The Republican journal., 1892-08-25

Nend- A. Hand, Boston, July
THE REVEREND JOHN TUNIs.

against the tides. The law cannot be en-
forced till it is right and best that it
should be enforced. The saloon cannot
be abolished, because it is the one and only
place where large part of the people of
a great city find the social sense gratified.
1t is the nottingham club room. The
cotfee-house and reading room are not
able to draw men away from the saloon.
Bring two things together workingman
who will find his cheer and ease and com
fort in saloon, and saloon keeper
whose bread and butter depends on his
filling up every customer as full as posi-
bic, and there is but the one result of an
enormous and ever growing drunkenness.
Dr.. Rainsford takes his position square
ly here, and says if men will drink if the
saloon will stay, transform it as much as
you can. Stop that terrible system that
makes it the interest of one man to intox :
icate another The saloon has got to he
mooagcd us q philonthropic effort. Some
one must manage the saloon whose main
aim is to have no more drinking than il;
absolutely necessary, and as much reading
and companionship and game playing as
is absolutely possible.
This is very radical treatment of the
saloon-evl. The temperance organiza-
tons are working to abolish the saloon.
You cannot abolish it, says Dr.. Rainsford
therefore noculate it. stop the terrible
evil OF the saloon SYSTEM Whether to in
oculate the saloon is to strike at the root
is deep question; but here is a man who
believes it is the root, and that it is actual
! lN the means to save men. 1t is perfectly
true that mere anti-vice movements ac-
complish little permanent good A
thoughtless crusade against social evils
which are deeply rooted is only foolish
extravaganza.
There ought to be no enmity between
the different methods oftemperance work.
There will be far less harm in a body of
church people manning a saloon, and in
viting the common people to it as an inno-
cent place, than for these same people to
ignore the real needs and trials OF the fire.
quenters of the saloons. Can the abuses
of drinking be kept in check? Dr. Rains
ford says they can if the saloon be manag-
ed by Christian people. There is no sin,
but immense credit to the Christians who
are willing to Try it.
L. f. DUDLEY, SECRETARY OF THE LAW
| AND ORDER LEAGUE, BOSTON.
The efforts of all philanthropists ought
to be directed to diminish the use of al
coholic liquors of all kinds. For the use
begets the abuse.
DR.. Rainsford would assume an awful
responsibility if he should be permitted
to carry out his plan, which he never will
be. Should the influence of the Church
begin to encourage the use of milder bev-
erages, a very brief time would elapse in
my judgement, before we should fall upon
Il time of such decentralization of public
sentiment and degradation of our people
.s how, n ~
States. Dr.. Rainsford' 5 plan would only
add to the number of saloons by Just the
number he would establish
| | believe that the Church should make
! its influence felt for the right in all these
matters, not alone by utterance. but by
active and energetic work: but | do not
believe that the Church can afford to step
down from its high place upon the solid
rock OF absolute devotion to the right:
nor i'll any of its relations to soil It's gar
ments 10y dragging them through the mud
, and mire OF compromise with wrong.
EDWARD +. HALE.
| Sympathize warmly with d. Rains
ford in his view of the difficulty of the po-
sition. | am even ready TO say that hope
the experiment may be tried under favor.
able auspices in New York. If it should
succeed in the larger purpose proposed.
every friend of temperance would be glad;
but have no hope for any such success.
1t Is nearly certaln-or, SO say most of
the men who are lighting the temperance
, battle in Amerca-that the habit Of drink
ing beer OF light wines leads to the habit
of drinking spirits. They would say that
it is bad education for young men 10
! drink mild intoxicants; that after man
has drank schooner of beer OF glass of
VINE. he Is less competent to Judge if he
needs Il second schooner OF second glass:
, that the experience of seventy years has
taught them that the only safe ground, as
a matter of education, is total abstnence
and that they do not propose. in any form
of law, to admit that there is any half
way measure possible.
am quite clear that New Englanders-
to borrow Dr.. Rainsford's phrase for
ultra temperance people-will not accept
in their legislation any provision which
gives peculiar advantage to the seller of
light intoXcants which the seller of heavy
intOXicantS is not to receive
Christopher r. ELIOT, PRES. UNITARIAN
CHURCH TEMPERANCE SOCIETY.
My objections to the plan are as fol-
lows;
1. 1t is distinct, unequivocal sane
ton of the habit of drinking light wines
and the mlder alcoholic beverages.
You cannot advocate respectable sa-
! looms, with light wines and beer without
practically proclaiming Your belief in the
value of these for general use. You can
not have one standard OF responsibility in
drinking for the poor and another for the
rich; one for the laboring man, another
for your own sons. If you advocate GER
tain saloons, you will have little to say
against their patrons, from whatever
class they come. Practically. the people
will consider the sanctioning of certain
drinks by the Church as adtising their use.
And it is this advice which [ consider
dangerous to give. Daneerous9 Yes. in
hundreds and thousands of cases it would
be disastrous.
>. My second objection to the scheme is
that it will not only lead a great many to
begin the habit of drinking, but that it
will not accomplish the result intended. |
am very skeptical as to the possibility of
running out the stronger liquors by en-
couraging the use of milder ones
The saloon has not ''come to stay" i'll
spite of Dr.. Hainsford. Neither do we as
| a people need beer OF light wines for com
mon use. Encourage these, and practi-
| cally. if not logically nor Intentionally.