The Oskaloosa herald., 1900-02-01

| is this town doing to prevent It?
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 1t again
never more.
II 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 would advise the licensing Of this
corruption as the most feasible or ex-
pedient method of dealing with 1t. /
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-
nation. He would say it was evil and
only evil and therefore to be opposed
by 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, l 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 its power in
business, politics and society is a thing
of the past, until we have rid ourselves
of the foul viper which has so many
years trailed its Shiny folds through
our homes and our schools.
Citizens, Christians, church men,
bers, i 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 bust
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
y
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. l know there are
church members who have felt in their
hno mr. hn oh Of hn
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
Philistine who has defied
the armies of the living God? l have
spoken my message. Let us ask the
wisdom and power Of the Divine to
help u.s."
Philips prayer was almost painful in
Its 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-
He had put into his sermon
all of himself and had called up all his
reserve power-a thing he was not Of
ten guilty of doing and for which he !
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 had
ong believed that if he spoke the mes.
sage God gave him he was not to |
grow anxious over the outcome of it.
But the people Of Milton were deeply |
stirred by the address. They were not |
n the habit of hearing that kind of !
And what was more, the |
whisky element was reused. 1t was
in that bold, almost savage !
manner. For years its sway had been
lndisturbed. 1t had insolently eStab- |
ished itself in power until even those !
citizens who knew it's thoroughly evil
character were deceived into the belief !
that nothing better than licensing it
was possible. The idea that the saloon |
could be banished, removed, driven out |
had never before been ad- |
Vocated in Milton. The conviction that !
it could be it ought to be sup
pressed had never gained ground with |
my number of people. They had en-
1ured it as a necessary evil. Philips |
sermon, therefore, fell something like |
bomb into the whisky camp. Before |
night the report of the sermon had |
spread all over the town. The saloon
men were enraged. Ordinarily they
would have paid no attention to any
thing a church or a preacher might say
Or do. But Philip spoke from the pull
pit Of the largest church in Milton.
The whisky men knew that If the large
churches should all unite to fight them
they would make it very uncomforta-
BILE for them and in the end probably
drive them out. Philip went home that
Sunday night after the evening service
with several bitter enemies. The whis-
KY men contributed one element. Some
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