The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-09-14

| Ject. bOtn were canulQ persons, and
both frankly admitted that some of
| their preconceived opinions had been
shaken. 1t had been pleasant to boast
that their town had no saloons, but it
was rather shocking to learn that
man who wanted to reform had been
forced to leave the place for city
overrunning with saloons, in order to
escape the irresistible temptations of
secret drinking places. 1t had been
easy to maintain as theory that peO-
pie who drank wine were sure to
become drunkards, but it was calcu-
lated to upset ones theory to find that
the strongest impression of foreign
manners in q wine- drinking country
made upon Maine traveller was the
absence of drunkards.
They did not jump to the conclusion
that the best thing for the young
men IN their town would be TO open
some saloons, or that the surest way of
promoting temperance in Maine would
hr TO advocate the general use of wine.
What they did conclude was that the
liquor problem had a great many
phases, and that ii was not so sure as
they had sometimes thought that they
had found All infallible way of solving
il down in Maine. 1t is safe to say
that neither clergyman nor laymaD was
80 much shocked as would have other
wise been the case when alittle later they
found the Episcopal bishop of Rhode
Island earnestly tavoring the abolition
OF the prohibition amendment from the
constitution OF that state, and enforcing
the argument by such incidents as
these: "a friend of mine whose busi-
ness requires him TO enter houses for
sanitary purposes told me that he was
amazed al the number of kitchen bar
rooms " hich had sprung up. A rector
told me that his rectory had become
very undesirable, because of the num-
Der OF men and women passing by at
all hours for the purpose OF visiting
these kitchen saloons. An excellent
lrishwoman works in my family and
she told me she was very sorry because
| of the law, and | asked her why. She
said when her husband would 90 on a
| 'time' before, she knew i'm what saloon
to find him; but now, on account of
| these kitchen barrooms, she didn't
know where he was"
There are signs that the thorough
discussion of prohibition which has
| been going on in this country for some
| years, and which has now eliminated
| in the decisive rejection of that policy,
will bear fruit in growing conviction
that the province OF law in the promo
| ton of temperance has of late years
been unduly exalted. A law which
says that there shall be no saloons may
or may not diminish intoxication in any
particular community, the issue de-
pending upon many considerations
which vary in different places; but
what will surely diminish intoxication
| in any community is to bring up boys
so that they will not become drunkards.
The Maine traveller found that boys in
a foreign country did not necessarily
become drunkards because they were
brought up to drink wine, but that
does not prove that it is the best plan
to bring up the average American boy
to drink wine. The Rev. DIR. Lyman
Abbott of the Christian Union. who
has a refreshing way of saying what
he thinks, was so much impressed last
year by the real German beer-garden,
as it actually exists in Berlin, that he
wrote to his paper that he believed it
would be good thing for the United
States If American cities could have
the institution under similar conditions;
/ but he knows as we'll as anybody else
that the beer garden of Berlin has not
vet been trasplanted to New York, or
ri even Milwaukee,, and that it seems
, doubtful whether it ever can be domes
. ticated in an American city. DIR. Alb
bott some time ago pointed out the
noteworthy fact that Jesus Christ was
( moderate drinker" in day when
there was a strong prohibition party,
f supported by some Of his total alb
stinence friends, which he was vainly
I urged to Join, and the editor of the
/ Christian Union himself anticipates a
a time when wine will be generally used
in moderation as a beverage; but at
present he gives it as his opinion that
g the wiser course for most people is the
path of total abstinence, while conced-
+ ing to everybody the right of private
. Judgment in the matter, ana insisting
upon freedom from censure for the man
d who, with good conscience, follows
= in the nineteenth century the example
set by the founder of Christianity in
n the first.
Upon one policy all good people car
e agree, and that is the organizing ol
public sentiment against drunkenness
q Too much energy has been wasted il
n abusing the man who sells that oil
v which men may get drunk, while there
has been too much indulgence for the
n man who gets drunk. The stronges
If agency in preventing men from becom
,e ing drunksrds during the last genera.
q ton has not been the enactment of law
n to debar them from buying drink, bu
the growing realization that they can
not afford to become drunk-that I
[, now means for the minister the tor
feiture of his pulpit, for the lawyer tht
loss of his clients, for the physician tht
\ dwindling of his practice, for the con
# gressman the risk of his seat in tn
, capitol, for the business man the shak
:, ing OF public confidence, for the labor
20 ing man the danger of closing his job.
A striking result OF this development
~ of sentiment was seen in the metrop
70 oils on the occasion of the recent cen
at tennial celebration, when, despite tn
~ many hundreds OF saloons which wer
n open, the absence of intoxication anon
pr the multitudes on the streets was s
70 marked as to attract universal atten
4 ton and comment, especially frou
40 those most familiar with the scenes c
a drunkenness on gala occasions, like tn
/, Fourth of July, in Portland and Ban
" gor, Me. The chiet sim- OF all goo
ne citizens in this matter should 55e ..
Nv make drunkenness constantly more an
more odious, and thus less and les
M common; and this must always an
Y everywhere be the work of educatio
a and training in far greater measur
nj than that of law.