The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-30
HOOKING THE LEvIATHAN.

HOOKING THE LEvIATHAN.
Following is an abstract of sermon
preached by Rev. IL. &. Crane in the
United Congregational Church, East
Providence, sunday, March 20, 1896.
Job. 41:1: "Canst thou uraw out the
Leviathan with a hook?" The saloon is
Leviathan; the law is the hook; public
sentiment the line with which Omnipo-
tence alone can draw this monster from
the sea of civilization. Let us take birds
eye view of the fishing tackle as we find
it today. The main work of the last 30
years has been the education of the
church, to bring Christian people. to right
views. A reformer said 10 his friend
who was conservative: II never get
my gun aimed to shoot at the devil, but
just then your head pops up in the way"
Wellington once rode up to battery in
an engagement and said: "You are do
ing splendid execution, but those troops
you are firing at are on our side" When
the church comes out of the saloon, and
talks, gives and votes right, we can turn
on all the guns without killing any of
the the "deceived elect" In 1885 George
Is. Cheever became the pastor of the
church in Salem. In those days ministers
were seldom installed or dismissed with
out generous supply of New England
rum. Prayer and alcohol sweetly mingled.
through the distilleries Salem ships car
ried rum and missionaries to the same
heathen. Deacon Giles ruled the church,
and the distillery ruled Deacon Giles, and
when the young minister descended like
Moses from the mount of God and deciar-
ed it inconsistent for Deacon Giles. to sell
Bibles and whiskey over the same coun-
ter the wealthy distiller objected to the
pulpit's meddling with mans personal
liberty" But Cheeyer was not sent to
preach against dead Jews or far-off Nor
mons.
1t is a startling fact that while temper
ance men have been growing more and
more temperate, drinking men have be-
come more and more Incorporate. The
temperance man of 90 years ago only his
aimed not to get drunk. He stocked
cellar plentifully with liquors; he be-
longed TO temperance society that fined
its members fifty cents If they drank to
excess. Some of the early temperance
societies died of drunkenness. Charles
Lamb in his confessions of drunkard
exclaims, sis there no middle way be-
twixt total abstinence and the excess that
kills?" 1t is coming to be the unani-
nous voice of science as well as the pulpit
that there Is no safety but to shut the
teeth on all that intoxicates land not
undo them, to suffer wet damnation TO
run through them" i"
We have also learned that the lighter
drinks wine, beer, ale and cider, are but
aliases of the one criminal, alcohol an
that this kind of hydrophobia results
from the bite of little cur as well as
from the bite of a mastif.. In 1910 the
Nashingtonian movement pledged itself
against all alcoholic drinks. Now our
pledges include the weakest dilutions OF
that devil which Shakespeare invoked
and even our communion wines are unin-
toxicating. This is very rapid outline
of how temperance ideals have sd-
vanced. On the other hand notice the
rapid descent toward the pit OF the
drinking population. We know how
largely liquors are adulterated, but worse
still those who drink the stuff have great
ly increased their dose. Sixty years ago
the average consumption was five gallons
per capita, now 1t is just double, 10 gal
Ions per capita. But at the present time
only 1O or dozen millions OF our people
drink, whereas formerly there were no
total abstainers. so that we have the
alarming fact that our drunkards are
pouring down their throats au average
of 10 gallons, each man, each year.
Furthermore, the saloon OF today is
worse than the saloon of former times,
when Deacon Giles was IN the business
and the church people were all tipping.
The muster rolls of hell can now be an
ticipated by reading the names OF the sa-
loon signs. IL the church is the recruit
ing office for heaven, the saloon Is ne
headquarters for lust and the drill room
for perdition. the political power OF the
saloon is another sign OF the times.
In asylum, prison, scaffold, It has be-
come by-word, "Booze did It, The
sold Homestead" breaches as well as the
pulpit. The "DrunkaTd7s Woe" elbows
you on the street and looks out OF hag-
gard faces. The question now is how TO
regulate the evil. tome men would not
outlaw II because they are slaves OF the
appetite, others object because 1t Is
source OF revenue or political or finan-
cial influence.
With such the latest fad is the hook
with the high license barb. lt appeals
with power To- the mercenary part OF our
natures. IL Is bribe OF the tax payer,
but the good man knows who pays these
license fees. IL is the drunkard's vile
and children and the poor victim himself.
1t Is Improbable to the community as IL
would be TO burn your house, for the sake
of selling the ashes. The police, the
poor, the loss to labor, in dollars end
cents, every year swallowed up In the
ill-gotten gains many times over.
We are learning that falsehood Is one
OF the methods OF the saloon. We read
the court records when prohibition Is
adopted, and lind In every case that the
number OF arrests Immediately decreases
from 20 per cent. to 20 per cent, but the
saloon orators boldly declare that "Pro-
hibitioD does not prohibit and the
thoughtless believe him. When Iowa
went dry saloon keepers with one voice
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