The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-08
CATHOLICS AND TEMPERANCE.
run TOTAL ABSTINENCE UNION
HOLDING ITS CONVENTION.

D.lfvers a strong Sermon on the
r.mperance Question Modern
temperance Movements of Two
,-frds-One Purely Humanitarian
md the other Humanitarian and
R@ligious-The Religious Element
=, Wan Must Be Appealed TO 10 Eff
fect Great Reforms.
wv York, Aug. THE formal opening
-. che convention of the Catholic Total
abstinence Union Of America took place
.tis morning in Columbus hall. which will
; the headquarters Of the convention.
when Father J. NJ. Cleary. who is the
general president of this organization.
esrsd the convention to order at 9 O'Clock
.h,,,t s0 delegates were on hand.
Father Callahan Of the Paulist church
o-.na.. the convention with prayer. Then
ooormittee on credentials was appointed
Nonahan was appointed sergeant-at-
rms and Walter Fitzmaurice of Connec-
,.-lt and Mary Z. Doherty of Pittsburg
were appointed assistant secretaries.
The delegates then marched to the ca
.5.lral. where a solemn pOntifcal mass
yas celebrated by Mgr. Satolli, Arch
bishop Ryan of Philadelphia preaching
The sermon.
The silver jubilee parade which was
tsld tonight was a grand spectacle and
.Ae line of march was thronged with
,rowds of spectators. Fully 5000 were in
inc.
This evenings meeting was held in Car
r7gie hail and the immense auditorium
was filed by delegates from the many cit
ias represented and persons interested.
IN overflow meeting of several thousand
persons was held on the outside of the
building and a number of priests and lay
men delivered addresses. on the stage,
which was draped with banners of the va
nous organizations, were seated the Arch
bishop Of New York, NJ. A. Corrigan,
Mayor Strong, Bishop John J. Kean, rec
tor of the Catholic University at Wash
ington, d. c., the Most Reverend L. ].
RYAN, archbishop of Philadelphia, and
Mgr. Bessoni of Indianapolis.
Police Commissioner Roosevelt and
Mayor Strong were among the speakers.
1lr. ROosevelt's topic was the enforcement
OF the excise laws of the state.
Archbishop Ryan of Philadelphia, in the
course of his sermon, said: Modern tenn
lerance movements have been of two
kinds: The purely humanitarian, hav-
Ing in view only the temporal advantages
Of body and mind TO be attained by the
practice of temperance, and using only
movements have their mission, and Cath
olics ought TO stand with their fellow-cit-
izsns in every effort for temporary ameli-
grafton. Sometimes, however, the poison
of false principles may be detected in
these organiza tions.
THE second class Of temperance move
ments is that to which the Catholice To-
tai Abstinence Union of America belongs,
which is more humanitarian and relig-
ious
To effect great popular moral reforms,
tine religious element in man, the con-
science power within him, must be APP
pealed to. You cannot exchange him into
morality. Morality requires sacrifice of
selhshness, and sacrifice of seliishness
requires a motive, and religion alone can
furnish the adequate motive. You may
seek to strike at the saloon, and urge men
to pass it, as the Greeks passed the
temples of the furieS, without looking,
without speaking, without breathing; you
may enact the most stringent laws
against Sunday drinking and create
powerful public opinion. which will brand
as disgraceful the slightest abuse of al
coholic drinks.
An these influences may act as break
waters against the tide OF intemperance,
and thus do some good. But that tide
will flow into other channels. The so
called 'speak-casy' viii succeed the sa-
loon and private drinking perhaps to
even greater excess will succeed the pub
JIG indulgence"
The first business of the session began
at p. m.
J. Washington Tongue of Philadelphia,
first vice president of the union, read his
report He recommended that the lectur
ing system should be extended as much as
possible by the local branches of the union,
that temperance literature be disseminated
widely in every place and that total abb
stinence societies be started in every par
sh.
President Cleary then read his report.
After dwelling at some length on the
objects of the society he said; With our
ever increasing advantages of education
and mental culture, with the school
houses within sight of every mans doors,
anXiously inviting all the children of
men TO drink at the fountains OF
knowledge there need not be, and there
should not be, poor mans child in all
this fair land cursed with the darkness
of ignorance, were it not for the beast
illness of intemperance that brutalizes the
lives Of the poor 1t is the ceaseless drip
ping that wears away the granite boulder
II is the constant patronage from the
pockets of the unfortunate that enriches
the saloon keepers business and binds the
deuded victim in hopeless poverty ana
e4Il. II IS not Ile VIII, UOlSltIOIS dio94-
patton of the reckless inebriate that works
the greatest injury to the social condition
OF the masses. That extravagant form OF
the drink curse is rapidly dis
posed Of and the unhappy
wretch sinks into an untimely and dishon-
ored grave 1t is the habitual drinking
habit, among those who are classed as
moderate in their habits, that works the
greatest mischief in the lives of the peo-
pie This it is that drains the poor man
purse and prevents the child OF penury
from obtaining the education which our
progressive civilization affords.
1T is not the sin of drunkenness alone
that our grand organization is prepared
to combat. Our far-reaching purpose IS
10 aid in correcting the foolish drinking
Customs of society, TO make practices OF
total abstinence popular, and TO brand
with odium the indefensible and dangerous
social customs that are a stumbling block
10 the weak and a temptation to all. Inc
joyous acclaim with which the people OF
every class and creed greet our work TO-
day at its jubilee, rejoicings, IS
gratifying testimony to the success 1t has
gained. Our church has again and again
voiced its convictions in no uncertain
terms. There can be no affiliation between
81 nv nd h.. eso1A