The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-12
CHURCH AND FAIR BANK
REV. j. A. MILBURN COMMENTS ON
THE FALL CREEK BEER GARDEN.
Christians Should Not Go There-Rev
Frost Craft, of Bloomington, Ill,
breaches at Roberts Park.

Rev. Joseph A. AIilburn. in his sermon
yesterday morning at the Second Presby-
terrain Church, took occasion to comment
on the Fair Bank resort. Mr. Milburn's
sermon was from the II Corinthians text:
And no marvel, for satan himself is trans
formed into an angel of light" Referring
to the Fair Bank resort, he said:
And now this brings me to make few
observations upon matter that has given
me personally a great concern during the
past few weeks I read in the Dapers that
there has been a resort established in this
CITY known as Fairbank, which is, / be-
heYe, a kind of summer garden where peo-
pie gather every evening to listen to music
ana where as | am told, beer and liquors
and wines are dispensed to the multitudes
tnat gather there. And | am also told that
many OF our best citizens go to this resort,
and that there are even to be seen there
many people who are members of the
church. Now, am not going to say any
thing to-day about the habit Of drinking.
nave my own views about it, for l am
deeply convinced that it would be a great
blessing to this world it, so far as alco-
hole stimulants are concerned, we were all
total abstainers; but, on the other hand, L
am very well aware that some of the best,
the sweetest and the purest spirits that
nave adorned our generation have been or
are moderate drinkers and l feel that you
ana l ought to be very careful in speak
ing words Internationally condemnatory of
d ndDlI that is participated in, moderately,
OF course, by such men the present Pope,
one of the loveliest spirits of our genera
ton. and Gladstone, and Dale, the great
minister of the Congregational Church. of
birmingham, John Bright'S church, and the
late Benjamin Jowett one of the illustrious
claSSiciSts of this nineteenth century.
What have in mind now is not so much
any theory upon the temperance question,
as the ineXpedency and impropriety of
Christians going to beer resort and Civ
ing the sanction of their presence to such
an institution. 1t seems to me that what
ever our personal views may be
touching the temperance question, whether
whether we believe in total abstinence
there can be no difference among refined
people as to the banefulness of all public
drinking and of all conduct that sanctions
public drinking. 1t seems to me that leav-
ing out entirely even the question of NOR
anty, and simply regarding 1t as q OueS-
faon OF refinement, as a question OF delicacy
and of good taste, that no man or woman
of character and fine feeling could afford
TO give recognition to place of this kind.
1t is idle to answer here that this kind of
thing is cosmopolitan-that it is done
abroad that beer gardens are common in
Europe. Let them be common in Europe
Let Europe do as Europe deems best. You
and 1 are not responsible for Europe, but
we are responsible for the morals of this
city, and we are responsible in some meas
ure, for the future of the young men and
the young women of this community, and
I believe, and l am sure that you will be-
leVe also if you stop to think it out, that
such a resort as Fairbank, no matter how
Scrupulously 1T may be policed, no matter
in what orderly way it may be conducted
must have more or less deadly influence
upon character. At any rate, as members
of the church you and 1 cannot consider
this part of our rightful pleasure. Sure
ly it is no place for good men and women
to 60 much less for members of the Chris
tian Church to go where character is being
most surely though perhaps imperceptibly
debauched, and where young men and
young women are being most subtly de-
filed by the influences of promiscuous assoc
citation and fashionable beer drinking. l
for one want to lift up my voice in protest,
not only against this resort, but against
all resorts of this kind. To my mind they
are not of the nature of permissible and in
nocent pleasure; to me they are evil and
only evil; they are full to the brim with
deadly and destructive consequences and
with all their music and song and brilliant
faring lights, they are, after all, a Satan
transformed into an angel of light, and in
the name of God / beseech you not TO make
this satanic influence popular with our
young people or a thing of fashion in the
oitU Of Indiana