The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-04-06
HOME u,PkRANCE NOTES.
THE SIN OF 1T.
.--Grated

ar'oraI Accountability of the Man Who
W Drinks.
Public lectures on the strong drink
question usually pass over the guilt of
the drunkard. Everyone else having
lot or part in the matter, except the
principal party is blamed. Whatever
degree of guilt attaches to others-and
we would not lightly pass over that of
the mau Who is given to treating and
urges drink upon other men-we be-
lieve that letting the culprit go scot
free is great damage to the cause of
temperance. He is represented as
weakling falling into the tolls of
stronger and more designing charac-
tiers. 1t is true he is weakling, much
the same as every other man is weak
ling who INDUCES in any kind of vice
and gets to loving it or always has
loved it, Some call thief, or one of a
certain class of thieves who steal
oftener than others and do not give up
the habit, leptomaniac-a soft term
invented to palliate the love of theft, a
designation of distinction accorded not
to the person who steals once but to
one who keeps on stealing all he
can. Some unfortunate constitu-
tional trait, some inherited
quality, some defect of brain, some ac-
cident of education, something of some
sort other than mans own fault, de-
pravity or self-indulgence, is assigned
as the reason for thieving or sensual
ty or inebriety. This is the gist of
the dangerous moral philosophy which
is becoming only too popular and
more especially so as regards the ques-
'tion of temperance. We have only to
make more extensive application of
the principle to show its folly and
falsity If the rum thirsty is innocent,
why not the blood thirsty? A theory
that would so destroy the foundations
OF morality cannot avail to further
sobriety. The glutton or the sensualist
may use it in his favor if the sot may,
and so may all evil livers They sin
because they want to sin, because they
have the disposition or somebody
tempts them. No; let the man who
gets drunk and abuses his family be
known as a reprobate, not merely be-
cause ne abuses his family but because
he gets drunk, and let his drunkenness
be not excused. Have him know that
he is held accountable, and there is
something done towards his reforma-
ton by letting him see himself as
others see him. At least he is not en-
couraged to drink again. But sup
pose he attends III lecture on
temperance in which everybody
is blamed but HIMSELF the man
ufacturer, the dealer, the treater,
the inanimate apple tree and perhaps
his poor wife for not making home SO
attractive that he could not leave it of
an evening land, perchance, how could
she?l and he laughs in his sleeve and
says. like the sot in Soiomon's time:
81 will seek it yet again" No! no.
THE soul that sinneth, it shall die"
The devil could invent no more in
genious device for increasinN thy num-
Der of his victims than to make OPP
poncnts of particular sin excuse the
sinner for committing it. If poor
John, who staggers home, were not SO
much pitied for his weakness he might
get little more strength by being
treated as man of responsibility who
has done contemplate thing by
darlening the lives of his children and
burdening the heart and hands of his
wife, bringing shame and sorrow where
he should give joy. We do not say he
invites Sno pity. Every sinner does.
But that he is sinner is fact not to
be denied. 1t is the main fact in the
case, Let him know it. All the evil
to himself and others comes out of it.
Say to him, then, friend or wife: "How
can you do this great wickedness and
sin against Code" Conscience may be
reached and the sinner ask himself
''How can | do this great wickedness
and sin against Code" Then there is
hope.-Dr. +. w. Bartlett, In TEN
perance.