The record-union., 1893-08-22
DRUNKO ARE BARRED OUT.
They Must Go Elsewhere" for They
Cannot Get Into Heaven.
Rev. W. s. Hoskinson Says Intemper-
ance is a Vice and Not a Disease
An Interesting Talk.

The reverend gentleman took for his
text Genesis xlii:2l-"We are verify
guilty concerning our brother" He con-
fessed at the start that the subject was
stale and hackneyed one, but like good
many more old-timers, it was vital. And
beside, he promised to make it interest
ing, and would be somewhat forcible in
his language. He would oppose customs
p rather than men; oppose the state of So
ciety and of morals that make the
saloon and saloon men a necessity, rather
than the institution and the men that
carry it on. He hoped to propose the
remedy that cures by going to the root of
this, as of all evils.
Intemperance is an evil, said the
speaker. Drunkenness is a vice much
more than disease; it is both, but it is
essentially vice. Its effects on the in
dividual are awful, destroying body and
soul; it's effect on society is corrupting,
immoral, irreligious. Each man is re-
sponsible for himself, but also a great re-
sponslbility rests on society. Here is
poor fellow reeling along, bearing the
semblance Of man only in that he walks
on two feet, while from his eyes beam no
light and brightness of noble manhood.
All this is gone. Resolution, courage,
ZEAL energy, aspiration, enthusiasm,
lofty ideals, faith, hope and love-he has
none of these that belong to the true
man. An awful transformation has
taken place. You say he did it himself.
Well, be did in part, but large part he
did not do. See the jeers of those men,
the taunts of those boys! They make
the condition of this man a matter of Joke
and foolish remarks and ribald laughter.
a man with reason dethroned the subject
OF laughter
The noblest work of God is man. He is
at the climax of creation. The reason
why he takes this lofty place is found
in that scripture which says: Let US
ness" Patterned after the likeness of the
eternal God-thls Is why man is tar above
all other creation. "What piece OF work is
man. How noble in reason ~ etc.
Then, here is a man who is no longer man.
He has fallen from a lofty hIght-one of the
b saddest scenes that meets the gaze OF men on
earth and angels in heaven.
Now the state Of society that can look
sportively at poor drunken fellow as ne
reels along the street is far from being what it
should be There is no fun in such scene
when society is pure. 1t is regarded as an aw-
tul blot on society; rottenness, thing of
loathing and dread; better suited for dark
ness than light; scene Tor the prison cell
possibly, but not to be witnessed on the beau
tiful streets OF city. Something is wrong at
the fountain head of society when such scenes
are lightly regarded. 1t is an evil tree that
bears and suffers this kind OF fruit. one OF
Is
But what Is society," Is II the misfortune
that has Overtaken this poor fellow and fas-
tened on him habit that is dragging him
down Is IL the saloOn-keeper that gave him
the drink in exchange for his money? Drunk
ards not made after the money is gone.
Society is much more than these. Society is
you and !, and the man next door to us, and
on and on. II is the whole community, Of
which the drunkard and saloon keeper are a
part. Any one member suffering, all the mem
bCrs suffer. And so We become our brothers
KEEPER and so we do feel our brothers hurt.
IN the case of murder the blame is laid on
an Individual. In the case of the drunkard
the responsi bility cannot be so easily placed;
bat the highest and purust society will cause
all its members to look on this scene with
chagrin. and the language of sorrow viii he
that OF the brothers OF Joseph: I'VE YER
lily guilty concerning our brother" The
dTunkard is guilty and the salOou-keeper is
guilty; but 50 IS every member OF society
VINO mas any power to right wrong and re
Ieve he oppressed, and protect the innocent.
SaIOOn-keepers and breweries are not entirely
to blame for the pestiience that walketh at
nOOn-day. Some say: "Give US prohibition
and all will be we'll Prohibition is not a
gift-not a thing to be giVen-it is made, Gre
ated, in strong moral sentiment among the
peOple-the society. Where it is possible the
people will have moral convictions, and were
drunkenness 10 occur among them the people
would blush for shame, and every member of
the community would feel the hurt.
Fighting tine Galoon-keeper viii not strike
at the root of this evil. The truth to which
Christ bore witness by His life ana death
that is the sword of power for cleaving asun-
der all the strength of intquity. Too much of
temperance work has been done in cutting
OFT ears, ana too little in cleansing the
stream at the fountain head. Temper
ance people in their zeal are heard
10 say that the saloOn-keeper and
the murderer are OA a par in wickedness and
thus all their swords are leveled at the saloon
keeper. We have no apology for this busI-
ness, and we have frequently heard from these
men that il is "A bad business; but when the
sentiment of people is such that good Lv-
ing can be made with one saloon TO every
is nj t.rtA
than you could expect that men will go INTO
the business. Once in it, they will make ali
they can out OF it. This is human nature-no
more no less. some of these men think no
more OF this business than you do who are
lighting il so hard. Large patronage makes the
business respectable-puts it on "a level with
other lines Of business. And so this drunk
ard-making, man-and-boy-des and
Misunderstanding work goes on from year to
year. Public sentiment sustainS it; society is
largely 10 blame for 1t, and in the case of every
drunkard made or buried in q disgraced
grave, and ruined home, and heart-sick vile
and orphaned little ones, you and and all OF
US may well say, Verify We are guilty CON
cerniug our brother"
The saloon has grown out of a want and
supplies want to-day. 1t is a modern affair
and Is an offspring OF the American temper
ance movement We look back 10 the old
New England license law and see that a dram
shop was unknown. Would that the same
old law was in force in California to-day.
man could come into q store ana buy what he
wanted and take it away. But OF the
seller thing required; he should
not organize temptation and coax people to
drink He could not make an attractive room
and invite a man in to rest or read the
newspaper. or play game or hear a song and
then slip the decanter under his nose or in
vite him to a glitterlng bar 10 take something
for the good OF the house. For two hundred
years, iesslized tipping houses were un-
known in New England. No license was
given authorizing liquor TO be sold and drunk
on the premises. Such law enforced here
would be of untold benefit, Liquor selling and
saloon-keepiug should be divorced-these two
functions should never come into the same
hands and under the same roof. We think of
the Old New England law as one of the best
solutions OF the liquor question with the
plan under which a majority might be found
10 unite under the banner OF temperance.
We nave looked with interest at the work
of the New York Central Railroad tor their
employees IL has nye buildings and fourteen
rooms along its lines as places Tor rest recrea-
ton and religious instruction. 80 intoXicants
find place in them and they are true substf-
tutes ior the saloon. These have been erected
and leased by the men themselves, helped by
the railroad. and especially by Cornelius
Vanderbilt who takes a deep interest in the
Improvement of the railroad men. When the
hItn OF these buildings was formally opened
AT West Albany, Mr.. Depew expressed the
opinion that they were ms nslruments in Gods
hands Of making better and ADLER men,
This is the kind of work that creates senti-
lnent and eleVates society, instiis pure morals,
gives taste Tor that which IS uobler and more
refined than The saloon affords. II is the hard
est blow that the saloon can get As it strikes
at the root OF the evil All can unite in such
work. ana II tends strongly in the way OF tenn
perance. We heartily favor everything of
this kind that helps on the cause 30 lei US
haVe-with Francis Murphy. gospel tenper-
;tnce- We have strong faith in the gospel
v an heed 70 go back to first principles in
thls respect " e can not afford 10 let 90 the
gospel OF Christ ior one moment in the tenn
leranee work. The hope for the entire cauSe
is mat II Is me cause OF Christ ana can not