The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1897-07-30
THE CONFLICT.
By Rev. Elmer Smith, Read at a Meet
ing OF the Epworth League.
Columbus, Ind.


We are prone to look at the re-
suit, and not at the cause and prog
ress of a conflict. Every one knows
the result of the late war, but how
many could relate the causes and
progress Of the mighty strife, al
through those dark days of the ma
tons history?
The conflict of which | wish to
speak to might is that of the home
and soul against the fiendish traffic
in intoxicants.
Let me picture to you few cir
cumstan, @; in the conflict of one
of the onehundr ID and twenty-five
thousand souls that yearly fill the
graves of drunkards.
A young mother sit rocking in hel
easy chair; beautiful baby boy in
her arms, he smiles in his inno-
cepce, and COOS in his baby glee,
A step is heard, the young father
enters, buoyant with health and
happiness, and together the parents
fondle and caress their boy and
build fancy castles of his future.
The years pass on; we see man
and woman of middle age, seated in
the auditorium of a university.
The orchestra strikes up the grand
march. Bright, intelligent, manly
young men, and beautiful, cultured
young ladies enter, happy process
sion. Speech after speech has been
made and applauded; flowers have
been thrown to each speaker with
kindly encouring words penned on
the daintily perfumed cards at
tached.
All have spoken but one. In al
most breathless silence the vast
audience watched the valedictorian
as he advances to make the closing
address of the commencement ex-
ercises of this large class, Just fin
ishing its college course.
All have made such remarkably
good speeches that the audience
wonder how he can excel. His
grades show that he has excelled
all others in his class work, and thus
he is honored as valedictorian of
the class.
The middle-aged gentlemen and
lady are all attention now; they
have listened with interest to the
speeches, but now their boy, the
baby boy of our story, is advancing
ready to speak. The parents
hearts throb with pride as he pro-
ceeds. He is master of his subject.
He lifts his audience step by step,
till he closes in a blaze of glory. :.
For an instant intense silence reigns,
then peal on peal of applause shakes
the very foundation of the old col
lege building. Flowers have been
thrown to the others, they we're
in lavish extravaganza on
him, till he seemed floating in an
ocean Of flowers. The proud moth
er embraces her boy; the three go
home together.
In the twilight they talk of the
future, and a bridge of fancy spans
from earth to heaven, and the moth
er sees the angels Of success come
fitting across to crown the FUTURE
Of her son.
He enters his profession with
high and noble ideas of his calling
Let us leave them there in their
We shall go back several years.
The nation is in need OF revenue.
Its legislators cast about to provided
! means to raise money. They de-
tide to legalize (?) the traffic in in
,oxicating beverages. Did | say
egalize it? The nation says So,
)ut God says: "Look not thou
ipon the wine when it is red, when
I giveth his color in the cup, when
{ moveth itself Alright. AT the last
I biteth like serpent and stingeth
ike an adder"
Do you say this passage applies
,nly to individuals? Let us see.
Did not our lawmakers turn TO the
vine for revenue? / guess they as
,ur agents "looked upon the wine, ,"
Ind in the act of legalizing (?) the
saloon we became a drunken nation
Who says this is a Christian nation?
Il is false, basely false. 1t is the
levil's own language that is used
when il is said that we live in al
Christian nation. The Bible says
hat no drunkard shall enter the
kingdom Of heaven. Now, if al
lrunkard cannot be "a Christian,
neither can a nation that lets con-
racts to make drunkards be
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