The record-union., 1898-06-18
THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT
REV. r. d. RUSSELL'S LECTURE
I LAST NIGHT.
Iikens It to Our Government and
the Rat to the Liquor
Traffic.

Rev. r. d. Russell lectured last night
under the auspices of the Women's
Christian Temperance Union at the
Central Methodist Church on ine
House That Jack Built.
Mrs. Q. P. Willis introduced the
speaker in few brief and appropriate
remarks.
Mr. Russell said that his lecture was
prepared more particularly for the
young None of his audience, he was
sure, could say that they had never
heard the old nursery jingle
The different parts of the rhyme were
fitted to correspond with the saloon
traffic He had found in an ency-
clopedia a statement that 1T was taken
from an old Hebrew parable. In speak
ing OF of the house that Jack built, ne
wished those who heard him to remem-
Der that by it he should symbolic the
United States Government-the mag
nificent house in which we live and en-
joy our liberty. Jack is nickname
for John, and John means THE Gift
of God"
When this country was discovered by
Columbus, he took possession of 1t in
the name of God When the Pilgrim
Fathers crossed the ocean, they did it
in the name of God. When Washing
ton led his men in battle, it was after
he had invoked the aid of God. Every
important event in our history has
been in unison with Gods laws, and
we can readily feel that our country is
the gift of God.
But in our scheme of government
have crept things that have created
want of harmony in the house. Some
<.ff he oh, In ha h.r
but other children have been born in
other homes, and after being adopted
into this home have made trouble
among the native children of the home.
If the Government welcomes these chill
dren and adopts them, it should see
that they do not interfere with the
comfort and happiness of it's own chill
dren.
The malt that lay in the house that
Jack built is the wealth and rich
products of the country. 1t has in
creased immensely. but there is a leak
by which much of it is lost or de-
Stroyed. This is because there is a
rat in the house, and that rat is the
liquor traffic.
When the speaker lived in Illinois,
it's product was 33O.O00O0O bushels of
corn, a great and useful production.
But with this great crop there was
more whisky made in Illinois than in
any other State except New York. SO
gpeat is the liquor traffic, with the 40
900 saloons, that there is more money
daily spent in the saloons than would
meet the expense of carrying on the
war.
The cat, the emblem of peace and
happiness in the home, might stand
as the representation of moral suasion.
The Washingtonians, the Good Temp
lars. the Bands of Hope and the kindred
organizations have been the cats that
caught the rat. But they did not kill
him. If they had there would be no
need of this talk.
The dog that worried the cat is the
church member who says that God ad-
vised taking a little Wine Another
dog is the man who says that high
license is the way to kill the rat 1t
is said that it will make the number
of saloons less. Perhaps it does, but
it does not make any less whisky man
ufactured and drank. The more re-
spectacle the saloons are made. the
more dangerous and tempting they are,
and men go into them who would not
go into the low groggeries. There is
another dog, an intelligent one, says
that licensing the liquor saloon is the
only way to control it. Another dog
is the one that says as much liquor is
sold in prohibition States as in the 9TH
ers. For himself. he knew this was
not so, for he had investigated the
matter in Kansas. little fyce
barks out fanatic, fanatic" Another
dog says that we must sell the liquor
to get rid of it. He does not know
that for every dollar that is brought
in in revenue by the sale of the liquor,
S2.4o go out in the place of it, not from
the same portion of the treasury, per-
haps, but it goes out all the same.
Is there anything saved in that way?
The COW with the crumbled horn that
tossed the dog is the white ribbon