The freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1886-18??, 1886-06-09
Rum and the Vicious Classes.
BISHOP R S Eos TER, D. D.

born. 1h1nk + Jr moment that
this Christen6 1om has authorized
by law and sanction of the state,
the creation of this frighttul pest
gang; that it has provided for its
creation; that it is here, not in
OPPOSITE on to, but of her will; that
by 70 fmal and deliberate legis-
latio a, brought about By Christian
cote s, she has opened, in all her
to WINS and cities, slaughter-houses
IF men, women and children, and
of all virtue, and employs million
minions to do this dreadful work !;
that she has done this and con-
tinues to do it with her eyes open,
and with full knowledge and pur-
pose; that she has prepared and
planned and deliberated in govern
ment chambers, for the production
of these desperate classes; that her
employed and licensed minions do
this for pay.
For a generation Christendom
has been hearing low growl from
the kennel, where she is tattening
these wild beasts of passion a
growl in the kennel as they have
crunched their victims. what
means the roar to-day along
Trafalgar Square and London
streets ?" 1t is the beast, loose and
shaking his name. Pamper him a
little more on government joints,
and no kennel bars will hold him.
Fitted for raven, he will raven to
the full. Rum engenders poverty
poverty and rum engender crime.
From the gog0rnment ratmshop the
wild beast hunts his prey. Is
Christendom struck with judicial
blindness, that she sleeps2 Are
her eyes holden, that she cannot
see? There are armies marching
and counter marching, with ban
ners on which are emblaEoned
dynamite, anarchism, com munism
nihilism, lahor-league, no Sabbath
down with the church and state
recruited from the dram shop and
differed from the kennel. Are WE
so deaf that we do not hear the
tramp of the gathering legions?
Nations that license murder fol
pay will be murdered for plumber
nations that fatten the wild beasts
of rapine and ruin! The rum-hole
must be closed, or the rum mil
will engulf Christendom. What
shall be done with Christian rum
this the problem. What shall be
come of the Christian world
Answer it with license, or authori
cation, or tempering policies; is. il
difficult TO see the end? Strike il
down, cage the beasts that venc
the frenzy in the only place t.
which they belong, the 'crimina
cell, and the kennel will disperse
There is but one remedy. W;
have had experience enough t.
have learned what that is. W.
must put an end to Transforming
men into beasts by law, and mus
put the beasts who do it into {
limbo where their sorceries will
cease.
The conflict is now upon US. /
is life-and death struggle. The
government is on the side of tn,
beasts; the people make the govern
ment Shall the rum fend still
carry on his carnival of death
Shall the rum minions, at the still
behind the bar, at. the bar, in The
gutter, or in the mansion, rule
Or is there enough of manhood
among US to save Christendom from
the damning shame? The answer
we make to that question deter
mines fate. If Christianity has Do
power to save ChristendOm, where
is our hope? With what face, then
can go to the heather? There il
no devil-worshipper in Africs
more degraded, more lost to al
sense of shame than the demon
worshipper Of rum no high priest
of the sorceries Of heathenism more
diabolized than the minions O.
Christian states authorized tC
manufacture and vend the poison
Paganism can muster no mis-