Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1886-09-17

lilt 1OaIE bt AiS Hh
ant lessons OF sobricly and self-control.
The people who adhere to this plan insist
that a mans individual responsibility for
his own acts must be impressed upon all
and that il the world is TO be rescued from
Rum the people must be educated to the
point Of renouncing Rum individually.
Some of the more extreme advocates OF
this doctrine insist that intemperance is
so great an offense against society that It
must be treated as crime; that rs the
State extends It's protection over every
man, he therefore owes a reciprocal duty I;
that he uho habitually indulges in drunk
enness disqualifies himself TO some extent
from discharging his.duty to the State /;
and that hence he must be treated as q
wrong doer and punished for his indulg-
ence.
On the other hand, the advocate OF the
prohibitory method, while agreeing in the
main with the arguments of the friends of
the opposite method, contend that it al
ways has been and from the nature of
things must be ineffective in crushing out
the evils OF Rum. They feel that the ex-
perience OF the ages has shown that human
nature 10 weak, whenever the gralificatian
OF mans passions or appetites enter into
the temptations by which he is surround
ed. They point to the fact that there are
many other temptations to the gratilica-
ton of human desires and passions, gratif
cations which are as much opposed to mo-
rality and religion as is intemperance
which are prohibited by law, and placed
in the category OF crimes and misdemean-
ors,, and that there Ia no good reason why
the Rum traffic should not be also that
inasmuch as il gives 10 men the opportuni-
~ Of becoming drunkards, Of gratifying n
base appetite, the Rum traffic Is the Jons ct
origo mali, and that it must be prohibited
by law, II no Rum is manufactured and
sold, no man can drink, and hence that
the horrd train Of evils to hlmsslf, his
family and friends, which follows from in
temperance, will never occur because op-
portunity is wanting.
To our mind, while We agree with the
general position of friends of the f rst meth
cd, we do not believe that it ever can be
successful in destroying intemperance.
Most OF the churches have set their faces
againat drinking, all Of them are opposed
TO intemperance and denounces it as sin |;
yet they have not checked the steady in
crease in the amount OF drunkenness, nor
lessened the constantly increasing num-
hers of the vast army that yearly goes
down TO death by the road OF Rum. Evil
IDENTIFY then the church is not strong
enough to stop the evil, or there is vast
portion Of the nation that is practically
irreligious.
Man is prone to evil as The sparks fly up.
ward. Most men have their character for
life formed through boyhood and youth. If
a boy can be saved from the opportunity
OF indulging in the pleasures oil the intoxl,
eating cup until his habits are formed, he
messurably able 10 control the blind, head.
strong impulses of passion and appetite,
the chances are much in his favor for es-
cape from the drunkard's doom. To save
him from contamination, there is nothing
that offers an opportunity save Prohbl-
tion. 1t is foolish 10 urge that he ough,
10 be able to control himself in this respect
for the experience of the ages has un-
liormly been that mankind yield too readi-
ly 10 the temptations OF appetite and the
promptings Of passion.
Suppose We should apply the logic of
our friends 10 rome other vice-to the 30
clal evil for instance. Suppose that we
should, following the line OF argument Of
the moral suasion people, have all laws re
pealed against the keeping Of houses Of
ill-fame, or against the plying OF their in
lernal trade by fallen women on tine streets
of our cities. Let us imagine the state of
Affairs il such houses were allowed, IN the
absence of all law 10 the contrary, to be es-
iablished, ns are saloons, in the most con-
spicuous parts Ot cities, and that's young
man could not pass three squares without
having their doors inviting 10 entrance II
he could not 60 upon ihs streets without
meeting wnmen wheedling and coa3inp
him 10 enter llIese places, Does any one
doubt what the result would be to the
community Does it need any prophet to
fore,ell the awful depths of degradation
which lens Of thousand OF our young mel
! Vuntll anaaIilv Faaoh tI,a .t,,l r..
upon society and upon tho State.
What could the Christian chnrch do
what could The moral element of the com
munity do, to stem the tide Of evil 30 lonl
as they could not invoke the strong arm
the law in behalf OF morality and the bes
welfare OF the people? The condition o
things would never be hettered so long NJ
nothing was depended upon but the edu-
cation OF man 10 realize the sinfulne o
such indulgence, and the evil to the com
munity from il. Nor would il mend mat
lers To punish men for patronizing sucl
places 30 long as they are al lowed TO exist
There would he but one remedy; TO pro
hibit such houses, punish the keepers, an,
punish the inmates.
This illustration is a strong one, but II !
not beyond the truth, The condition O
things with regard 10 thai one wee, IN i'm.
agined above, IL exactly the condition will
regard 10 smother similar yice-in,emper.
ance. There is but one way OF dealing
with il, and that is TO prohibit tho manu-
faciure and sale OF Bum,
| j. will not do TO depend upon mora
sunsion or the diffusion OF general knowl-
edge Of The evil effects, physical and moral
Of inieDperance. II will do no good Il
make the drunkard criminal, and punisl
him for indulging hs appetite, 70 long a
the opportunity IL left open for him to d
40. That opportunity must be taken away
We muai stop The Wanufacure of Rum i
any form ! we must stop the sale Of Run
We must prohibit them. We must
Paiperize The Rum Powsr