St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1896-08-28

which they loved so dearly and for
which they were suffering the loss OF
all things, was so terribly and feebly
supported by the Christian church,
which from the beginning should
have been it's foremost champion.
We know what a power the church
finally was in the destruction OF
slavery and the preservation OF the
Union, but the Christian church OF
America had to be scourged, reasoned
with, pleaded with, long and
earnestly, by the great champions OF
human rights before she was ready
to spouse their cause and give the
same her undivided support. Every
impartial historian who writes the
history of the anti-slavery move
ment is obliged to record black and
damning charge against the churches
of our land Tor their unfaithfulness to
the rights Of the slave. Alas they
were too. often on the side Of the
oppressor against the oppressed.
Now the temperance movement
has had very much such history as
the anti-slavery movement had, and
the church has acted toward it very
much as it acted toward the great
abolition and anti-slavery move
ment. AS with the slavery question,
the churches have hesitated, delayed,
and evaded duty. They have been
timid and cowardly followers Of
great and good men and women,
when they should themselves have
been leading the great battles of free
dom. They have compromised with
the evil which they ought at once to
have grapled with and overthrown.
During the temperance crusade OF the
West, saloon keepers fancied it
morally impossible to resist the
pleadings of holy men to give up
their traffic, and were converted to
the Christian faith by scores and
hundreds. The church exists to
oppose sin by her bitter hatred Of it,
by her example, and by her vote.
There are over $4,000 protested
Christians in our state. Can we for
moment doubt that prohibition
would be a grand success in Vermont
it this mass of Christian people were
determined to make it success? We
still shall have prohibition when our
churches are ready for it, just as we
had the destruction of slavery when
the churches began to speak, vote,
and pray in earnest for its removal.
The day ofvictory is DELAYED because
there are so many men of influence
in our churches who are still un.
willing to renounce all completely
with the evil in heart, speech, and
act. Many good men and women
are still found, just as in the old days
of slaves, willing to apologize for the
reigning curse Of the day willing to
vote no but say, don't stir up a
/ FUSS" when there is an effort made
: to enforce the law. These people are
} far greater hindrances to prohibition
e than saloonmen and drunkards
f Their influence, which is often great
on account of their character anC
b. social standing, goes to the rum side
e They do not intend it and would b,
hurt to be told that such is the fact
e but however honest these people ma
e be, and however much they deplor
Y the ravages OF the rum 6end, the,
e are really helping to make his fearful
# distractions still more terrible. A
e we cannot serve both God and Nam
v mon, as we must be either Tor Chris
e or against Him, so we must be GU
i and out in favor of a fearless, honest
e and impartial enforcement ofprohib
r tory law, or we are not consisten
s. prohibitionists, although we ma
-e vote prohibition at every election
Z, want it in every camp meeting, an
n talk eloquently in favor OF it at ever
D. temperance concert. We secret
lie hope that better days will come, but
If as the great contest for freedom fo
h the black race Of the South, it will
4 a long struggle, a hard fought bait
lie that wins the victory. Thousand
ID upon thousands of our best youn
IS men must yet perish in the horrib
y, naelstrom OF intemperanoe befol
ID the church of God will be aroused t
I'd her duty. The churches of Vernon
e should be ashamed to allow our pr,
w hibitOry law 1 q remain in IFS DreSet