Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-04-22

A Sermon on sAs sahIees From one Of
the IAlty.

the Laity.
To tie Editor ofths Dispasch:
As our friends Of tho locsl-op'ion
side Of the liquor-q question are beginning
to lose their tempers, 1t looks IS II they
felt the chances were getting rather
blue for them.
We took the view that this agitation
was q new squirt offanaticism, and now
we see every day 1t is becoming more
and more evident that nothing but q
fanatical excitement is at the bottom Of
it. Reliance on reason and support
Of fundamental principles has
small part in the movements
and arguments of the prohibition
lists. First, it was political question,
question of State policy, a means OF
dispensing with jails and prisons aud
Warehouses. Soon it became q reli-
gious duty to attack the monster liquor
as q forbidden evil, and an army Of re-
ligious fanatics that make religious ia
nsticism q business and q means o
living, Just as much so as the criers of
articles Of food IN the markets do their
meats and vegetables on sale, was i'm
ported into the State from regions Of the
country long known to be the hotbeds
of fanatical doctrines and irrational dis
sipations.
They pray for the humiliation Of
liquor. Thus they implicitly commit
the matter to an All-wise and Just
Maker. But no sooner have these
prayers gone up than they 60 out into
the highways Of the city to set traps to
catch their fellow-citizens who happen
to differ with them about the use Of
liquor. The prayers were offered that
God in His wisdom should do what He
thought best. But they could not wait
His own good time and purpose,
but conceived themselves charged
of a Divine mission to 60 out, not
to preach and to pray, but to vote
to establish lordly power over their
brethren in the flesh. Besides voting,
they gather together crowds on tho
Sabbath days, haranguing them on po-
litical issues and stigmatizing their fell
low.church. members, fellow Christians,
and fellow-citizens who are engaged in
lawful business as unfeeling liquor
dealers and vendors of human poison
for the sake Of money. And here let
us remark that but for the excitement
which many of these temperance
advocates have worked themselves up
to they would see that the ar
raDgements, processes, and CLASH
fications Of all business are made
for public convenience and comfort.
1t is altogether reasonable that a grocer,
in order to accommodate his customers,
should keep flour, bacon, coffee, tea,
molasses, and liquors, and many other
things with the values, qualities, and
properties Of which he makes himself
acquainted from the earliest training in
his business. If his variety is broken
by emitting liquor THAT every three out
of four Of his customers will want in
some form) he will conduct his trade
at disadvantage with others in
his line, and whatever his facilities
in other respects may be he will not
be as successful or as useful merchant
as be could be were he to keep on hand
what the public wants require. But
the temperance advocate will say, by
selling liquor such will render them
selves responsible for the intoxica,ions
and murders that infest society. My
word for it, if any such dealer con-
ceiyed that his customer meant to make
himself drunkard, or would 60 out to
kill his neighbor, he would not sell him
the LIQUOR. But he will be answered,
You know there is drunkenness and
murder. Oh yes, the merchant
will say, and know there are bad
members of the Church, but for that
reason | could not agree to wipe out
the churches; that would include
yourself, who | know mean to do all
The good you can; but, like myself,
while I feel l should like to see the
greatest good prevail, We shall neither
of us ever see the evils Of this world Of
any kind much abated. They occa-
sionally come, like human wars, after
spell ofpeace, and the longer the peace
the bigger the war. Indeed, much as
we may desire this or that good, it
would seem all we can be ex-
pected to do in the way Of it
is to regulate our own habits and con.
duct and pray for the balance. Is it
not plain, if we 20 to voting and forcing
others against their will, we will be apt
to do less praying, or what is worse,
we shall lose our faith in prayer? Re-
member we are not praying to ourselves
to DO thus and thus, but we are praying
to Him who alone may hear prayer to
turn the hearts and appetites of others
as seemeth to Him best. Now if He
fail las we may conclude) to hear our
prayer, should We take up what We
have Plead for Him to do if to Hin it
seemeth best aad do it ourselves?
The truth is we are not any of us ask
ing God to destroy all liquor; for lie
hath made it and it is good in its place,
like all He hath made. We are asking
Him to temper the appctites of men
and now who else can do it? No one.
With earthquake thunder let this an
swer echo in every ear. No human
being can do this work and all attempt
at it will not only prove futile, but will
make evil pregnant with fresh minis
t,rs of crime. But the temperance
will say, We only want to make it hard
for the drinker to get his liquor-make
it so that he will have to pay dearer for
it. But will this not be making those
who have proper need for it and who
use it prudently pay dearly for it also?
Still they will say, If some will sin we
would make it harder and harder for
them to do it. But why make it harder
than God Himself has made it? Our
responsibility is proportional to our
voliiion. If we drink not only be-
cause We cannot get it, how can it be
said we are not drinkers? And then, if
we have curses on our lips for those
who have invaded our rights, wherein
have our friends made US good? The
result will be they have cursed US,
| ,bon,h vali0;onsIv or fanaticallv and