The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-03-25
PROBLEM OF THE AGES
AND THE PROBLEM OF THE M
TLONS.


An Interesting Discourse by Rev. Mr.. Ma
sOn--Another in His Series of Sunday
Night Sermons on "Storm Centers of
Civilization"
AT the First Baptist church last even
ing Rev. John H. Mason delivered the
fourth in his series of addresses on
"Storm Centers of Civilization" The
special subject Of the evening was 1.-THE
Question That WIN Not Down-Why
Not2" An abstract of the address is as
follows:
The problem of the ages and the prob
lem Of the nations is before us tonight.
But never was the problem so grave as
it is now and upon hardly any nation
has the blight fallen more heavily than
upon us. Our fathers did not settle the
question. With all their wisdom and
all their courage they were not equal to
this They left us one dark heritage.
And unless we are granted more wis
dom and more courage than is appar-
emit to-day we shall leave to our children
a heritage darker and more appalling.
Here and beyond the seas the air Is
rife with unsettled questions, but there
Is none that bulks so vast form or
that casts so grim a shadow aus this.
The statesmen Of England and the
statesmen of Germany even are aWalS-
ing to the fact that there is no foe so
dangerous to those great nations as the
growing appetite for drink. The same
thing s true here. A few years ago
the president Of the Brewers associa-
ton said to his associates, II believe,
gentlemen, that this only a question: of
time and that eventually our entire ma
tion-g government and people-will bow
with affection and respect to the genial
and beneficent reign of King Gambri-
mus"
WelB why is I'll that so mighty a ques-
ton as this is SO long unsettled2 There
are many contributing causes. In the
first place, the very magnitude of 1t is
a secret Of it's life. 1t cannot be settled
now ais easily as it could have been "a
generation ago. On the other hand, at
an earlier day no one dreamed of the
future development of the liquor traffic
even to the point which we have reach
ed. The infant has become a giant.
Behold this phenomenon. Here is one
of the most colossal branches of bust |
ness in this country for which not a
single apology can be made. 1t has
only one side, and that side as dark as
Erebus. No sincere defense Of 1t is pos
sib1e If anything can be said for spir- |
its used for medicinal and scientific pur-
poses, even then no plea is possible for |
the saloon And yet the saloon is every |
where, the bane of our civilization
yes, and the doom Of it unless God shall |
touch our blind eyes.
But by the magnitude of the business |
do not fancy that am talking simply |
OF the number of saloons, and saloon |
drug stores and saloon groceries and
saloon club houses The business has
been sending out its roots into many un-
suspected fields. So extensive are its |
with other kinds of bust
ness that honorable business men, whose
voices ought to ring like a trumpet
against it, are silent. Again, it has
gained control of the oenters of political
influence to such an extent that in al
most no part of the country can any
man be elected to office who is known to
be hostile to the liquor traffic. More
over, the traffic has secured what I sup
pose is the most perfect, the most eff
fective and the most ominous organiza-
tion known to any business on this
continent. If a state is to be carried
for or against rum the temperance men
of that state are obliged to fight the
combined and consolidated power Of
the liquor interests Of this whole coun-
try. The most eminent legal talent in
the nation is at their service when it
comes to a conflict in the courts or to
any matter Of proposed legislation. Just
aa4.. IL -
going on on a large scale all over the