The Portland daily press., 1896-04-21
HEROIC sELF-DENIAL
Is the True Remedy for Intemper-
ance.

The Evil of the Age Must Be Combatted
by the Heroic Element in Man.
At meeting of the Catholic Total Abb
stinenoe Society, President M. j. Lyden
in the chair, the speaker of the evening,
REV. ALEXANDER L. A. KLAUDER
delivered very earnest and practical nd
dress, In which he said:
II intemperance is sin of the age, in
difference to it IL another. 1t is all we'll
enough we may think to laugh at the
drunkard, but If we could see at a glance
the awful woe attendant upon the
drunkard's career what a horrid sight
would confront US. Dissertation of Gods
image, trampling upon the blood of
Christ, blighting of the home, heart
broken wife, starving children, violent
death, premature grave, and soul in
hell. We should see large portion of our
cities filled with drunkards, cherries
homes, misery, wretchedness and
degradation on all sides. Who can afford
to be Indifferent to the awful soourge of
in temperanoeG
Do we not see in such Indifference the
story of The man who fell among thieves,
and the consequent warn ing of Christ?
We see the man wounded and almost
dying passed by unnotiosd by his fellow
religionists and helped by the Samaritan.
Does not the Indifference OF the Christian
to the fate of his unfortunate follow
Christian who has fallen victim to the
vice of intemperance repeat the un-
charitablensss of which Christ complains
in the gospel, manifest towards the poor
unfortunate and wounded man? How
many drunkards are there lying on the
downward road to destruction unnotioed
by fellow Christians who ought to come
to their aid by word and example?
Every age has it's moral evils, and every
age has its opposite combating in
f1uences. If intemperance is the evil of
this age it must be com natted by the
heroic example of self denial in the use
Of intoxicating drinks. Total abstinan CO
is the most effective remedy. Not as a
matter of oompulsiop, but as matter of
virtue, a voluntary self-denial.
What agency was moro powerful in
Outstanding and civilizing the pagan
world than the her oio exa mple of self de-
NAL on the part of the first Christians
and their followers? Have we not in our
own day heroic examples of virtue in
every form in the living members Of the
church? Have we not whole religious
orders that deny themselves the use of the
goods of this world, of the pleasure and
comfort of marriage even Of the use of
speech, and other innocent and legitimate
pleasure and comforts? Have we not
religious bodies of men and women who
abstain wholly from the use of flesh
meat? Why all this heroic self-denial of
the legitimate pleasures Of life? Let the
skeptio recognize the blessings of our
present civilization and recall upon the
pages of history the once potent influence
of such self-denIal in offsetting the ex-
cessss of mankind.
The speaker referred in eloquent words
to the glory of self-denial for the sake of
others, and appealed to all to abstain
from the use of Intoxicating liquors. not
alone for their own sake, but much more
for the sake of others. The lecture was
not only able and impressive but was
very practical and helpful.
At the close rising vote Of thanks was
given the speaker.