Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-09-24

"a
the Roman Catholic priests are total
abstainers, but the great majority are
not. The statement has been widely
circulated and has not been denied by
the Roman hierarchy that the proceeds
of the liquor traffic are freely given
to support the interests of the Roman
Catholic church.
There is still another element of
enormous power that enters into this
question which is often overlooked.
It is the progress of civilization.
Americans work more months in each
year, more days in each month, more
hours in each day, and do more work
! in each hour than the citizens of any
| other nation. AS result their men
tai mechanism is more sensitive, their
nervous disorders more numerous and
their felt desire for stimulants is
greater and more periious than the
inhabitants of fanny other country. DR..
Beard declares that nervous diseases
are comparatively rare in Spain, Italy
and the northern parts of Europe, less
in Canada and the Gulf states than in
our northern states and Central
Europe, where they are common.
Now when the nervous system from
any cause loses it's nervous force, hu-
man nature turns naturally to the
nearest and most convenient form Of
artificial support that is capable of
temporarily sustaining it. This is the
philosophy Of the opium, tobacco and
alcohol habit. Human progress brings
men into more intimate relations with
each other: these relations quicken
human activities, these activities in
crease nervous sensibilities, which
invite incompetence and at the same
time make its ravages more extensive,
rapid and fearful.
And now one single thought. All :
the elements of the liquor power are
steadily increasing, while in the great
West, the future seat Of this nations
empire, they are already between two
and three times greater, relatively,
than in the East, while throughout
the entire land our great cities, which
practically control the country, are
under the dominion Of the liquor traf-
ic. Look briefly at some of the fear
full results already realized. Not +
simply loss in dollars and cents, the +
81, 600, 900, 900 and more spent annual
ly, according to the United States 7
Bureau of Statistics, by the victims of I
the alcoholic habit; nor the equal loss,
the indirect cost of pauperism, crime,
insanity and sickness, without reckon
ing losses by fire from intemperance,
depreciation Of property values, losses
from enforced illiteracy etc. Far
greater than this is the destruction
each year of 100, 900 human beings Of |
whom our Bible says no drunkard
shall enter the kingdom of heaven.
And not only this yearly and terrible
loss of human souls, each one more
valuable than a universe of material
worlds, but Il e fearful evils banded
down by them TO their descendants.
How long would the descendants of
drunkards, themselves drinkers, con-
tinue if the current OF life were not
reinforced by healthy temperance
men and women?
God has placed in the power of the
Christian church the overthrow of
this vast evil. She has the men, the
money, the agencies and the reserved
force for the destruction of this mon-
ster evil. There are 100000 men
to day who hold the right OF the
franchise in the evangelical churches
of the United States. Have these
1000, 600 less influence over their fellow
citizens than the IL millions of the
liquor oligarchy, and if SO, what is
the reason therefor? The census of
1890 places the wealth of the evangel-
ical churches at $13, 900, 900, 900. From
such a fund there should be no lack Of
means.
Down in New Orleans some years
ago, there came into his home one
evening a drunken father. He had
been in the habit Of abusing his family,
andas he came in the drunkard's poor,
sickly child shrank away from him
and screamed aloud. And that drunk
en- father caught the child up and
taking it by the heels dashed it's brains
out all over the floor. He then turned ,
and walked out and back to the saloon. ]
In a few minutes the mother walked {
in, and there lying dead on the floor ,
was the brainless child! She picked
up the body and ran across to the
saloon; and just as she ran in her {
husband was raising glass of whiskey ,
to his lips. AS he turned and caught I