The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-03-13
ARE HYPOCRITES.
Bishop Potter Calls Down the Wrath
of Teetotalers.

OF 109GOCaL0rS.
New York, March 13.-Bishop Potter,
who not long ago caused considerable
discussion by referring to the saloon as
and poor mans club has aroused the
Prohibitionists by calling them hypo-
critics and by Hkening them to the
Scribes and Pharisees of old.
1t was inresponse to a request for his
views on the saloon evils sent to him
by the Rev. DR.. Lyman Abbott, editor
of the Outlook, that Bishop Potter ut
tered his conviction that the Prohibi-
tionists are all wrong In his letter to
DR.. Abbott he says:
1T is the old situation-as old as the
religion of Jesus Christ-with the
Scribes and Pharisees on the one hand,
the Sadducees on the other and, over
against them, the Truth.
mo more perfect reproduction of the
first named has appeared in our day
than the Prohibitionist ct i'd omne
genus arrogant, denunciatory, ignor-
ant, INSCRIPTIONS and untruthful; hold
ing one meager fragment of the truth to
their eyes and denying great and fun
damental facts in human nature in
their foolish and futile endeavor to
remedy the perverSion of human IN
stincts by eXtirpating them; true chill
dren of the medieval systems of mon
astic asceticism. which they would fain
substitute for the feedom of a regenera-
ted manhood.
THE grotesque hypocrisy of the Pro-
hibitiOn system from Maine to Kansas
is a sufficient commentary upon their
theories. Meantime the endeaVorS OF
wiser men and women to better the
condition-the homes, the domestic life,
the recrea tiOnS-Of their less Favored
brethren go untouched of these fit sue
cessorS of those to whom Jesus said,
Woe unto you, Scribes and Phar1seeS,
hypocrites, for We bind heavy burdens
upon mems shoulders and gr1eVOuS TO
be borne and yet yourselves will not
touch them with the tips of your fling
ersi'
And over against them, as of old,
are the modern adducees-critical, in
different, apathetic.
1.-The dissensions of those who are not
agreed as to the problems of intemper-
ance and it's cure are entertaining ana
amusing to theSe-and no more.
yet let me not do them injustice
What I have said has it's considerable
and inspiring qualifications; and men
of wealth and intelligence who had or
iginally dismissed the saloon question
and ali that it involves as equally hope
less and insoluble have in recent years
grappled with the larger problems OF
the housing and lettering or wage
earners in all the various aspects in
which those various problems present
themselves; and have done nople anu
generous things along the line OF a
wiser and more brotherly consideration
for their fellow-men.
But the whole movement is as yet IN
its infancy and waits t0 3rr g ulo1d9iT; ton
AS yet we have been but fumbIlng with
social problems. unable or unWllhrg, APP APP
parently, to recognize that the raulcal
changes in our Industrial and social con-
ditions which nave come 10 p9s fbeIo de
mands upon wealth. experience, scientlhc
sympathy and self-sacrlhee Wh I t IN "a, "a
vored classes are as yet put SLOW 10 TO rSG re-
Ognize. The permanence, however, OF our
present social structure VIII tb a1Ppreca ton
of this fact I am glad to see that there
- %" 81 course, in this larger aspect of a
vast question, the saloon is mere mel
to the home life, as well as the indiyid7
ual life of communities, the evils that feed
host of questions such as these wait for a
consideration which as yet they nave
Meantime it may be well to relieve the
minds of fanatical and hysterica people
vast mischief as the saloon stands for,
and generally, that in dealing with hu-
appetites the divinest Teacher that the
world has had would seem to have taugh
regenerat ton. whether of society of the
evil instincts of Northumberland exttrpa-
DR.. L K. Funk, editor of the Voice. and
authority on prohibition, had TINS 70
say in reply to Bishop Potter, when called
when bishop Potter was reported to
mans club his utterances were posted up
in the Bowery saloons, and L have no
have proprietors who are able to read his
letter to DR.. Abbott that document is be
marks are Certainly an Encouragement to
the saloon evil.
Il think it comes in bad taste from him
a bishop in the Episcopal church to
attack the stand taken by the bishops or
the Methodist church who have declared
for prohibition, have also the national
bodies of the Baptist Presbyterian, Con-
gregational, Lutheran and most other de-
nomina tons
Archbishop Ireland. Father. Boyle and
many other prominent Catholics are also
prohibitionistS.
'Bishop Potter will injure himself more
than anyone else by calling names. His
utterances are unfortunate, but they will
not effect public sentiment They may en-
courage saloon men, and they will un-
doubtedly be used by men with wrong i'm
pulses as an excuse for frequenting drink
ing places.
'sProhibitionists are in no sense Phari-
sees or hypocrites. We do not set our
selves above others. We are working for
coffee houses and improved conditions for
workingmen. We do not attempt to Grad
icate human nature. but to improve it,