The Portland daily press., 1890-06-02
GOSPEL AND POLITICAL TEMPER
ANCE.
Mrs. Lathrap's Address at Chestnut
Street Church.

AT the Chestnut street church yesterday
afternoon Mrs. Mary T. Lathrop, president
of the W. G. T. of Michigan, spoke TO a
large audience on subject of vital import
ance. Mrs. Lathrsp is an easy speaker.
earnest In manner, and carries the convic-
ton that her whole heart is in the work.
Mrs. l.. M. N. Stevens, president of the
Maine W. G. T. u, read few verses of the
18th chapter of Romans, and the pastor, Rev.
DIR. Whitaker, offered prayer. After the
singing of the hymn Life from the dead,
Almighty God," DIR. Whitaker introduced
Mrs. Lathrap, who spoke substantially as
follows:
In beginning her address the speaker de-
fined the difference between gospel and po-
litical temperance.
The drinking classes have never been so
far from the churches as they are today.
For more than 200 years in this country the
church bells have rung and the choirs have
sung, and the church, as divine institution
growing civilization. But the church and
the liquor traffic have kept side by side
along the splendid sweep of the last centu
ry; statistics for 10 years, from 1873 the
year OF the women's crusade, till 1883.
showed the sales of spirituous liquors had
mere than doubled. and the midnight air is
heavy with women's sobs and damp with
children's tears.
We must bring politics into our religion
and religion into our politics to help solve
this question. 1t is a national question and
we shall have to look to government for set
Element, because the moral means for its So
luton have proved inadequate for the case,
Men are bought and sold in the shambles of
the liquor traffic; that leprosy, which has its
hand in murderous assault on the throat of
the republic.
The wine glass stands in the way of mans
salvation. She quoted DR.. Crosby as saying
that he was not temperance fanatic, and
going before the legislators in Albany and
asking-not for prohibition, but for high Ii
cense. When a minister of the gospel does
that, can poor drunkard who tries to fight
the demon appetite believe in that church,
or 10 that Christianity? A man who has a
religious spasm and prays "How Long, oh,
Lord, goes. to the ballot box and votes
show long"
To sum up it is only by voting the prohi-
bition ticket that this question can be solved.
In too many towns throughout the country
the saloons mould the politics. And the i'm
portant question now is not what shall we
do with the saloon that tempts the drunk
ard.
The speaker took hopeful view, and be-
lieves that the child is born that will look on
the closing of the doors of the last legalized
dramshop.
In closing, Mrs. Lathrap related pathet-
lie incident in connection with her work
some two or three years ago when she spoke
to 800 convicts in the Michigan state prison
on Flower Mission Day." 1t was very Wv
idly told and brought tears to the eyes of
many, as she related how at a prayer meet
ing held In the afternoon. at which $50 of
the convicts were present, all of those who
spoke or prayed, laid the crime at the door
Of the rumseller.
AT the close of the addres collection was
taken for the prosecution of the work of the
w. c. T. U. The congregation sang the
doxology, and the benediction was pro-
nounced by Rev. d. B. Randall