The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-20
The Saloon Not a "social Necessity"
They are mad.

~
The impassioned denunciation of the
liquor saloon as the worst enemy of the
family and the Church, by Father DOYLE of
the Roman Catholic Church Of the Paulist
Fathers, is the answer which a priest whose
labors are largely and peculiarly among
workingmen gives to the astonishing asser-
ton OF Bishop POTTER, that the saloon is a
social necessity" the poor mans club, -
which satisfies his "recreative instinct
Father DOYLE is a priest who has devoted
his energies for many years to combating
the evil influences Of these saloons, and his
address at the Church of st. Paul on Wednes-
day evening proved that as a consequence
he has learned something about a subject
as to which Bishop POTTER displayed sur
prising ignorance. He denied that the sa-
loon is the poor mans club" and "in the
name Of the poor but honest workingmen
Of this city," and before a great congrega-
ton composed chiefly Of workingmen and
their families, he resented 1.-THE imputa-
lion" as "maudlin talk" Father DoYLE's
utterance will receive a degree Of respect,
even from the saloon keepers themselves,
which will be denied to the Bishops.
Nv h'ulNl VIM Y IL W Jho pOOl
are hard headed men otherwise they could
not hold their w in the business; and
they neither expect nor respect iustifica-
ton from the Church. They cater to an
appetite which is an indulgence, and they
do not supply or pretend to supply
a social necessity" bred by the ~"recre-
alive instinct Of humanity" The most that
can be said Of them is that they supply a
demand, a craving OF human nature, which
is well-nigh universal, but they do not run
their drinking places as poor mems clubs.
They run them to make money, and as very
much OF that money comes from poor men,
who can i'll afford to spend it for such in
diligence, and who suffer in many ways in
consequence Of the drinking, the hearts Of
the saloon keepers are hardened to a degree
which naturally makes them the special
objects OF denunciations like those of this
earnest priest.
The drinking habit and its qualification
may be discussed phi%losophically, and par
ticular legal measures or any legal meas
ures for preventing or lessening its evils
may be advocated or opposed; but that it is
the cause OF much, II not most of the misery
discoverable among the poor is too obvious
to be questioned. That It is generally with
out any sort OF excuse OF necessity even
those addicted to 1t acknowledge. Whether
there is any remedy for the evils caused by
1t that is not purely moral and religious
may be doubted with good reason. At the
best, the habit is too expensive for a poor
man, oftentimes consuming more OF his
wages thanthe provision Of food for his fam
lily. Nor Is the assertion OF Father DOYLE de-
niable, that "all healthy men would be better
and stronger without liquor, for they know
it themselves. They do not need the drink
as a social necessity and they do not
pretend they do. Theytakeit because they
like its effects or have acquired for it a
taste or a craving, which they cannot re-
slst and they can have little respect for the
knowledge or discnrnment OF any religious
teacher who excuses them for indulging it
because, for instance, they arc poor and
have ''peevish and squalling wives and
children at home" AS a correspondent OF
The Sun said yesterday, they know we'll
enough, none 80 well as they, that the
great and just cause OF the peevishness and
the squalling Is that the money which
ought to he spent for the comfort of the lam
lily is squandered in the saloon.
Father DOYLE used a hard word when he
called such talk as that at the Waldorf
Astoria Squirrel Inn meeting "maudlin -
but. at any rate, TO us0the pOlitest words