Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1885-11-30
f0I|RIA EDITION.
Bscncr ON Tea psranco.

Bishop Becker made strong, pracii-
cal address on temperance Ia Ia Peters |
Pro Cathedral Oh Sunday night, which |
was listened 10 intently by large con
gregation, In which was the g.. Peter y
Total Abstinence Society In regaiia.
The Bishop real passages OF acripturs
which strongly dsuouncaa the ain os
drunkenness, and other passages com.
mending aobriety. He looksh mon the
Saxon ct the word Temperance a9 p per.
version OF the Latin, which meant mod
Grafton. He then explained the meaL
Ing OF the words, sVbTtety ,ebristy, inioxi
cation, drunkenness, wine bib0sr, sot.
tishpess and other words usedin scrip
turo aud Ia general as connected with
aud descriptive of the sin OF intsmpera-
nee. Where an evil was 10 minutely Go.
scribed ard named so often AS the Elm Of
intemperauee II was hs thought distinct
evidence thst 1t was an evil with which
the people Of past ages wsrs well a.
quainted.
The Bishop read the Views of st.
Thomas upon this question as the views
of tie Catholic church. St Thomas
looked upon drunkenness as n crime
against God that woul ID end in the lose
~ the soul. To drink wine Was uos n
sin in the opinion OF S.. Thomas, bu, 10
| get drunk was a crime, but n crime IN
| the same sense that other sins against
| God were crimes. Tue Bishop sald the
| first aci OF intemperance WAS the fail OF
our first parents; tbs second ihs sin that
| led % the delugr the third the build
| ing OF Babel. Eoah be thought WAS not
| accountable fer bis state Of intox ication
| from tho vine he raisfd, becauee IL wa-
| au Incident. Neither did he think any
l II f,.a IN A nl
epness who accidentally got In taas con-
| ditioL, but he who drinks Intoxicating
| liquors knew the result and he who Grat 3
| to produ ce drunkennesss was guilty of
| CRIME against God.
| He did not look upon tho mere taking
| o! The pledge as the same as making q
| vow, hence he encouraged signing OF
| the pledge. He thought that those who
| signed pledge and afterwards hsd
| liquor prescribed by n pbysician, did
| not violate their pledges IT they took
tho prescription, tut he thought they
ought always TO tell the physician that
they had signed n pledge OF total 40.
stinence. Should any person, who had
signed a pledge. corecieniiously refnse
TO take the prescription OF a physician
and prefer death rather than 10 again
drink liquor in any manner, he would
admire such heroism, and look upon
that person az martyr. by such an
act he shows that he prefers death
rather than the attendant evils ard her
rors OF drunkenness.
The Bishop said he knew very well
that there we're some who did not keep
their pledge and he was afraid Tier,
wsre some " no got sick occasionally 70
get the benefit Of q medical prescription.
The Bishop exhorted his bearers 10 be
! Oh tLo safe side and not ON AIRY account
in1u,ac in in,oxicants. He related q
very striking ipciden; Of his uuiversity
life, when p young friend died OF dc
liriom tremens, which had n w0ndeifn
! influence in making him abaor drunk
eDness.
He said that In order 10 be FRACTION
!, he hal NOT sA.d anything in relation q
the legal prohibition Of the traffic ii
liquor, bub no declared himself strongi!
III favor OF local option II IL could b
eo', and II not, In favor of high l!csu se
that would prohibit The traffic excep
for medicinal and mechanical purposes
He advised his audience against epga
/. rug in tho liquor traffic. There was no
: man or woman engaged IN the trafi
. and who made money by 1t, iha. thei
money did them any good. He aske
his sudienca If they c1aid name ont
There was skeleton, he said, in th
o closet Of every family, and tkoae VIII
0 engaged IN the traffic were the creates
" sufferers He urged his hearers 10 !
sober aad to he ON the safe side by keel
ing as far as they could from drunkei
ness, ny not drinking from the intoxic
OF tine cup