Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-08
SOME POPULAR SINS.
Rev. W. f. Richardson Begins a Series of
Interesting Sunday Talks.

Rev. W. f. Richardson Begins Series of
Interesting Sunday Talks.
The first of series OF sermons on "Popu-
lar SINS" by Rev. W. T. Richardson, drew
an immense audience to the First
Christian Church, Arch street and Mont
gomery avenue, Allegheny, last evening.
The subject of his discourse was "The Sin
of Intemperance." He commenced by
saving that while tenn perance meant moder-
alton in all good things, it meant abstinence
from evil things. He then quoted number
of statistics showing that in 1886 the amount
of alcoholic liquor manufactured was equal
to ten gallons for every person in the country.
He of course admitted that much of this was
exported. He then continued:
In the home the saloonkeeper takes too much
of the weekly wages. One of the great dangers
of the present time is the large number of
young men who drink and frequent saloons.
Most of them are young men who live with
their parents. Young men who are without
homes and entirely dependent upon themselves
do not drink TO such great extent Aside
from moral point of view they abstain be-
cause they are more likely to calculate results,
and try to avoid things which will hinder their
advancement. 1t is the hot-Eouse plants that
suffer most. They do not take time to think of
the consequences. and even il they do think,
| they reason on the line. We'll if l do fail /
| can fall back on father or mother"
In this State the liquor trade brings the pub
| lie to regard the traffic as necessary evil TO
| be regulated, instead of an unnecessary evil to
| be abolished. Many good men claim we must
have liquor sold, and say the only choice is be-
| tween the evil of free or restricted whis ky.
! They do not realize that as long as anybody
| will chose between two evils the devil will find
| two to chose from. The only way is to chose
| between good and evil. The only remedy TO
| suggest is total prohibition. We can obtain
| that only by having a political party strong
| enough to force one of the old parties to re-
/ spect us. But how are we TO do? The ques-
| tion now is method. Hitherto sentiment has
| the amendment campaign it failed because it
was alone. Sentiment is good enough, but we
must brace it with practical methods, for its
day of fighting the battle single-handed is past.
Slavery was fought with sentiment for years,
| but it was not until America poured out the
| bravest blood of her sons and her purest gold
| that the end was ever attained
Again, prohibition has been detained by
bigotry Men have forced themselves as lead
! ers upon the parties that have been organized
! for temperance. and have brought with them
! ideas of Sabbath observance, the enforcement
| Of almost dead laws wuman's suffrage, ana a
! host of o'her issues. They loaded them all on
| the prohibition horse and forced him to the
/ ground There are good men IN the country
| who favor prohibition, but are too liberal to
| take all these other encumbrances.
| Woman's suffrage has hurt prohibition to a
very great extent. Each of these measures is
an issue to be fought out for itself. 1utemper-
| ance is the evil we must conquer hrst, and the
other reforms will follow in tneir time. What
we want is an organization with prohibition as
! Its sole issue. with all the encumbrances cut
| away We must be liberal anG lust. Then, and
then only, Will we be successful.