The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1901-07-05

w Washington JUNE 'V
A delicate and difficult duty is by
DIR. Talmagc in this discourse urged
upon all, and especially upon those
given to quick temper; text, Ephe-
slams w., 20: "Be ye angry and sin
not"
Equipose of temper, kindness, pa
thence, forbearance, are eNtolled by
most of the radiant pens of inspira-
ton, but my text contains that which
at first sight is startling. \ certain
kind of anger is approved-aye, we
are commanded to indulge in it. The
most OF us have no need to cultivate
high temper, and how often we say
things and do things under atfront-
ed impulse which we are sorry for
when perhaps it is too late to make
effective apology! Why, then, should
the apostle Paul dip his pen in the ink
horn and trace upon parchment, after
ward to be printed upon paper for
all ages, the injunction, BE ye angry
and sin not?'
My text commends wholesome in
dignation. 1t discriminates between
the offense and the offender, the sin
anu lnG SlllucI, luS CIlllS anu 'hS
criminal
To illustrate: Alcoholism has
ruined more fortunes, blasted more
homes, destroyed more souls, than
any evil that / think of. 1t pours
a river of poison and fire through the
nations. Millions have died because
of it, and millions are dying now, and
others will die. lntemperance is an
old sin. The great Cyrus, writing
TO the Lacedemonians of himself,
boosted of many of his qualities,
among others, that he could drink
and bear more wine than his distin-
guished brother. Louis y. and Al
exander the Great died drunk. The
parliament of Edinburgh in 1861 is
called in history 1.-The drunken par
lament" Hugh Miller, first stone
mason and afterward world-re-
nowned geologist, writes of the drink
ing habits of his day, saying: when
the foundation was laid, they drank.
When the walls were leveled for
laying the joists, they drank. When
the building was finished, they drank.
When an apprentice joined, they
y
the giver of an entertainment boast
ed that none of the guests went away
sober. Noah, the first ship captain,
was wrecKed-not in the ark, for
that was safely landed-but he was
wrecked with strong drink. Every
man or woman rightly constructed
will blush with Indignation at the ma
tional and international and hemi-
spheric and planetary curse. 1t is
good to be aroused against it. You
come out of that condition a better
man or better woman. Be We an
cry at that abomination, and the
more anger the more eXaltation TO
character. But that aroused feeling
becomes sinful when it extends to
the victim of this great evil Drunk
enness you are to hate with a vivid
hatred; but the drunkard you are
to pity, to help to eXtricate.
Just take into consideration that
there are men and women who once
were as upright as yourself who
have been Frustrated by alcoholism.
Perhaps it came of a physicians pre-
scripton for the relief of pain, a re-
currence of the pain calling for a
continuance of the remedy; perhaps
the grandfather was an inebriate and
the temptation to inebriety, leapng
over generation, has swooped on
this unfortunate; perhaps it was un.
der an attempt to drown trouble that
was sought after; perhaps it was
very gradual claiming of the man
with the beverage which was thought
to be "A servant, when one day it an
nounced itself master. BE humble
now, and admit that there is q
strong probability that under the
same circumstances you yourselt
might have been captured. The two
appropriate emotions for you to al
low are Indignation at the intoXicanr
which enthralled and sympathy fol-
the victim. Try to get the sufferer
out of his present environment; rec
ommend any hygienic relief that yol
know of and, above all, implore tn,
divine rescue for the struggle in
which so many of the noblest anC
grandest have been worsted. Do no
give yourself up to too many phil
ippics about what The man ought Il
have been and ought to have done
While your cheek Pushes with wratl
at the foe that has brought the ruin
let your eye be moistened with tear
of pity for the sufferer. In that wa,
you will have fulfilled the injunction
of the text; "Be ye angry and sil
not"
There is another evil the abhor
renee of which you are called to
and il is on the increase-the gam
bling practice. Recent development
show that much of this devastation
Is being wrought in ladies' parlort
1t is an evil which sometimes is a
polite and gracious as it is harmful
Indeed, there never were so man
people trying to get money withou
earning it. But it is haggar
transgression that comes down to IL
from the past blighting all it's way
l have seen in the archives OF tn
nation in this national capital a larg
book in which one of the early pres