The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-12-02
TOTAL ABSTINENCE
Rev. Father Allaeys Will Organize a
Temperance Society.
TO WAGE WAR ON DRINK
A Sermon Every Month VIII Be De-
voted to This Subjeot-An
Appeal From the
Pulpit.

A large congregation assembled
last evening in St. Paurs Catholic
church at vespers. and after the usual
service of the hour. Rev. Father Al
1aeys announced a subject for short
talk. Total Abstinence" He said by
way Of introduction that 1t is his in
tention to speak upon temperance upon
the first Sunday evening OF each
month. delivering a series OF discourse
es The prevalence Of the drink habit,
its dangers. its curse. is forced upon
the people more and more day after
day. Drunkenness is the cause of more
poverty than any other one thing in
life: 1t causes more crime. Murder.
insanity and accident, all may usually
be traced primarily or indirectly to
strong drink. We can not combat 1t,
then. as an enemy to society, the dead
ly foe of religion. as the destroyer OF
mankind. with too much vigor and
earnestness.
II Il shall seem best after a short
time let us form a union Of total abb
stainers. men who win pledge them
selves to never touch a drop OF intoxi-
eating liquors. and we can and will be.
with Gods help. a power for good In
this city.
In urging such an Organization Rev.
Father Allaeys said he would secure
badges of white satin, to be worn by
those who took the pledge and they
should wear them at the meetings, the
temperance vesper services, which VIII
be held each month. He quoted Arch
bishop ireland. whom he styled the
Father Matthew of the West, on tenn
perance, and also Archbishop Croke.
Then the speaker read from Rev. Wal
ter Elliott's temperance address, as fol-
lows:
'.What Is 50 hateful as this vice?
Drunkenness deprives man OF God
percious gift of reason. Reason In
man Is q spark OF Gods intelligence
1T establishes the bond of union be-
tween man as creature and God as
his creator. Drunkenness dethrones
the reason, and leaves man a prey to
his vilest passions. God made man a
little less than the angels; the drunk
ara makes himself a aittle less than the
brutes.
Moreover, this norrid vice extends
ats blightin9 curse over man On his
other relations. 1t In ruin in pros
perity, and despair in adversely. Cow
ardice, hypocrisy, theft, cruelty, MUIR
der, contempt OF God, and hatred of
man go along with 1t and follow after
1T. Disease Of body and imbecihty of
mind are notorious results of drunken
ness Whoever loves humanity hates
drunkenness.
IF you love religion you hate drunk
enness, for drunken Catholics disgrace
the church, and II they die drunk, as
too often happens, what other fate but
eternal loss can await them? The
drunkard shall not inherit the king
dom of heaven
whoever loves his fellow man with
a practical love will do something to
stamp out that vice which deprives
men of their highest natural good,
destroys their happiness during life,
and damns them to eternal perdition
hereafter.
''The first step IN practical opposition
to any vice is the practice OF the oppo-
site virtue. If / hate drunkenness, I
hate everything that leads to drunk
enness. II I love clean. sober life,
4 will cultivate every agency that
makes for temperance, and thus induce
the practice of virtue in others. Tenn
perance is one of the great cardinal
virtues Total abstinence il its heroic
form. Every soldier has his flag; those
who make a war on drunkenness I'M
furl the banner of total abstinence.
Every disease has its remedy; accord
ing to the very highest speaking au-
thority in the Catholic church, the pro
per and truly efficacious remedy for
intemperance IL the practice OF total
abstinence.
mot only Christ's life and doctrine,
but the sound sense of mankind de-
mands that sincere aversion for any
vice shah be shown by the conspicu-
Gus practice of the contrary virtue.
do you not see the need of thus
making war on intemperance? Do you
know how widespread an evil IL is?
What family is either without dts
drunkard or some one who Is in dan
ger of falling into drinking habits.
What neighborhood is without Its
plague-spot-the saloon? What COM
munity without it's steady stream of
horror. crime, and misery due to drunk
enness. The pathway which leads from
the saloon to the poor-house, from
the saloon to the jan. from the saloon
to the insane asylum, is strewn with
wrecks of humanity who are the ac-
cursed victims of alcohol. Therefore,
every family should have its member
or members who are conspicuous for
the practice of total abstinence. Every
neigfborhood should have its band of
valiant men and women who protest
publicly against the vice of drunken
ness. Every community, civil and re-
ligious. should have its organized per-
manent. and IL need be costly. crusade
against the saloon.
Courageous men and women are
everywhere needed to protest against
drunkenness, and to labor to suppress
II.
III you love a happy home. be a
practical total abstainer for IL is the
most efficacious means of showing your
detestation Of the family's deadliest
foe.
IF you love the people of God. take
the pledge; for drunkenness is the
worst enemy the true faith has this
day to contend against
IF you have the good of society at
heart, touch not the intoxicating glass;
for most OF the evils we have TO de-
plore in our social and political life
are the progeny Of this prolific mother
Neutrality-suspicious."
1T UAS GASnIINE