The record-union., 1898-12-13

ness / owe but kindness. While ]
grieve over men ruined by the drink,
grieve yet more over men who make
and sell the drink. The tempter is
always worse than the tempted. Sad
as is the fate of the drunkard, the fate
of the drunkard-maker is thousand
times sadder The woe of God is not
merely against the man who is drunk
en-; it is against the man who made
him drunken. The words of Jesus,
"Woe unto him by whom the offense
cometh," falls with crushing weight
upon the men who provide the drink
| that works such awful ruin.
Whileitis the traffic hate and loathe,
confess / cannot blind myself from
| the fact that it is carried on by men
and women. If / am right in calling
the traffic the modern devil, then all
| engaged in it, from high distillery down
to low groggery, are the agents and ac-
completes of the devil. That they are
doing the devils work no sane man can
| deny. If the want and woe, the desti-
tuition and degradation produced by the
drink are not the works of the devil.
I do not see any use in having devil.
If this traffic is something else than
| the devil, then all I can say of it is it
out-devils the devil himself Habbakuk
regarded the traffic in this light, for he
spoke of wine as treacherous dealer
who enlargeth his desire as hell
| If the odium and contempt we have
| for the traffic falls on those engaged in
| it, the fault is not ours. If any in this
| audience get hit or hurt by what / say
tonight, you must not blame me. You
must blame yourself for getting in the
way. As the old Quaker said to the
enemy on the battlefield: Friend, in
| tend to shoot in thy direction; If thee
does not want to be hit thee had bet
ter get out Of the way" The direction
of my speech tonight is at the traffic
and If you don't want to get hit, then
get out of the way, get out of the busi-
ness.
On the solid roadbed of love to God
and love to man, on ties made Of the
oak of public welfare, 1 lay the two
steel rails Of total abstinence for the in
dividual, and prohibition for the State
On these l place the well-buIt engine
| or intelligent Christian citizenship
driven by the double pressure power of
an aroused and burning conscience.
open wide the throttle, and swing down
the track with all the might and en-
| ergy God gives me. There are no
brakemen on this train, no switches nor
sidetracks on this line, no compro-
mises. no apologies, no half measures.
1t Is straight track and level grade,
and If you throw yourself across the
rails, If you get in the way with your
cartload Of old demijohns, beer bar
rels and fashionable wine glasses,
will go right on smashing through
your cargo of Internal Installations
and will not halt to pick up the
fragments or minister balm to your
wounded sensibilities. If the woe of
| God is on this traffic, then those
who represent it and are engaged in it
| of their own choice become participants
| in that woe.
We speak of theft as a contemptible
way Of getting a living, and when the
confessed thief stands before US we
nnd 1t difficult to prevent our contempt
for the offense from falling upon the
offender. AS a matter of fact, he does
bear the shame in his own person We
denounce adultery as a loathsome sin,
and when the confessed adulterer or
or adulteress stands before us they of
necessity bear the disgust and loathing
we have for that sin. It is almost i'm
possible to show them respect or affec-
ton. The sin is so linked with the
person who commits it that we cannot
wholly dissociate them in our thought
and feeling. So I confess that my dis
gust and contempt for the traffic in
drink makes it difficult for me to treat
with ordinary respect the men engaged
in 1T. l think it is cruel business, a
wicked business. an intolerably mean
business. / can only think Of one busi-
ness lower
1 speak the truth of my heart when I
say would rather my two boys should
i've the life of tramps and die the
death of paupers than prosper and
make wealth by the manufacture and
sale OF strong drink. The tramp who
sleeps in the barn tonight is less a
sinner against God and less a GRIM
inal against society than the men
engaged in the manufacture and sale
| of that which blights childhood, de-
grades manhood, ruins womanhood.
Those engaged in the traffic may hold
higher titles of distinction than the
tramp, may live in superb mansions
have tables loaded with richest viands,
be dressed in broadcloth and satin.
may stand as patrons of charitable and
educational institutions; but God knows
and men who look at the hard. cold
facts Of life know, that there is nothing
this side of hell that works such de-
struction to society, such ruin to man,
such dishonor to God, as the damnable
| traffic to which they have devoted their
time, capital and business enterprise.
L am under contract with my con-
science to help generate and cultivate
in the community such a consolidated
concentrated contempt for the traffic
that no decent, self-respecting man or
woman will think for a moment of en-
gaging in it in any form whatever. The
professional gambler Is less dangerous
in the community than the liquor
dealer, yet we prohibit the gambler and
Ilegalize the drunkard-maker. The
gambler fllches your money from YOU
but he leaves you your health and rea-
son. The liquor dealer despoils you of
wealth, health reason, reputation, and
throws you out, ruined for both worlds
The train robber whom we hunt down
with sleuth-hound, and for whose scalp
we offer big reward will order you to
held up your hands while he takes your
jewels and gold. He leaves you with
strength and intellect to earn more in
their place. This traffic insolently con-
fronts its victim and says: "Give me
your jewels and gold; give me your
business and home; give me your wifes
sunny smiles and your children's loving
embraces; give me your character and