The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1884-05-31

and wellbeing of the community,
and If he chooses not to do this, but
to be SELF seeking in all his plans, he
should ut least be forced by the law
to do nothing calculated to injure
the community. The Legislative de-
partment of our government is based
on this principle.
Contemplate the frightful picture
presented: Husbands, fathers and
brothers, to the great number of one
million in the United States alone,
sunk in actual drunkenness, and six
ty thousand descending every year
into the drunkard's grave. Add to
this the misery and want in the
sacred precincts of once happy homes
In order to prevent this shall moth
ing be attempted :? Is it to 60 on
and on perpetuaily Shall we try
moral euasion? Reach the whisky
men by suasionl "The love of mon
ey," "the root of all evil" is too deep
ly seated in their finty hearts. They
become SO familiar with and harden
ed by the evils of the traffic, the
wrong encouraged, the law evaded,
the happiness and peace OF quiet
homes broken up, the frequent flow
of human blood, that the snppathies
and noble instincts OF thei man hood
are concealed. No, the rum seller is
not to he reached by tame measures.
You may save the drunkard himself
by moral sumsion. If you can get
him to see that his sin is against the
law of his being, against the benef-
cent Author of that being, and so
get him to fall ont with bis sin, and
lay bold Of the hope set before him
in the Gospel as to enter the blessed
service of him who "was manifested
that he might destroy the works of
the Devil" then the great work of
saving the drunksrd is accomplished.
But the saving of drunkard now
and then is not enough.
Gan ounce of preventive is better
than pound of cure" The inquiry
should he, how may our unfallen ones,
our boys. the coming men, how may
we keep them from becoming drunk
ards I If my fellowman wilfully MUIR
ders my son, am to beseech him not to
destroy the rest of my familyf No.
What guarantee can | have that he
may be more restrained by moral con-
siderati0ns i'm the future than in the
past 7 1t is a popularity of moral law
that it loses its influence over us with
every violation. The law rises mp in
its majesty and says thou shalt not
To hold that because the question un-
der consideration is a moral question,
and on that account ought not to he
made the subject of legal enactment, is
extremely illogical in the light of all
the facts. Perjury, murder and theft
are violations of the moral code, vet
our Legislature takes cognizance #
these crimes. 1t is proper for the
Christian to rebuke the perjurer, but
he must go farther, and sanction a law
making it punishable. Let the govern
ment keep its hands pure. If men do
wrong, let it be under the frown Of
righteous statute. Let us mot enter
into covenant with death nor make
league with hell"
In doing this. in invoking the strong
arm of the law to crush out this with
ering curse, we are but proceeding on
principles laid down and acted on
throughout His government by the
Supreme Ruler, after whose laws the
most righteous of all human laws are
patterned. God rules the moral world
hx- a ItA rs ka
ties, especially Of the greatest penalty,
shows that mere moral suasion is not
enough. His laws constitute something
more effective than system of good
advice, enlivened by moral suasion.
And, in proportion as men get proper
views of the terrors Of the Divine
law, will they appreciate the magni-
tude and dcnerit of sin, and the great
ness Of salvation therefrom through
the only Rcdeemer. "The law is our
scho0lwaster to bring us to Christ"
saith the holy scriptures. Human
governments themselves are ordained
of God, and are for the correcting of
evil-doers and the prevention of crime.
When my redeemed soul contemplates
the condition and prospects of the
forty thousand engaged in the manu-
facture of intoxicants for our United
States, and Of the tens of thousand
who are selling them to their neigh
bols, l long to reach out brothers
hand and save them from the curse of
Him who says: "Woe unto him that
givcth his neighbor drink, that puttest
thy bottle to him, and malsest him
drunken VIC. G..