Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-06-06
Report of the Committee on Temper
anee of the Tallahassee District Con-

Your Committee on Temperance beg leave
to report: - ~
Since the flood the Church of God has had
TO grapple with intemperance. Often in these
conflicts she has been worsted Her first sad
conflict with this monster of which we have
any account occurred at the foot of Afarat in
slght OF the Ark, that had survived with its
living freight of men and animals, the flood.
that terrible symbol of Gods wrath. An in
splred hand has painted the scene A servant
Vi O0u, ene IaIthlul researcher of righteous
ness, Tor hundred and twenty yearsthe builder
| OF the ark--the sole living head of the human
family ana church of God, who had for centu-
rles resisted the worlds corruption and still
now renamed true to God, dallies with the
WINE from the first ripe grapes after the uni
NerSal destruction, and is drunk. and uncOv-
ereU- One of his three sons beholds his
ftt ulsgraee, aud laughs at his folly. The
IatIleI aWakes with curses upon that SOMA
| servant OF servants to all generations -
d curse SO deep and bitter that it hung for
centuries IKE black pail upon continent
anu upon a third of the human family with
| out any lifting, and has for eighteen centu-
RES resisted the light of a Christian civiliza-
tloh-a fearful prophecy of the curse and sla-
| very OF lntemperance and a fearful Warninp
IHal the strongest dare not daily with this
| monster.
~ Another scene is drawn by an inspired hand
ms one Is beneath the shadow of the temple.
anu nara by the ark of the covenant. The
leaders OF this revelry are the sons of Gods
| hlgh priest. Drunkenness. encouraged bv
them, mas become so common among the
| faithful Hannah in her secret devotion to God
| are interpreted by Eli to be the mumbling of
| drunken woman. This iniqutv. the fruits
| OF uIuEAenness, deepens till only an inspired
| hahd mas courage to draw the lines black
| enough 10 paint the facts. We turn with
| horror from this scene to look for moment
| upon some of its conference.-the wicked
| priests slain, Israel OterthrOwn, and the ark
| captured.
| Is this fact and this scene another prophecy
OF the incubus that for six hundred years was
to rest upon the church of Jesus Christ, when
tle Dlackness OF darkness was to hang like a
| thlck vel before her eyes, shutting out the
] light OF Gods truth? Is there no parallel be
tween these facts? Only the latter is the
darker picture. Jesus Christ had planted his
| church. His faithful ministers had gone out
| preaching the gospel of peace. IdOlatry was
iast disappearing. Heather temples were
demolished or converted into Christian
| cnurcnes. Christianity, sustained by the
edlct OF the great Emperor of the combined
/ west and East, was Ii kelly to soon become the
religion Of the. world. Idolatry, satans
| Christianity, was fast losing its hold up0n hu
| man hearts and failing longer to blind human
! understanding. Satan must find an equally
! potent weapon or his cause is lost. An Arab,
| engaged IN alchemy-the black art-search-
| ing for elixir vitae, turns from the blood of
| Christ the only water of life that God has ever
| given to man, to find the elixir norris The
ART OF concentrating alcohol by distillation
| was discovered. Almost simultaneously the
| protested followers of Jesus Christ begun to
use their gathered wealth and power for
IuAufles, Tor wine and ardent spirits. For
more than SIX centuries the priests of the
church, faithful followers of the sons of Eli.
LED the world in iniquity, and the "WOman
clothed IN scarlet is drunk with the blood of
the saints"
A better day dawned. The Bible-the word
OF God, the light of the church, the manual of
temperance-was found. 1t was read. search
ed, printed, scattered. That it might be scat
tered everywhere God gave the printing
press, steam, lightning. Its light now flashes
upon every continent and island of the globe
Among the most earnest readers of that
move was Mr.. Wesley. With its light in his
understanding, its spirit in his heart. and thp
DOCK IN his hand, he went forth in the name
of It's Divine Author, claiming 1.-THE world as
ms PARISH TO spread scriptural holiness
over the land. Among the items of
holiness which he practiced and taught
was temperance. Thank God this
WITH the ,,o,n, other items, has been
to the Methodist Church. Nor has the I Mef6yy
Odlst Church despised this legacy. Ii has
grown IN her midst as a tree of life Her sons
nave eaten OF this fruit for six generations.
Ihey nave given largely to others. They have
tasted, found its fruit good and have planted
seeds ana grown trees and given to others the
heaven granted fruit. The churches
are pIantiu, "' coh'ih T and islands
planting it, in legislative halls ais
In legislative enactments, bV hands of Iud,rns
anu anu now, lhank COD, as in FLORIDA, the Legls-
munlty the power to plant this fruit TO
spring as a rOof-tree to give shelter TO fheiI.
children, and bear fruits of sobrietv. peace
and excellent.
And now, rejoicing over the good fortune
granted by our last Legislature in the enact
ment OF local option law, we send greetings
TO the friends of temperance throughout these
United States. 4 word of Warninr to Our
fellow citizens of Florida, that we are not vet
to fold our arms and think there is no more to
be done. We must educate orr neonle and
pubic sentiment to claim their rights and
sustain ana enforce the laws and especially
DO we urge the ministers and members of our
church, winch, as Methodist, everywhere
nave Deen a potent factor in educating whole
some public sentiment to renew their efforts
and zeal till every community and mind have
been penetrated with light which will re-
Veal temperance as heavenly virtue and in
temperance as the curse of our people homes
and country.
And now we solemnly enter this Indictment
against lhCemperance. 1t has taxed the pco-
pie of this land as no other tvrant ever dared
to tax them, wasting millions that would have
paid the public debts, clothed the naked. fed
the hungry, and educated the Ignorant and
enriched the Door.
IL mas hlleu the poor houses with paupers
lalls win criminals, disgraced our fellow cit
lzens ana suspended them by thousands upon
the galloWs.
sons, made widows of our daughters. and or
phans OF little children, whose cries reach to
heaven.
1t has been more cruel than war. for if has
first corrupted and then destroyed. peoplng
graVeyards with disgraced victims and hell
with immortal souls.
we charge upon incompetence all these
evils, and call upon all who have seen and
suffered, every man, woman and child in these
broad lands TO witness before God to the truth
of these indictments,
we do more. In the name of HUMANITY
ana Tor the sake of Him who has suffered to
redeem humanity, and whose word and whose
spirit, and whose blood have so often failed to
save because intellect has been dethroned,
ana the heart of man corrupted by this
monster; yes, for the sake of Him and His
Ghurch, do we cry to the God of Providence.
Justice and Love, to hear us, and by His own
stronS arm to Danish this curse from our
homes and from our land.
Il. w. MOORE,
5. j. TURNBULL.
ReSotced, That we again pledge ourselves to
keep the general rule of the Church forbid
ulnS drunkenness or drinking spirituOus
liquors except in cases of necessity"
= nraf1 l. 4