The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-11-09
Temperance work.

L
to learu. One IL, to be willing to ad yance
step by step, and not to expect oil a man
or OF community more than either has
been educated TO understand. This DOES
not mean that efforts TO educate should
cease, nor that temperance workers
should lower their ideals. On the con-
trary, il means that the work.of educat-
ing public sentiment, of awakening the
public intelligence TO an appreciation OF
certain facts and methods OF work, must
60 on. Ii il the essential condition OF
progress, a. important as the dream OF
an ideal society towards which efforts
are to be directed.
| "But Temperance workers are too apt to
anticipate the future, expecting results
| today which can become possible only
| after wears of educational advance.
They will even go 80 far, because OF their
| devotion to the ideal, as to refuse To take
certain steps In the direction OF the ideal
"The familiar saying is that that they
will not take half loaf. preferring no
bread at all to that. And the reason for
this is that they think the acceptance of
a half amounts TO a compromise with
the devil. Perhaps more rational way
OF looking at the question would be TO
consider il good warfare to take away
half the DEVILS opportunity, to save half
bis possible victims, cut down his rev.
enues, and TO send only half the usual
grist to the diabolical mill.
For example, many have refused TO
enter heartily into a campaign TO reduce
the number Of saloons in gwen city be-
cause those carrying OF the fight would
not make il sine qua non that there
should be no saloons at all.
why not cut the number down one
half. II possible?
Others have declined helping such a |
measure az the Norwegian Bill because |
while il would clip the wings OF the liquor |
traffic, il did not propose to. kill the bird |
outright. Grant that IL ID a vulture, a
vampire, would il not be better TO take |
away one-half it's power Tor harm
Let all workers for temperance guide |
their zeal by wisdom and common sense.
One step forward is far better than none. |
Conscience sometimes misleads. All
honor TO the conscientious workers and |
the torch-bearers OF truth and ideslsl But
even they may sometimes err, not, IN
deed, by holding uD ideals. but in refus-
ing their aid to measures the tendency of
which il toward the heights. though they
may not try TO make the Journey by one
cap.
Another lesson for us temperance
workers to learn In, that our work il part
aud only part OF the great object OF all
lie; namely, character building.
Single out a virtue, stand il by itself,
and IL ceases TO be a virtue, or loses hall
Il perfection. Our temperance idea, our
total abstinence idea, IN necessary, ia
noble. Ii represent virtue indeed, ana
)ne which our age demands. But shall
We forget that il belongs IN the family of
virtues? That IL depends for it's beauty
and its continued life upon its associa-
ion with other members OF this family?
AZ well expect to train man to the
ull stature OF manhood when isolated
rom his fellow-men, as to expect TO make
temperance virtue without the others,
Faith, and Hope, and Love.
What does this mean? Not to give
~ teaching temperance or the safety, the
wisdom OF total abstinence, but TO build
uch teaching on the Christian motive,
Ind make II part OF larger work"
The above article, taken from the Uni.
arian Magazine for November and which
w encountered in our Yesterdays read
ng, appears to be so appropriate just
low that we republish 1t and recommend
{ to the careful perusal OF our friend, Mr..
Joseph Heaton. and Others who think
Ike hin. While II those OF our temper
ince friends, who were, az it looks to us,
patriotic enough to put inside their per-
onal ideas and vote for Mckinley. be-
ieving 1t was for the good ofthe greatest
have any qualms Of conscience
or having done 30, the above win act az
,aln to their coDsciences, lift does not
ully convince them they were right in
aking the step they did