The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-02-03
river, and the law pays no atten-
tion, but il take yours and throw
It in the river, It prohibits.

river, and the law pays no atten-
tion, but il I take yours and throw
1t in the river, it prohibits.
That which Injuries yourself and
no one else the law may permit,
but when you lay q stumbling
block in your brothers way, law
human and divine says, prohibit.
@But must I be deprived Of my
liberty just to provide'fo the weak
ness of my neighbour" Let me
suppose that wire manufacturer
fastened several strands of wire
across the path that leads from
your home to your place of business
and that he assigns as reason for
so doing the benefit which you will
receive from jumping that barrier
in athletic exercise and skill; and
supposing that your neighbors who
use that path are expert athletes
and bound over the obstruction
with a delightful feeling of manly
exhileration, but when you try it,
you're tripped the first attempt and
come to the ground and grief at the
same time. Would you and your
friends not at once ask the remov-
al Of that obstruction? But sup
posing that your neighb0rs should
insist on their rights and liberties,
and say that instead Of removing
the barriers, you should 60 and
practice gymnastics. Well, that
would be very good thing to do,
but you know there are many
weak bodied, stiff jointed, and lame
people in the world. You can new
er make athletes out of them; and
then there are many self.conceited
people in the world who think they
are athletes, and are not, and at.
tempt to jump the barrier and
break their necks In the attempt
Athletic exercises are very bene.
ficial and ought to be practiced, but
why not practice them where less
risk u involved? Out Of regard
}alIaa .ths isnQ6 Q6sn1 t66 s66 ~
ed, the weak, and, the strong OF to
day who may be the weak Of to
morrow, and In view of the million.
who plunged into ruin over this
stumbling block, humanity anG
Christianity unite in demanding it,
7 removal.
"But your plan proposes to make
, men sober by law, and the root o
this evil is in the corrupt human
, heart" Most readily do l gran
, that the root Of the evil is in tn,
corrupt human heart, and tina
nothing but the grace of God csl
, eradicate 1t; but so is the root o
the evil Of bath-breaking in tn
corrupt human heart, but that dit
, not prevent the founders of thi
commonwealth from enacting
! law against Sabbath-breaking. Di,
they propose making the peopl,
} good by law?
, There is a law in this counsr,
against polygamy. Now tn
root of that evil is In the corrup
3 human heart. Is it proposed Il
. make the people virtuous by law
The truth Is that human law doe
7 not pretend to be refOrmative,
only proposes to be protective ant
D restrictive. 1t is not its promise t
!. make men pure and holy, but it |
t its province to protect them in thei
t purity and their holiness; and il
4 this case it proposes to take tn
4 bottle from the drunkard's moutl
s long enough to give other remedis
: and regenerative agencies-an Op
. portunity Of reaching and savin
: him; when the law removes tn
0 stumbling block it has done its du
: ty.
"Has Temperance not bee
A preached and prayed and talked g
as to make some men believe tina
}. it is the one thing needful IAN,
B has It not led them to suppose ths
!. to quit drinking was to quit sin
q sing?" 1 confess I have some mis-
|. givings on that point, that extrav
i. agant and exaggerated things ma
}. have been said, and that the de-
}. duction may have been made, 1T
g be . teetOtaler is to be good enough.
!. But this would not be q Just charg
/ againt the cause Of temperance.
t is almost inseperable from an
4 great and good cause presente
, and kept before the public with su
? ficient enthusiasm. Some will hes
J. q great deal Of this, and very littI
' of other things Of equal or create
{ importance, and 50 the equipois
y of truth in their mind is disturbed
e But that is their fault, not the faul