
temperance was in the air,and well it may
be, for there was an influence in the air
which must be counteracted. The temper
ance society of the church was the tenn
perance spoken of in the Bible;
this was different from what temperance
was usually understood to mean; the Bible
spoke of temperance in three ways: char
| ity, confluence and moderation. The
object of the church temperance move
ment was not total abstinence but moder-
alton; it was for the establishment of read
ing rooms, coffee houses and other indu-
ences to counteract the liquor traffic; also
to close the saloons on Sunday and to
protect the young; there were cases where
total abstinence was a positive duty;
total abstinence was necessary in the case
of drunkenness. The order would have a
pledge not to treat in saloons; not to drink
in saloons, and not to drink solitary. Evil
communications corrupt good manners
and it was the duty of the members to not
patronize saloons. In seeking out for the
movement the speaker had met with man
who had said that organization and monop-
oily were the two curses of the age;
the speaker would answer this by COM
pairing the wild tribes of mankind to the
organized bands that held together and
governed all high humanity. The struc-
ture of man, the tree, the societies and
good institutions of life were the result of
a high stage of organization. Force away
intemperance and the need of relief organ
izations would be no longer in demand.
The amount of gold in circulation was
! 100000 900, and it was this amount that
was used in the liquor traffic; this did not
count the ability, time and talent of
the men engaged in the traffic. The
men who traded in liquor were not
the ones to be pitied it was the man who
drank the liquor; and he was not to be pit
led so much as the suffering ones at home.
DIR. THOMAS.
| DR.. Thomas then addressed the congre-
cation. He said he had thought of
the subject for so many years; he had real
j, lied the enormity of the evil, and seen so
little accomplished that he had
heard of the movement with feel
ings of doubt and uncertainty.
He thought that man who could not keep
the pledge in holy baptism, could not keep
any pledge. 1t required that man re-
nounce all the sinful lusts of the flesh; if
men could come to the font pledging
themselves in the name of the Father, Son
and Holy Ghost, and then go away and
break that pledge he did not know what
power on earth could help them;
| If a pledge under these circumstances was
not binding he did not know what force
could be brought to stay the tremendous
evil of drink.
The victims to this thirst were the gen
erous, impulsive and best young men;
mean man never became a drunkard; it
was only the choicest of the flock that fell
victims to the bowl He thought that the
effort in other ways was at least worth try
ing; in this movement there were several
pledges, one of which might be subscribed
to; one pledge might be, pledge myself
aid the cause of temperance; another was,
Il will not enter salocn;" another who
! felt himself weakening,the pledge of total
abstinence. The reverend speaker then
referred to his efforts in starting the coffee
house. The motive here was hunger; that
is, many boys, clerks and young men who
could not purchase meal would buy
glass of beer to get the lunch and finally
acquired an appetite for drink;
The coffee house became, then, a prevent
alive influence. The speaker then alluded
to the temperance league; he thought there
was no doubt that the state should protect
the drunkard the same as the insane man;
she regarded him as her feeble ward. The
state should also prohibit the sale of liquor |
to minors. The speaker had heard that |
the laws were not operative; he believed
the state should step in and say no man
who could not respect her
laws should sell liquor |
a high license law should be passed that
would close up seven-eighths of the saloons
of the city; by so doing the few saloons
doing business would inform on those who