The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-05-05

Night and cay, regret should walk.
Coventry Patmore.
A UNIQUE TEMPERANCE PROPOSE
TION
The readers of the Free Press are al
ready acquainted with the original and
startling method of reforming the liquor
traffic suggested by Rev. DR.. w. S.
Rainsford, pastor of St. Georges church
in New York city, and they may there
fore be prepared in some instances for
the unique discussion which the author
of the plan now proposes. In order to
secure the widest consideration of the
method suggested for the remedy of the
liquor evil, DR.. Rainsford proposes to
write two articles on the subject, the
first of which will appear in the May
number of the North American Review.
In this he will define his theory briefly,
and invite the public at large to send
him questions and criticisms regarding
it. His second article will appear in
the June number of the Review, and in
it he will answer the most pertinent of
the questions and criticisms which have
b en- sent to him.
The trouble with DR.. RainsfoTd's theo-
ny concerning the reform of the drink
habit is that he takes too much for
granted Assuming it as proved that in
some form or another alcohol is put here
to stay, and that its use cannot be en-
tirely abolished, he concludes that the
masses of the people must have pro-
vided for them some means of procuring
drink which would not be accompanied
by the evil associations connected with
saloons at present. In answer to the
question what to do, therefore, with the
mass of the populace that demand alco-
hol in some shape or other, DR.. Rains
ford replies that amusement, variety,
aroused interest, are the true and dead
Hest foes to the drink habit; and he con-
tends that what the people need is a
public house that will not be mere
dram shop, but will be in effect club
house, providing food of various kinds,
amusement such as music, and making
the sale of milk, tea and coffee as much
the staple trade as beer, wines etc.
| He proposes that groups of people in
our large cities should establish such
public houses, which would be effective
rivals of the saloons by cheering the
sadly monotonous lives of a large part of
our city population,
1t is sigihcant that Dr. Rainsford ig-
nOres the liquor evil SD far as it is out
side of the large cities, whereas in many
rural communities the evil is at its
worst. The cOnstraint which is afforded
| by the near proximity of the officers of
the law in the cities, is largely lacking in
many country towns; and it is notori-
Gus fact that in some rural communities
law abiding citizens are wholly at the
mercy of a gang of drunken roughs,
often owing to tho fear of illegal traffic.
| TO provide clBb houses for men of this
character in the country would be i'm
possible, and evenif possible it would in
most cases be equivalent to casting
pearls before swine.
But combining the discussion to that
branch of the problem with which DIR.
Raiusford is pleased to deal, he starts
out with an assumption that is unWar-
ranted by the facts or even the proba-
bilities. when he assumes at the outset
that the drink evil was here to stay. Not
many decades ago it was customary for
all classes of men to have their rum, not
even excluding the ministers of the Cos
! pei. AS time progressed public senti-
ment forced ministers to give up tip.
ping and in most determinations to-day
the disclosure Of the fact that miaister
was accustomed to indulge in into1i-
eating drink would result in his being
driven from the pulpit. Here is one
class of them who have not considered 1t
necessary to continue the drink habit in
some form The same thing it tue in de-
gree of the great body of Christians and
their proportion to the whole population
OF the country is constantly increasing.
1t would, therefore, have been just as
reasonable, if DR.. Rainsford had been
in active existence at the time when
most, if not all, men were tipplers, for
him to have assumed that the liquor
habit was here to stay with all men, as
| is his present assumption. If moral
! forces alone were to be depended upon
it is not to be doubted that the world
would in time work out its own saliva
ton from the liquor evil and the Rains
/ ford plan would only serve to postpone
| that time.
Dr. Rainsford not only ignores the
teachings OF history but be also
overlooks the fact that the theory of
! probabilities in connection with the
! liquor problem has changed. The time
has passed when drunkards were wholly
| dependent upon their unaided will to
| effect a reformation. The various cures
| for the liquor habit are it is true in their
| infancy, but their success has already
demonstrated the fact that the appetite
for liquor can be obliterated. Some
men have willingly and gladly given up
! the appetite, while the courts are fast
! learning to compel even the most reluc-
tant and the most habitual drunkards to
be cured. This cure movement is max
ing wonderful as well as remarkable
progress and it is not too much to hope
that the time will come when there will
be few if any habitual drunkards, while
tho improving moral sentiment of the
public can be trusted to deal with the
evil of the occasional social glass. The
outlook for temperance reform was
never more encouraging than it is to-
day. Then why should DR.. Raiusford
not only assume that the drink evil has
come to stay but seek to provide means
to make its stay longer as well as pleas
ant?-Free Press.
I'm general terms it may be said that
the domestic animals of Iowa are made