The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-09-23
THE TEMPERANCE CENTENNIAL.
The Subject Discussed at Roberts Park
Church Last Evening.

The second evening of the centennial temper
ance celebration was held last night at Roberts
Park Church, large number being in attend
ance. Rev. G. E. Asbury made the frst address,
on the subject 1.-THE Inception of Temperance
Reform" He said that the first temperance re-
form movement began in England about CEN
tury ago. headed by the Wesleys. The good in
fuence soon crossed over to this side Of the At
lantic, where DR.. Benjamin Rush made the
| initiatory step in publishing his celebrated
essay on the evil effects of ardent spir-
its on the human body and mind. The speaker
read copious extracts from DR.. Rushs essay, as
illustrative of the temperance literature of that
day Continuing, he said that physicians and
ministers have gone hand in hand in leading the
temperance reform movement. A hundred years
since, religious men habitually used alcoholic
beverages. and even ministers of the gospel were
wont to drink freely and encourage the use of
liquor for health. DR.. Rush. in his essay, al
lowed only two cases where legitimate use of
alcoholic spirits may be made--in case of ex-
wet weather. Since his day the use OF strong
drink has been slowly but truly diminishing.
Rush's appeal was merely to save the
physical constitution from wreck. but
now the best argument against
the use of distilled and fermented liquors is the
immoral tendency they have society. The
first temperance society in America was at
Lichfield. Mass, in 1882 1t sought to check in
temperance by imposing small fines upon the
members who got drunk. The first sentiment
for prohibition was uttered by Lyman Beecher,
who claimed that moral coercion was futile, and
that the remedy to cure the evil of intemperance
must be universal The civil authorities, he
claimed, must by law forbid the sale and manu-
facture of liquor, and thereafter the remedy
would be easy. The speaker concluded with
reading one of Sargents temperance tracts,
illustrating the effect of temperance literature in
reforming the masses
Rev. George Booth next addressed the audi
ence on "The Total Abstinence Movement" He
remarked that temperance ;s not regarded as it
ought to be. The number of total abstainers are
entirely too rare for the public good. The back
bone of the prohibition movement is the cele
brated essay Of DIR. Rush. His arguments have
never been improved upon, and viii continue to
do good work in the future. In order to justly
calculate the advance which temperance has
made 1t is necessary to 20 back century and
examine into the condition of society. Drunken
the poetry and best literature was
then impregnated with wine At flu
nera!s and social gatherings whisky was
thought to be indispensable. Literary men and
politicians were welded to the cup, and at
private parties in Scotland boys were hired to 60
around at certain hours of the night and unbut-
ton the collars of the guests so as to guard
against apoplexy and drunken fits. The Scotch
minister still has his whisky, but the reform is,
nevertheless, advancing One-fifth of the popu
lation OF Edinburg teetotalers, and are
strong enough to determine by their votes
where political victory shall rest. The speaker
thought that prohibition only would redeem the
race from the liquor curse
The last speaker was Mr. Howard Gale whose
subject was "A Century of Liquor Legislation. !"
de reviewed hastily the laws which have been
passed in this country regulating the sale of in
toxicants and concluded that liquor-dealers are
universally law-breakers, who never keep an
agreement The saloon keepers required to
observe only few laws, among which are those
relating to the sale of intoxicants to minors and
Sundays holidays and after certain hours at
night but even these few laws, whose wisdom
| and fairness are universally conceded, are disre-
garded and insulted by the liquor dealers The
speaker believed the only remedy to be prohibi-
ton.
The programme for tonight Is as follows:
Rev. Reuben Jeffery, Presiding: Reading Scrip