The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1889-06-26
A NEEDED SUBSTITUTE.

A NEEDED SUBSTITUTE.
Something to Take the Place Of the -.
cial Features OF the Saloon - Coffee.
Houses ~ an Auxiliary to the Temper.
snce Work.
i 1.-THE saloon must 60" is the cry Of
the day among Temperance reformera
Amen! 1t can not 60 too soon or b
abolished too completely. Any thing
that promises to effect this devoutly-
to-be-desired contamination may count
on us for support, and on every wido-
awake Christian man, whose eyes have
been opened to the appalling evils Of
the drink traffic
But there is another work that can.
that should, go hand in hand with the
abolition of the saloon. In the work
of reform, as in every thing else, neg
alive measures are not enough. We
must not stop with pulling down, we
must build up; it is not enough to
crush out bad institution. we should
put better in its place. The parable
OF our Lord about the man from whom
the demon was cast out, and who after
wards returned with seven demons
worse than himself, because the man
had not permitted his heart to betilled
by better occupant, certainly has an
application to the demon Of strong
drink. Either an individual or COM
munity that casts out this demon must
make haste to supply his place with
better occupant, or he will return, and
the last state will be worse than the
first.
Now, the saloon, vile as it is and
great as is the evil that it does, sup
plies a want in the community, espe-
cially in the large cities-the want Of
a well-lighted, well-warmed, cheerful
place for social intercourse. A work.
ing-man who has worked all day in q
hot, vile-smelling factory, and goes
home to two stuffy and perhaps dirty
rooms in tenement house, is natural
~ ready to seek a more attractive
place for spending his evening so soon
as he has swallowed his supper. The
saloon offers certain attractions for
men in this state Of mind, and for
women, too, who have been shut up in
q tenement-house or shop all day
and are longing for q little change
and recreation. Many Of the fire.
ouenters OF city saloons are not yet
vicious or fallen, but go there because
they get company and comfort They
take glass Of beer, not because they
care for the drink, but because this is
the way to pay for the privilege oil
staying there.
For the saloon as a social institution
there must be a substitute, aud that
substitute is the coffee-house. In Lon.
don the coffee-house has long been an
i institution OF the Temperance cause
that has met with great success Why
should not the working-man be able to
get good cup Of coffee. read news
paper and enjoy the society of his fel.
lows awhile for the same sum, or even
for less. that he spends in saloon
for the same privilegesp He should be
able. and if half our so-called "chari.
| ty" that is misspent in making paupers
Il Of people able to earn their own bread
were devoted to the establishment o
such coffee-houses a great and goot
work would be done. .ro
| There is no reason whatever why
coffee-houses should be eleemosynary
Institutions II rightly managed the.
will pay expenses, and small profit OF
the capital invested. They should b.
fitted up as cheerfully as the averag,
saloon, and be kept with scrupulou
neatness and order. Multitudes of mel
and women would choose such resor
Us this for spending their evenings i
a choice were offered between tn
coffee-house and the saloon. The,
take the saloon now because it is tn,
only thing Of the kind that opens it
doors to them, not because they pre-
fer 1t to any thing else. And even il
the case of those who are more or lesl
enslaved by their appetites, the worl
OF reformation would be great,
helped il there was offered to them
clean and cheerful cotfee-house, where
all the social delights OF the salool
might be had without the drink tina
J destroys manhood.
} We hope, ere long, to see large ex
tension of the coffee-house system il
this country. 1t has had some loca
, success in few trials, and has faile,
} in others through want of good bust
ness management. What better worl
could the Womens Christian Uniol
J do than engage in this labor, for whicl
Christian women are peculiarly fitted
| Eun..;~.