The Portland daily press., 1890-12-29
SERMONS IN PORTLAND CHURCHES.
Rev. Mr.. LoWden's Farewsll at the
First Free Baptist.
The Annual Address Before the Port.
land Benevolent Society.
Rev. Mr.. wTlsht's Sermon on the
Liquor Question.

At ST. Lawrence street church Rev. Nj
Wright preached on the enforcement of th
prohibitory law. speaking as follows:
Jerusalem perished for want OF righteou.
ness. This Is the peril that hangs owe
modern cities. Knowledge will not save tn
city. Education is priceless boon, but
will not deliver the city. No intellectus
culture, or enlightenment OF the mind Is sui
hcient to impart stability to our moder
cities. Nothing but that righteousness whic
Is grounded in the fear Of God. and loyalt
to his eternal laws can insure the cities
safety and honor. Ignorance Is not tn
nations greatest peril, but sin.
There Is needed In our cities, more Of tina
| righteousness which cause men as well a
| women, to sigh and cry over their mora
| evils. There are abominations In our citie
greater even than those which afflicted an,
des0lated Jerusalem. Even our own fai
city Is not destitute OF such.
Should any one object, mentally, to tn
the employment Of this strong word nf pro
pEecy, as too harsh, too reproachful, to-
unrefined word to be applied to our yirtu
any say, speak II you will of the evils IL
Portland, or the perils of Portland but drol
this word denominations.
Bnt, friends, am In no haste to dspens,
with this vigorous term, nor yet to apologlz,
for its use. II is Gods strong word to show
us bis thought. feeling and conception Of
those corruptlng and detestible evils tha
cause him to remove far from his sanctuary
and to bring heavy judgment upon hi
people.
Far better, for the welfare, progress and
glory of our city, will 1t be when more of Oul
Influential citizens have such an adherence
OF the evils that are disgraciDg our city a:
will make them feel that they arr abomina
tiOns. Jerusalem's denominations had one
common root-idolatry. sPortands' abomi
nations have also one common source the
hideOus, hydra-headed liquor traffic.
No one will, l am sure, accuse me Of using
Incorporate language when l repeat what
has so often been affirmed that the excessive
drinking Of intoxicating liquors Is the dlrecl
cause or occasion OF nearly all the crime
poverty and wretchedness In the community
The presiding justice of The Tombs' Court
per cent Is due TO The drinking habits OF
the people. But however often this Is IT.
peated, 1t will never make US realize the
truth.
Were 1t permitted us to see in panoramic
vision, the actual misery and woe that are
suffered in our city tonight because Of in
temperance we should be filed with amaze-
ment and grief too great to be borne. How
many young men wasted in health, substance
and character, so far down the road to ruin,
a. to have no heart or hope for restoration.
How many young wives, sitting alone, de-
serted and sorrowful, with great pang 10
their hearts, when they think Of the future
the Inevitable disgrace, poverty and suffer
Ing thae Is coming In. How many homes.
once happy and prosperous, now wrecked.
ness men now ruined In fortune, usefulness
and capacity. How many innocent children,
illclad, ill-fed, some of them actually crying
for foOd-ali OF them cut of from brightness
comfort and cheerful prospects In life, for
no fault Of theirs. but because of this,
woeful vice of intemperance, which
has for its greatest feeder and sup.
porter. The liquor dens and shops and
bars of our city. Ahl my brothers aud sis
ters, II only We could see all this, and see
also all the sin and wrong and crime that
Irp s tIS Tns S sou1es syen mere 10
less sorrow; and we should inwardly cry
and mourn over this dreadful abominatlon-
the traffic in blood and brain poison, which
more than any one thing fosters, promotes
and perpetuates this measureless misery and
ruin. But friends, we do not see 1t. and we
do not realize the horror of it. We sit In our
comfortable homes, surrounded by our dear
ones, shut In from cold and hunger and de-
grading Influences, and Shut out from the
awful sufferings the rum traffic is causing in
other homes. Do you know Of one drunk
ards home, only one, where Is a poor
wretched wife. fighting with poverty, toll ng
beyond her strength, and barely able to keep
her children from gnawing hunger, while
misery and hopefulness are consuming her
hearts blood. Multiply this home by hum
others In our land-think Of lthe awful story
Of truth-telliDg statistics, 200 men and
women falling annually into drunkards'
graves, and recall what Is written In sacred
truth mo drnnkard shall inherit the king
dom OF God" Is not the unlawful and In
famous traffic that makes drunkards and
ruins souls the greatest Of all modern abom-
nations? But to dwell no longer on the
moral and physical consequence Of this in
iquitous business, | desire to emphasize
some results Of this iniquity which are pecu-
iiarly abUminable In city like ours
First: instance the manifest Increase of
drunkenness on our streets. The more drunk
ards seen in daylight in our city, the freer
and larger Is the sale Of intoxicating liquors.
This we hold 70 be reasonable statement.
am led to believe that intemperance has
been on the steady increase during the past
three or four years. For twenty years /
have walked the streets Of Portland, and l
believe have ordinary powers of observa.
tlon. Never during this long period have /
seen so many staggering men as within the
past three years-and notably during the
past year. These miserable victims Of the
fatal cup have been mostly young men. i
am per suaded that the prime reason for this
increasing drunkenness Is the Increasing
facilities OF procuring intoxicants. 1t Is only
to be expected that intemperance will in
crease in our community, when not only are
gray headed rumsellers allowed to prosecute
their death-dealing trade, wellnigh without
restraint-but even our popular hotels bave
the privilege Of supplying, not only their
patrons. but all who apply at their bars
which. though not visiblY open, yet, are vir-
tually free and accessible to the public.
SecOpdty: instance Il as crying dbom-
nation that IN the prohibition city Of Port
land, the broad suleld OF state law, and of
municipal protection Is not thrown effect
lively between the tempted classes and their
temptations. Why Is it, that hundreds Of
workmen on Saturday evening, between the
hours of five and six, may be seen streaming
In and out of the well-know grog shops on
India and Commercial streets-under the
very eyes Of our city police, and the strong
arm OF civil authority does not shield them
from the temptation Of the peril, by simply
ciOsing up, and keeping closed those internal
dens? Why Is the law of prohibition prac
ically nulllfied In our cityp Why are hard
ened criminals permitted to defy IL with i'm
Dunitv, and to pursue business which is a.
infamous, as it is unlawful, business which
Is doing more to corrupt and destroy our
youths, wreck our homes and degrade our
city, than all other criminal occupations
combined?- business that fills our prisons
and aims houses aud is largely productive Of
is, that such an Infamous and lawful
traffic, which Is c0nfessedly the greatest
abUmlnatiOn In our land, should be allowed
to go on within our city limits well nigh un-
restricted and unchecked by the strong arm
IF municipal power There are immense Oh
stacles in the way Of thorough and contin-
uous enforcement of the prohibitory law In
this city as we all know. We are we'll aware
that the rum traffic has its vested interests,
its Influential silent partners, who directly
or Indirectly are sharers In its unholy gains
ana that it h powerful patronage, and can
wheel into line solid phalaux of voters for
any party that can assure its possession of its
coveted immuintles from magisterlal res
traint and molestation.
1t has been frequently stated that the pro-
hioitory law is enforced In our city, Just as
far as public sentiment will allow its enforce
ment. It Is affirmed that the bottom Of the
whole difficulty is tie popular indifference
of our citlZens about the suppression OF this
dem0ralZDg traffic,-in other words that
the majority of POrtland's citizens do not
care whether the law is nullified or not.
Friends. Ii this Is true, IL brings us face to
face with even greater abominatiOn, for
1t Is equivalent TO saying that the majority
OF our citizens care nothing for the majesty
Of law, nothing for the honor of our city.
nothing for its good morals. | do not believe
this is true. l believe that the majority Of
our citizens are law-lOving ami law-abiding.
That there are many who are not Prohi-
bitionists In principle, and therefore are not
friendly to the law, must be admitted. Very
many doubtless would prefer to have some
form OF license regulation in place of posi-
tive prohibition. But, while prohibition is
the law of this State, l believe the
land do fervently desire that 1t should
be respected ohevPd and anforooS