Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-10-12
"'FAIR PLAY" ON DRUNKENNESS.
Why Not Denounce Drinking AS a
Sin, As Well.


7
two saloons and Various speak-easios.
How to Avoid orig and Cabbage
Dinners, Poorly Cooked.
Editor Gazette d: Journal: In Yesterday
Stdr read communication on aDrnnken
ness" written by "t'air Play" The articl
Is a strange medley or hodge-podge o
thoughts on drunkenness and sobriety, 70
while tho author, somewhat reluctantly
scores some of those who advocate
licenses in the last term Of court" h0ulst
furnishes the quotations and texts that
any gifted topper would like to allege in de
fence Of his favorite diversion.
Fair Play" writes like man that haC
taken tho gold cure and was sorry fo
its success. His communication. declaimed
| would recall the halcyon days of San
Jones, who would have to look to hi:
lanrels II brought into competition with
Fair Play
The sphinx-like, enigmatical utter.
ances In this letter lend ii peculiar
charm. The author falls into scripture,
theology, fable and tine science in civil
and church government with the graceful
antics oil drunken man falling into q
ditch. Such antics may make the
groundhngs laugh, but they cannot fail to
make the judicious grieve."
While pretending to denounce the sin of
drunkenness, he is remarkably silent about
the Thousand passages scattered through
the sacred volume that burn with dcnnn.
citation OF this sin. If he ever attended a
Bible class in his youth he must have noted
Proverbs, XIII, %, Habakuk, II, and many
others equally strong, while Paul to
Romans, XIV, 81, would keep him from
sneering at total abstinence.
Let US try to follow our interesting
author. "The government is the peoples
watch dog" This is revelation No, l.,
What follows from this? That we should
all Cooperate with the government and
thus make it success. Now, the regula-
ton OF the liquor traffic for the abatement
OF intemperance is one of the duties in
cnmoent or the government, and all good
citizens must strengthen the arm of the
government in restricting this traffic,
Every man, then, who owns his own soul.
must be interested in the transactions of
our license court. Every man, regardless
OF creed affiliations, should be interested
70 know whether or no our saloons con-
duct their business within the require.
ments of law. The government can
hardly be too strict in this matter. There
is not much danger of the King StOrll
order. There is more danger that it may
be case Of King Log.
Fair Play says there are % licensed
saloons in his ward. A good Republican
would be safe in wagering that said ward
can always be relied on for Democratic
majority to suit the occasion. But Fair
Play' must be very indifferent to his re.
sponsiDilities as a man and u citizen. With
these y saloons and any number of speak
castles in full blast every Sunday OF the
year, making hundreds of people drunk,
he ought to be alarmed about the watch
dogs in his neighborhood. They must
be muzzled, since their bark is never
heard. How is it that Fair Play does
not invoke the law which is so shamelessly
violated in his ward He is in danger of
winding up King Log.
But Fair Play" is at his best when he
comes to the church. The churchs place
is to deal with drunkenness as a sin, not
with drinking, which causes it. He is
evidently talking now about "our church."
IL Is the function of "our church. to de-
nounce the sin and the victim of drunken.
ness. but tostand in with the worthy mem
bers of our church" who run the drunken
ness business. When Judas, conscience
stricken over his treachery, brought the
~ pieces of silver to the priests in the
temple, and threw il at their feet, they re.
fused to touch it because it was blood
money saying in the yernacular of those
days, TO Hades with you and your
money but ! am afraid that the priests
OF our church" are not so fastidious.
denomination, in denouncing intemper-
ance as sin, would naturally point out
TO Its members the material misfortunes |
CONNECTED with it, and that they who lived |
on the profits of drunkenness we're also 10 |
be reprohated with the drunkard and his |
sin. There surely must be some churches |
where you can support % saloons and a |
large number Of speak.easies, and it is |
very sad TO think that these ministers are
mr. inn i
dealing with drunkenness as a sin and It's
effects. Doesn't this look like King Log
again2
1t is sad to think that the people of this
ward are SO poorly fed-hard on the men
who save only enough from drink to pro-
VIDE nothing but pig and cabbage" and
pard on the women who cannot get them
up la mode. Wonder if the same bill of
fare IS found on the tables of those who
run tne saloons and the "whispeIsY If
Fair Plays" advice to start cooking
schools for girls is original, if not brilliant,
II TACT II is good. The girls are now ad.
vlsed TO take up calestheniGs. and cannot
zee why KITCHEN exercise would not helm
Lnemi otherwise the time will come when
every man will have to be his own wife.
would hate to be girl in Fair
Plays ward, but still think that if the
young men Of that ward were looked after
BY their dozen ministers, il they the
Young mem were all SOBER there would
'oon be homes, Christian homes, where
cabbage and pig and murderous cookery
would be unknown.
! am sorry that Fair Play" retreats be.
lind the lines from Hudi6ras, They are
he panoply of every drunkard and scane.
grace from that day to this. Vice always
,qulrms under punishment and hates to he
detected or dislodged and therefore always
,ries fanatic at the man fearless enough 10
ienounce it. Opinions OF the wicked Count
or little, since '0N'''
~ rogue ser felt the halter draw,
With good opinion of the law.
evidently Fair Plays" proper role
YOU'D pe IN Stoeckle's Dance of the