The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-06-18
THE FREE PARLIAMENT.
DIR. Horton. Temperance Notions"

So he styled them. Many are calling
them Heterodox. was present and heard
them Qast Sunday night, and desire to
say, in justice to the reverend gentleman,
that he gave discourse SO excellent that
with the permission of the NEWS editors
/ will give the general public q brief
statement of his facts and arguments.
DIR. Horton first laid down Total Abs
tinence and Legal Prohibition or sup
preston as the ideal toward which to
work. So far he carried even third party
prohibitionists with him, and everybody
the plan of Dr. Rainsford to in sense,
baptise the saloon and take 1t into the
church. DIR. III. said, guess / would
baptise the saloon myself also, and in
this case i would administer baptism by
immersion and in the way that Pharoah
and his host were baptised"
That surely was enough to satisfy calm
and unprejudiced hearers that the pastor
of the Union Congregational Church was
orthodox enough on the temperance ques-
tion. But it was what followed that made
CONSERVATION, namely, that the Bible
called wine blessing; that Christ at the
Cana marriage actually made intoxicat-
ing wine, etc, etc. But DIR. Horton was
seeking for ground which we can
take and hold as temperance people, and
in that was doing a grand service for the
cause. Extreme views have been advo-
Gated as to the Bible doctrine of total alb
stinence, the sin in taking SO much as a
glass OF wine, aud the iniquity Of any
thing but utter prohibition. This has
only made temperance people seem con-
teniptible. narrow, dognatic, impractica-
BILE.
Mr.. Horton has been total abstainer
always and temperance worker over
twenty five years, but he says: Il have
no right to uuchristianize man who
takes glass Of wine, believing 1t is a
blessing; the church has no right to say
he shall not drink it, or the church rivals
popery On the ground OF personal
safety and OF ones influence he would have
men enact n faw of total ubstingnce con-
cerning themselves. He is right that we
will not get far toward the end Of the
drink curse, till, on the high ground OF
personal iioerty, men say: Il do not need
IL; il may hurt me; IL will weaken my in-
fuence To restrain men, who, IL they drink
are likely to 20 TO the bad; knowing all
this and more will Who'll y abstain"
Such a manly resolution will hold mon
more than paper pledges. Shall we be
wiser than the autor or Revelationp He
nowhere in his Word condemns the juice
of the vine. He however does show his
utter condemnation OF the way men have
turned blessing into curse" and
much more would lie now when the alco-
holic cup is raining fire and birthstone on
the race. but We cannot coerce man IN
the matters of total abstinence and pro-
hbition. DIR. ii. says aud truly says it:
"We must grow toward these conditions
of the individual ami In State"
Some will be shocked by being told
they must concede that Jesus made alco-
hoic drinks. But be it remembered he
gave the world that gospel which has be-
come the mighty opponent of the saloon,
which has in it the promise of and the
potency for its final removal. Jesus
hril fri INV nd yna
but he served TO compromise with what
had already in the history of the race
grown to be an evil. And why? Was it
not because he said It was best not to
strike at reform so far ahead of his dayp
And concerning the holding Of slaves, the
condition of women and other things he
seemed to he silent and even conform to
custom. He did not hurry matters as
some people now seek to. He did not re-
fuse what could be gained, because all
could not at once be gained.
The doctor abused nobody, but gave
proof that he knew his positions and
could challenge, as he did, anybody to
dislodge him.
y, that another ana better laood might
come over the temperance people OF the
land To cease elimination OF each other,
to unite on some common grounds of ac-
tion and in pursuance of practical meas
ures. This use of invective, separation
from church aud political party and other
organizations, should end and all face
common foe and Eight him with the weap-
ons Of the hour. -------