Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-01-21
!. %. o. Q. Column.
I. o. G. T. DIRECTORY OF ADD
SON COUNTY.
INTEMPERANCE AS AN ENEMY OF
THE CHURCH.

An Grafton delivered by II. l.. Nott ut the
graduation exercises of the class in the /.
o. o. L. Course of Study, Randolph, VII
This is an age of organizations. When
an individual thinks reforms are neces-
sary along certain lines, he gathers
about him other indivldualsIof like mind
and they form an organization. A COM
mlttee is appointed to prepare cOnstitu-
ton and bylaws; another committee
prepares a ritual and formulates an
elaborate set of forms and ceremonies:
while a third committee is instructed to
purchase an elegant and expensive set of
paraphernalia. A sign by which the
members may know each other is agreed
upon, and password is given out so
that no spy, or person not Interested in
that particular enterprise, can gain adj
mission to its councils.
All or nearly all of these organizations
have worthy purpose in view but it is
often the case that the time, talent and
money of their members is exhausted on
forms and ceremonies, to the exclusion
of the real purpose for which they were
formed. So numerous have these So
cieties become, that there is one and
sometimes more for nearly all the re-
forms that are needed. But first and SUI
preme above every other organization
stands the church of God, and its mission
is to proclaim salvation to Il lost world.
to lift men up from the depths of degra-
datian to which they have fallen, and to
make them heirs of God and Joint heirs
with Christ to an Inheritance that is in
corruptible and indebted. and that
fadeth not away. Could any object be
more glorious? An yet the church is
not perfect, for nothing made up of i'm
PROJECTIONS can be; and there are no
perfect specimens of humanity.
There seems to be a universal law that
where an individual, society or nation
fails in the mission that the All-wise
gave 1t, He removes the man, society or
nation, and puts another in its place: or
where they perform only part of their
mission, he raises up other agencies to
perform the remainder. Such seems to
have been the fate of the church: for |
believe that had she performed her
whole duty, few if any of the many re-
form and phlanthropic organizations
would have been in existence TODAY and
l believe more and better work could
have been accomplished and with less
expense, had the work been done under
the church's supervision. Surely every
true and timely reform should be born
and named and reared and supported bv
the church of Jesus Christ. OF all the
duties that the church has neglected. the
temperance work is the most important;
for intemperance is the greatest curse
that ever blighted this world, and
brought crime, misery and wretchedness
to its inhabitants. 1t is responsible for
the murder of innumerable souls: and I
do in my conscience believe that intoxi-
eating stlmulants have sunk into perdi-
ton more men and women than found
graves in the deluge that swept over the
highest mountains, engulting world,
of which but eight were saved. So vast
has the bighting influence become, that
| venture to say that there is not a
family in the United States that has not
in some way or other suffered from this
hideOus plague.
Is it nothing to you, all We that pass
by? Have you heard what drink cost
this nation in money? What does it
cost in disease, accident ana crime? Ask
the dreary pages of statistics. and YOU
will read that in sO-called accidents. but
accidents perfectly preventable, it cost
in broken limbs and shipwrecked vessels
and burned houses and shattered rail-
way trains, of wives and children beaten
to death by savage drunken husbands
and fathers.
We have about $4,000 ministers labor
ing to spread the gospel of Christ; to
make men and women better and hap
pier during this present life, and fit
them for that which is to come. And
half million persons are engaged in
dealing out strong drink to destroy them
body and soul. Is it not terrible re-
Election that not less than eight million
of our population visit the schools of
crime and drink shops. Their number
exceeds the adult membership of the
church. OF these eight million worship
ers of Bacchus, six hundred thousand
are dTunkards, of whom sixty thousand
will annually fill drunkards' graves and
unless we deny the Bible we must be-
lieve they cannot enter the Kingdom of
Heaven. Do you wonder that the
church is making such slow progress?
The people of the United States spent
last year in round numbers one billion
dollars for Intoxicating liquors. just
think of it. \ billion to purchase sick
ness, crime and want; to corrupt our
people, to fill our iails, poorhouses, in
sane asylums and prisons. \ billion 10
degrade men and five and half million
for missions and fourteen million for
preachers salaries. That is to say more
than six hundred times as much money
to make men bad as to make them good.
Such is the state of affairs in our own
country.
To be CoHtinucd.1
Sealing men at Victoria, b. c., believe
that there Will be no illegal killing of
seals in Behring Sea during the coming