The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-08-26
LAST NIGHTS DEBATE
The Y. NJ. C. A. Defeat the
Lyceum
On the Question, Which Has Caused More
Crime and Misery, Intemperance
or Ignorance?

Hammond Hall was well filed last even
ing with members of the Y. M. G. A., the
Lyceum society, friends of each and the
sdherents of the temperance cause, who
came out to listen to the discussion of the
question, (which has caused more crime
and misery, intemperance or lgnorance?"
Superintendent Stewart who was to
have presided, was not present, and Scott
Anderson, the temperance orator, was
chosen as chairman in his place. Mr..
Whitney, of The HERALD, Mr.. Balderston,
of the Times, and Mr.. W. J. Bateman had
consented TO act as Judges, but
Mr.. Balderston being absent on account
of sickness, Mr.. d. J. Brown ("Junius'0.
OF the Nelrs staff, was chosen from the au-
dlence to act in his place. The debate was
conducted with rare skill and billty on both
sides, the Affirmative Gntemperance) side
OF the case being represented by Messrs
Axton, Plaisted and w. a Taylor, of the
7. NJ. G. A, and the negative Ggnorance)
by Messrs. j. Fewson Smith, jr., Z. H.
PIERCE and D. R. Lyon, of the Lyceum. The
held was holly contested, and the discus
sion took wide range-altogether too
wide, in fact, the affirmative taking intern
perance to mean intemperauce Of all kinds
and conditions, and not alcoholic abuse
merely, and one gentleman on the negative
Mr.. Peirce, citing, in detailing the horrors
due to ignorance, the condition of the
world that persisted by the flood, and the
condition Of the millions who were groaR-
ing IN purgatory as a result of their igno-
rance In SHINING against divine law. He
also cited the action of the Savior in turn
Ing water into wine. Statistics
without end were quoted to show
what misery intemperance had wrought,
and Herbert Spencer was quoted as saying
that education did not lessen immortality.
'Or Bacon would have been honest and
Napoleon JUST To Mr.. Peirce's biblical
arguments Mr.. Axton retorted by saying
that the Bible should not have been
brought into the discussion. but since il
had been, he urged that Adams intern
perance caused all the woe and suffering
that ever came into the world. Mr. Taylor
also criticized bringing the Bible in and
sald-What sounded rather strangely from
. member of the Y. nj. c. A.-that as for
himself, he did not believe in the Bible.
heredity, the inquisition, crimes COM
mitted through ignorance of the laws of
physiology, the plaques of olden times con-
Sequent On an ignorance of sanitation and
many other points were urged. 1t was
said that two-thirds of all the crimes of
America come from intern erance, and DR..
IalmaRe was grsvely quoted as say
ing that when the enlightened Con
gress OF the United States is in
session, the Washington statistics show
that immortality increases so per cent.
The majority of kae judges, Messrs. Bate
man and Brown, finally decided that the
7. NJ. G. A. had she best of it. Mr.. Whit
ney thought the negative had been proved.
The applause was frequent The dispute
several times grew quite fierce; and there
were some demonstrations of disapproval
when the chairman attempted to say, while
the Judges were cut something in reference
to the term wine" not being employed in
tie new translation of the bible. During
the evening MF. John James sang "The
Village Blacksmithn to Mr.. Frank Mer.
rilPs accompaniment and was vociferously
encored