Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1901-12-04
w. C. T. U. COLUMN.
conducted by the Ladies of the W. C. T. o.
What Should Be the Attitude Of the Church
to the Prohibition Party.

| Very few people who are interested
In church development and the cause
of Christ. realize what a paralyiZing eff
feet thu liquor traffic has upon all Chris
tian enterprise. In every hamlet, vii
| lage and city where the saloon is licens.
ed, the church has sleepless enemy.
He is ever alert, aggressive and ready
to oppose every thing proposed for the
uplift of humanity.
Why is it the church does not realize
this awful peril? To my mind it is be.
cause of the deadenlng effect Of the sa
loon upon the average chnrch. Polti-
cally or financially the local church
thinks itself under obligation to the
soul destroying traffic. Some one con
| nected with the saloon either political
ly or financially. helps pay the minister
and there follows a tacit understand.
ing that the church will be silent or on
ly indulge in glittering generalitles
that will do no one any harm.
How many churches today are Ian.
gushing and dying because they do not
speak out and act upon this most i'm
| pOrtant matter? General Assembly
Synod and Conference will look In vain
| for soul saving revivals until the
church ceases its cowardlS action in re-
lation to the saloon.
When J. w. Bruce asked the CUES
ton number of years ago at Syracuse.
is the church the bulwark of tue rum
po"er!." was greatly. startled and
almost indignant. But when | $, udied
the situation carefully from the view
point, was of the opinion that for the
most part we were obliged to answer
the question il; the affirmative. The
church is the bulwark of the run pow.
er whenever and wherever it fails to do
all it can to stop its ravages. What av-
erage church is doing all it can to over
throw the saloon? Does not the church
stand upon The ground of compromise?
Will the question ever be settled until
the chuIch of God takes the right posi-
ton and puts itself by deed and vote
as well as by resolutions, in the right
attitude upon The liquor question.
AS have gone up and down the land
urging the gospel of prohibition upon
Christian men. l have observed the
chief obstacle in the way of our reform
is Indifferent ignorance upon the part
of Christians touching the drink traffic.
They are Intelligent on the subject of
Christian Endeavor and missions and
church work generally, but they think
the army canteen now under discussion
is tin flask for the use of the private
soldier to keep up his water supply.
When you talk to them about this
great question of all absorbing interest.
they Will assume that blank, bored look
which advertises utter lack OF interest
and intelligence.
When you take into consideration all
these things 1t is little wonder that ov-
er 80 per cent of the voting church fails
to register their protest when the Cd
portun;ty comes. with a general cleo.
ton. Their eyes are blinded, their con-
sciences are deadened by the power of
the liquor traffic. They fail to see the
vast Importance of the question and
they permit minor matters of partisan
interest to assume such proportions as
to eclipse the more important problem
or the saloon, even as a dollar held
close to the eye shuts out completely
! the radiance OF the sun.
According to the last census there
are 27,OOO,OOO Christians, 5000 900 of
whom are Roman Catholics in the
| United States. Counting one. fifth of
the Protestants and one sixth of the
| Catholics as voters, would give us
5,l33 700 Christian voters in this coun.
! try. If these men, Christian American
citizens, would unalteraoly oppose the
ilGuor traffic at all points including the
ballot box, the greatest problem in
American politics would be settled at
once. Ii the voting church would wheel
to the support of the Prohibition party.
as it surely, in the light of the TWEEN.
tieth century facts, becomes it's plain
duty to do, every saloon in the country
would be closed, for the Federal power
would be in the hands of the sworn en-
emles of the drink traffic.
In view of these facts what becomes
OF the argument that the church can do
nothing to stem the awful tide of the
drink evil? What becomes of the back.
| boneless Christian who says, I'VE can't
do anything?" What becomes of the
Old party Christian who pleads that
there are many other matters of impor.
lance. (partisan), which demand the at.
tentlon of thinking people? When the
Christian prays for the prosperity of
Zion and with consecrated effort push.
es forward the Kingdom of God. he
cannot afford on election day to cast
his ballot for silver" or "gold', or
tariff" or expansion" or "prosppr.
lty," but he must crystallze his pray.
ers, his principles and bis manhood in
his action on election day, and with
bare head and reverent mlen let him
approach the voting booth and there nv
the highest act of cousecrated citizen.
ship, render unto America the things
that are Americas. and by the same
act. unto God the things that are
| Gods!
AT present the best thing in sight of
the American Christian, politically. 10