The Republican journal., 1888-05-03
Temperance.


great agents of the Almighty for the elevation
of the human race. Our late Brother Wey-
mouth of Haven Lodge very beautifully COM
bined the three great elements of human char
acter, viz: temperance, education and religion;
or, naming them in the order of Importance,
religion, education and temperance. Perhaps
some may think it hardly loyal to the temper
perance cause, to rank that as third class yir.
tue; but we claim temperance as the natural
fruit of the seeds of eternal life, sown in the
soul and carefully nurtured by an education in
correct principles. Such an arrangement of
the virtues necessary to human character is
wholly in keeping with the teachings of Scrip
ture. We are there admonished to add to
faith, virtue, and to virtue, knowledge, and to
knowledge, temperance.
No man would think of manufacturing APP
pies out of earth without using the intervening
steps which nature has provided. Neither
would we think of successfully promoting the
cause of temperance without beginning at the
fundamental principles of character. Yet some
think to obviate this necessity by dealing only
with those individuals whose character is al
,e"u. cslhplisheu. SUCH, ailnouSu tney may
be professed Christians seem to forget that
Christ came into the world to seek and to save
the lost. The work of Christ in his day was
too meek and lowly for the naughty Jews.
They We're inclined to ask ''Why catch your
Master with publcans and sinners An emf
nent preacher of righteousness, few years
ago, remarked that if the meek and lowly
NaZerene should enter fashionable church of
the present day i'll the unpretending attitude
which he ancienty assumed, he would be
treated with as great contempt as he was by
the Jews.
But some may be asking ''Why bring Christ
into temperance" Our answer is, because He
is the pattern of Temperance. 1t was his mis-
sion into the world to place before poor erring
mortals a perfect example of righteousness,
purity, virtue and temperance. 1t is the con-
stant tendency of the human mind to follow
some popular man of modern times instead of
Christ the true pattern. This very tendency
causes those who have hopes in the mercy of
Christ to lay aside the Masters work in our
lodges and engage in work of a theatrical ma
ture.
Now the evil is not in the nature of the work
they do, nor in the place they do it. The evil
consists in allowing it to suppant more i'm
portant work. Christ in his days on earth en-
tered into the Synagogue and allowing the
Jews to observe their faVorite ceremonies, He
accomplished his work very harmoniously. So
to-day. though the Christian has work to do,
yet it is in perfect harmony with the example
of Jesus that the worlds people should enjoy
the same right under the same roof.
Whatever be the tendencies of our minds.
the cause of temperance has done much for
the people of Maine. In the days of our grand
fathers Intoxicating drinks were very popular
and as result enormous was the amount of
human happiness DESTROYED by this vile mon
ster. But to-day very few outside the large
cities have had the misfortune of having the
demon enter their own home
prohibition failure because it does not stop
all liquor selling. As well might they pro-
nounce the law against theft or murder fail
ure for all laws are broken to greater or less
extent. The cost of enforcing the law is no
argument against it. The only question to be
considered is whether it is for the interests of
the community at large that alcoholic liquors
be sold freely to all classes of people. have
seen a man leave the barroom, bruised and
covered with blood. | have spent some months
in community where the people lacked the
comforts of life, living in very poor dwellings
with scanty fuel and provisions, but spending
all their earnings for strong drink. These
sights Of wasting money and brutality to asSo-
ciates | never witnessed in the prohibition
State of Maine. Though have spent most of
my days in Maine, | never saw there il table
ornamented with bottles and glasses but such
sights We're soon to be seen after leaving the
State and have been of common occurrence
ever since.
If the use of Intoxicating liquors is detrimen-
tai to the best interests of the community, il is
clearly the duty of the Legislators of the law to
prohibit its sale. 1t is the function of govern
ment to enact such laws as shall foster every
useful or beneficial enterprise and restrain or
prohibit whatever is injurious to the best i'll
tere>ts of the community. The man who in
auces Il boy to drink rum commits greater
injury than the one who steals his pocket
book. He should accordingly lie punished
more severely. Many pocket-book has been
stolen and the thief never found out. Thou
sands and millions of dollars have been spent
in searching for the thieves but no one has yet
thought of the magnificent idea of licensing
men to steal and by making it a legitimate
business, every thief would pay his license
save the expense of paying the detectives and
enrich the government.
The State of Maine has her temperance laws
They are just as needful as any other law and
deserve the same care in enforcing. Our chief
work consists in raising ourselves to a higher
standard and becoming more like our Great
Pattern. 1t is a beautiful thought that the
Great Father understands all languages, all
mathematical relations and all the laws of the
Universe and the more progress we make in
these and hold communion with Him the more
We become like Him. The association of con-
genial spirits has been appointed as a means of
menta. and spiritual development and the tenn
perance organization affords one of the best
means OF carrying out this plan of the Al
mlghtv Ana when We are thtl> associated, II
we follow the examples of Jesus, eNtempore
speaking will ever take precedence of the eX-
hibitons of the stage. The Episcopal Recorder
says: 1.-The taste that Graves the exhibitions
of the stage is too depraved to support any
virtue and a holy soul living in the light of
God and in sweet communion with Christ i'll
stinctively shuns its contaminations." We as
Good Templars would allow the stage to be
used simply as a means of holding Together all
classes of society in this grand union which
knows no partisan in politics. no sectary in
religion but all one in Christ the Model Tenn
plar. GEO. NJ. COLE.
Monaugo, Oak. April 10, 1Sss.