West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1884-07-30

lowship man who sells whisky
sells it against law at that If l
were pastor, that man would have
to go, or | would go. Saloon keep
ing and soul saving don't live to-
gether in the same man. Why, if
public sentiment proposes to heap
shame and contempt upon the liq-
uor seller-especially a SNEAK"
in the business; to remove him
from places of public trust; to de-
molish his most embryonic aspira-
tions to public office; shall not the
Christian sentiment of the Chris
tian Church remove such men
from her fellowship? The liquor
traffic can never be routed from
the world until it is routed from
the Church. We must unani-
mously set our faces againstit like
a flint, forever. Dram drinking in
the Church impairs and vitiates
the whole temperance cause. If a
church member drinks whisky
himself, will he help destroy the
traffic? Silence or doubtful and
hesitating testimony is the price of
completely with the drinking usa-
ges Of society. For this very rea-
son many guns which should be
double-shotted, are spiked right in
the presence of the enemy. Many
church members who could make
able temperance addresses all over
the country, are as silent as the
grave, because the marks of the sin
Of the drink habit are photographed
on their faces. Suppose a drinking
church member is on the jury, set
for the trial of criminal for SELL
ing whisky. Is it not reasonable,
that the jurors perverted judy
ment would give a biased decision ?
Suppose dram-drinking church
member is lawyer; then, other
things being equal, will not the
"rummies" 60 to him every time to
defend their case? I know many
Christians say: "What drink
does me no personal harm" Well
suppose that is true, "a most I'M
justifable supposition, but, as it
vltlates your Christian influence,
as it weakens your purpose to an
tagonize the liquor traffic, which
does charm" its thousands, as
many become drunkards, because
you drink a little, you ought to alb
stain totally. If your moderate
drinking causes your brother to
offend, then YOU ought to drink
no more forever.
ANOTHER CHARGE.
Another charge against the llq-
uor traffic: 1t brings discredit up
on the gospel and retards its infu-
ence in heather lands. Arch Dea-
con Jeffries, for 81 years an Eng
lish missionary in India, says that
"for one converted to Christianity
as the fruit Of missionary labor,
the drinking practices of the En-
gllsh people had made thousand
drunkards." A missionary to Per-
STA says, eff Mohammedan is seen
drunk, it is common remark that
he has become Christianl"
On every island, on every conti-
nent, on every shore in the world,
the most bitter and unceasing foe
that Christianity meets is the liq-
uor traffic. The heather look up
on America and England as one
great church Of two departments,
one the liquor traffic and the other
the missionary traffic. And it is
hard for them to understand how
rum and religion can be SO congo
nially married How the same peo-
pie can send them the grog-shop
and the gospel both The paradox,
sober drunkenness or drunken So
berness puzzles their inquiring
minds. Yet often, from the same
port, under the same flag, sailing
in the same vessel, the missionary
of the Cross and the vender of dis
titled damnation-O, Unmatched
pair !-go off to their strangely diff
ferent work among the poor be-
nighted heather. Christian Amer
lea and Christian England, cover
I'M with their flags three-fourths OF
the ocean commerce of the globe,
are seen going out to all nations,