Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-01-23
LIQUOR AND POVERTY.
Archdeaeon Farrar Talks About the Close
Relations Existing Between Them.

Archdeaeon Farrar Talks About the Close
Relations Existing Between Them.
Archdeacon Farrar has these timely
words in the Contemporary Review
touching the relation Of the liquor curse
to poverty: "The misery and degfada-
tion of the lower classes will hardly be
touched till it has been recognized how
silly, and often how meanly selfish, is
the opposition to the efforts of Temper
ance reformers. Until the Nation sees
that it is its i'm perative duty to dimin-
ish, If not to end, by strong and deter
mined legislation, the intolerable and
interminable curse of drink, to control
the liquor traffic by the most stringent
conditions, to punish drunkenness as a
crime, and to put down the need
lessly multiplied temptations TO this
worst, most fatal and most continuous
cause of ruin and brutality, nothing will
be achieved. II the English people is
not serious enough, or righteous
enough, or self-denying enough to
defeat the tyranny of the drink inter
est, ii may fold its hands and await the
certain and final catastrophe. II, on the
other hand, we summon up sufficient
courage to sweep aside the base sophis-
tries. and to save myriads from destruc-
ton by graphing with this master-iend
of drink, all other legislative remedies
would very soon become effectual. Rock
cries would be rebuilt; slums would DO
swept away; virtue would be encouraged;
the interests Of vice would be harassed; it
would become much easier TO do good,
and much more difficult to do evil.
"And socially there must be far
greater awakenment to the sense OF
duty. At present the few are magnifi-
Gently liberal, the many are shamefully
uncharitable. Let every rich man reso-
lutely set down how much he spends on
himself-on his plate, his horses, car
riages, servants, yachts, moors, travels,
pictures, bric-a-brac, dinners and luxu-
ries; how much he spends on the dresses
and diamonds of his wife and daughters;
and then how much he gives of his income
TO the cause of sick and suffering humans
ty. 1t has become necessity of the day
that the rich should more and more feel
the guilt of purely selfish luxury UNI
accompanied by either public munifi-
cence or private generosity II
they be Christians, let them ask
whether they attach any meaning at all
to what is said on this subject by
st. James and other apostles; to the
which Christ intended to con-
vey by the parallels of the rich fool and
Of Dives and Lazarus. Let them-and
let us all-look well to it that we have
no share in the interests Of crime, no in
vestment in gains derived from the |
causes of human misery, Let US all |
very solemnly put to ourselves the |
question whether we have not some
thing to do toward the solution Of /
menacing problems. Religion. unless it
take the most active part in the struggle |
10 secure amelioration for the lot of the 1
becomes a mere despicable
md effeminate religionism. Christ was
10 Pharisee, forever Illuminating minute
theological definitions, fussing about
rival points of ceremony, and Haunting
n phylacteries; the summary of His
work, given by the greatest Of His
Ipostles, is that He went about doing
rood"