The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-09-08

In such a case the moral effect Is want
! ing and the divine blessing is also with
held. The Almighty will not bless a re-
| Hgion Of which he is not the author, and
without His blessing reform movements
| will be total or partial failure. You
cannot cast out devils by Beelzebub. the
walls Of Jericho will not fall down I'M
less the divine prescription is followed:
| 20. that my people had hearkened unto
me and Israel had walked in my ways!
should soon have subdued their enemies.
and turned my hand against their adver-
saries." Psalm, S1:I3-1I That explains
it, and the enemy still holds the fort.
There is something wrong or the walls of
Jericho would fall and the whole nation
would trenble.
The fact is. the church is corrupted
and Christianity is perverted and you
cannot fight the devil with a false re-
ligion. He is at home all along that
lire. He takes a pious 1T himself now
and then. but only to be more devilish.
The religion of today IS largely a COM
promise with error. Every fundamental
doctrine Of the Bible is denied within the
churches. One denies inspiration, an
other the Trinity, the divinity of Christ.
future punishment, the providence Of
God, predestination or election. justifca-
ton through the imputed righteousness
Of Christ, regeneration, the final perse-
! verance Of all saints, and so on. ad in
| finitum. And all the "damnable here
sies'' opposed TO these truths, are propa-
gated within the churches so that the
religion of today IS largely another Cos
pei which Is not another but is a dis
placement Of the true.
Hence, when religion Is corrupted, put
aart he, Hcrrf IND sha ~ do
| come out of their dens. Statistics repor,
that only twenty-five per cent Of the men
of the United States attend religious ser
| vice. and only five per cent are church
| members! Where, then. are your Chris
| tians? Ninety-five per cent still lingering
| in the plain Of Sodom! We must hold
| to the truth IL we would expect the ef-
| ficient power necessary to 6u real and
| radical reforms.
| When the world sees professed Chris
| tians profane the Sabbath by visiting
| by taking the Sunday train," the Sun
| day newspaper" and ask the govern
ment to compel a million OF men to pro
| fame the Sabbath by running a mail train
| and che postoffices, the moral effect Is
! not very good. Hence the wicked wax
| bold and defiant But there Is a re-
| fiexive and repressive power IN the truth
| that men cannot resist Felix trembled
when Paul preached to him OF temper
ance. righteousness and judgment &c
| come"
The true power OF the church for re
| formation, is a moral power. her weapons
are spiritual and not carnaL Heavy fines
| and Imprisonment for what men believe
| their right will be a failure. Righteous
| laws are wholesome when enforced
I.,% ltx,rp <frrS,si
| is not a reforming power. The demand
| creates the supply. The ealoonist can
| not sell unless there is a. buyer. Fine and
imprison the buyer. Stop the buying and
| the selling will stop.
| 4. The nation. the people. legalize the
manufacture and sale Of liquor when
they make 1t subject to revenue. Tha,
revenue IS not a fine, not a punishment.
| but an act that stamps IL as a legitimate
business. When the government tndorses
| the manufacture OF liquor and makes mil
lions out Of il. 1t seems unjust and incon-
sistent to forbid the sale Of IL by deal
ers. When the article has paid the reve-
nue.. II IS legally property. II looks like
O. contradiction to make another law to
| confscate and destroy that property. The
| common sense Of men, their idea OF Jus
tice would be. that II It is right for the
government to take revenue and protec,
the distiller In his business. that this in
cludes the right of others to buy OF the
distiller. to sell again. wholesale and re-
tai II the first link In the chain u
right every link is right
As an observer. we are telling how
things look to a spectator. The kind Of
opposition to the liquor traffic has put
the money IN It and made II a temptation
IN h< no, 70
Why should a dealer ask and get all the
way from fifty cents to a dollar. for a
pint Of whisky. the cost Of which Is not
more than a nickel3 Why should the
American people permit such a species
Of robbery and speculation? Why should
a man sell a bushel OF corn for twenty
cents and be compelled to give twenty
bushels Of corn for twenty cents worth
| Of whiskyi The consequence IS that a
| mighty. wealthy. liquor power has been
J built and rules largely IN the nation. We
say, take the money out OF the traffic.
take off the revenue. let grccers and mer-
chants sell 1t by the pint or gallon, make
pure liquor only. and sell IL at what It is
worth, at 40 TO 80 cents per gallon. This
would close nearly all the saloons. for II
| a man can get q pint OF pure liquor for
a dime, he would not pay eeventy-fve
cents But somebody Will say everybody
would be drunk, There is a great deal
of human nature IN men. Opposition
creates desire. Under prohibition. moral
suasion loses its power. The fruit OF
the spirit" 81 temperance and every
other grace The only cure for the evils
that infest society, is the pure gospel.
Use Il faithfully and you will soon have
more than five per cent OF men in sthe
church. What Is the chaf 20 the wheat?''
saith the Lord. rs not my word like as
| a fire." saith the Lord: land like ham,
mer that breaketh the rock in pieces"
Jer. 90. AN OBSERVER