The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1886-02-26

IN essay written by George \. Myers, oi
the Friends Central school, Fifteenth and
Race streets, Philadelphia
We. like the inhabitants of ancient
Pompeii and Herculaneum, dwelling at the
foot of voleanco and scarcely thinking OF
the pent-up and Accommodating forces within
the crater may be as rudely aroused from
our inaction as they were. Few of us
have any adequate idea of the power Of
our adversary and the enormous injury
caused by strong drink. We remain in
active forgetting that the great evils are
those whose presence is scarcely appreei-
ated Gods command BE ye temperate
in all things, was not given without pur
pose or reason. Many of the best fam
lilies. as we style them. offer wines or
liquors as an evidence ofhospitality. Hos
pitable, indeed. to create or foster an APP
petite that may send man TO perdi-
ton
To shift the responsibility from our
shoulders we say, This is a free country.
\ man may become drunkard if he
wishes. 1t is none of our business We
do not remember that We are our brothers
keepers and as such we are accountable to
God. Oar influence, then, must be on the
ofensice The day for liberation is passed.
What excuse can we offer God for neglect
ing our duty 10 Him and to our fellow
men. If the result of drunkard's de-
bauch were entailed only upon himself,
tolerant course might be eountcnanced:
but W hen we see wife and children, ragged,
starving and Stunned by their fellow-men
that the husband and father may crafty
his beastly appetite for drink; when we
know that very large majority of the in
sane, the idiotic and the human monstrosi-
ties are the offspring of Incorporate
parents: that such children are mentally,
morally, and physically bankrupt as a re
suit of the drunken carousais and excuses
of their parents, then our desire for tolera-
ton vanishes. or we gather up our skirts
and pass by on the other side, and try TO
forget for the time that such things as in
temperance and misery exist.
But there will be an awakening. :"
There must be- To sleep aor is disgrace
to people of the 18Th century. The time
will come when 10 be a drunkard will be
considered as criminal as TO be a murderer
How then shall We act TO remedy this evil !?
Total prohibition of the manufacture and
sale of all Intoxicating liquors is the only
way ont of the difficulty. Some of our
friends say, suppose You do pass prohibit
tory laws. what will you do then? You
certainly cannot enforce them" If We
have influence enough TO secure the pas
sage of those laws, is not that same in
iuence sufficient to sustain and execute
them? Until our influence is sufficient,
legislation can but partially remedy the
evil Ii is more question of the moral
and religious condition of the people them
selves. 1t is not question of party or of
interest, but OF right and duty. The time
has come when religion must play an i'm
portant part in our politics and our politi-
cal actions must correspond to our relig-
ious views. The religion that denounees
liquor on Sunday and votes To license its
sale hulihs tilS WIN VIII pc caileu ~
make satisfactory explanation at the bar
of God. The Savior's command was not
to create widows and orphans by licensing
that which destroys the body and soul of
the husband and father, but was to pro-
tect and befriend them \ christian must
use his influence against mtemperance or
he is not guiItless. 1t is his duty to his
family, his country and his God.