The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-03-23

debility, mOcking the manhood that
God gave them in the intoxicating
curse of debauchery. What have l
seen? o we fathers! o We mothers!
Do you know what is going on in this
place of 60 saloons licensed by your
own act and made legal by your own
will? You, madam, and you, sir, who
have covenanted together in the fell
lowship and discipleship of the purest
institution of God on earth, who have
sat here in front of this pulpit and par
taken of the emblems which remind
you of your Redeemer, where are your
sons, your brothers, your lovers, your
friends? They are not here this morn
ing. The church does not have any
hold on them. They are growing up to
disregard the duties of good citizen
ship. They are walking down the
broad avenue of destruction, and what
is this town doing to prevent it? 1
have seen young men from what are
called the best homes in this town reel
in and out of gilded temples of evil,
oaths on their lips and passion in their
looks, and the cry of my soul has gone
up to Almighty God that the church
and the home might combine their
mighty force to drive the whisky de-
mon out Of our municipal life so that
we might feel the curse of it again
never more.
81 speak to you today in the name of
| my Lord and Master. 1t is impossible
for me to believe that If that Christ Of
God were standing here this morning
he woud advise the licensing Of this
corruption as the most feasible or ex-
pedient method of dealing with it. L
cannot imagine him using the argu-
| ment that the saloon must be licensed
for the revenue that may be gained
| from it to support the school system.
1 cannot imagine Christ taking any
other position before the whisky power
than that of uncOmpromising condem-
uatiOn. He would say it was evil and
| onry evfI and therefore to be opposed
| 3y every legal and moral restriction
that society could rear against it. In
| his name, speaking as 1 believe he
would speak if he were here this mo-
ment, 1 solemnly declare the necessity
on the part of every disciple of Christ in
every church in Milton Of placing him
self decidedly and persistently and at
once in open battle against the saloon
until it is destroyed, until it's power in
business, politics and society is thing
of the past, until we have rid ourselves
of the foul viper which has so many
years trailed it's Shiny folds through
our homes and our schools.
1 Nhr;c
bers, 1 call on you today to take up
arms against the common foe of that
we hold dear in church, home and
state. / know there are honest busi-
ness men who have long writhed in Sc
cret at the ignominy of the halter
about their necks by which they have
| been led. There are citizens who have
the best interests of the community at
heart who have hung their heads in
shame of American politics, seeing this
brutal whisky element debating the
government of the towns and parcel
ing out their patronage and managing
their funds and enormous stealings of
the peoples money. know there are
| church members who have felt in their
hearts the deep shame of bowling the
knee to this rum god in order to make
advancement in political life. And
call on all these today to rise with me
and begin a fight against the entire
saloon business and whisky rule in
Milton until by the help of the Lord
Of Hosts we have got us the victory.
Men, women, brothers, sisters in the
great family of God on earth, will you
sit tamely down and worship the great
beast of this country? Will you not
rather grid your swords upon your
thighs and go out to battle against this
blasphemOus Philistine who has defied
the armies of the living God? have
spoken my message. Let us ask the
wisdom and power Of the Divine to
help u.s."
Philips prayer was almost painful in
it's intensity of feeling and expression
The audience sat in deathly silence
and when he pronounced the amen OF
the benedictiOn it was several mo-
ments before any one stirred to leave
the church.
Philip went home completely ex
hausted. He had put into his sermon
/
reserve power-a thing he was not Of
ten guilty of doing and for which he
condemned himself on this occasion
But it was past, and he could not re
call it. He was not concerned as to
the results of his sermon. He ha6
long believed that if he spoke the mes
sage God gave him he was not tt
grow anxious over the outcome of it.
But the people of Milton were deeply
stirred by the address. They were moi
in the habit of hearing that kind OF
preaching. And what was more, the
whisky element was reused. 1t was
not in the habit of having it's authority
attacked in that bold, almost savage
manner. For years it's sway had beer
, undisturbed. 1t had insolently estab
lished itself in power until even those
citizens who knew its thoroughly evi
character were deceived into the belize
that nothing better than licensing i
was possible. The idea that the salool
could be banished, removed, driven ou
altogether, had never before been ad
: vocated in Milton. The conviction tina
whether it could be it ought to be sup
pressed had never gained ground will
any number of people. They had en-
dured it as a necessary evil. Philips
sermon, therefore, fell something like
a bomb into the whisky camp. Befor,
night the report of the sermon ha(
: spread all over the town. The saloo1
men were enraged. Ordinarily the.
would have paid no attention to any
81, 81, 4, on1a ifr1.t
or do. But Philip spoke from the pul