The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1901-08-02
ADDRESS BY REV.
JOHN R. HARRIS.
Temperance Sermons BY the Pastors
of other Churches Much
Interest Manifested.

Sunday was temperance Sunday in
columbia. The temperance people,
from all appearances, are determined
to control this town. They have been
sowing the seed and preparing the way
for long time, and now the fruits Of
their efforts are being seen, and pub
lie sentiment is ready for united ac-
ton. There were no services at the
Presbyterian, Episcopal or South Co
lumbia Methodist churches yesterday.
but at the morning hour broadsides
We're fired against the saloon by Rev.
John Royal Harris at the Tabernacle,
by Rev. A. p. McFerrin at the First
Methodist church, by Dr. A. S. Petite
at the Baptist church. and by Rev. w.
A. Provine at the Cumberland Presbv-
terian church. The discourses were all
temperate, but earnest and forceful,
and the pastors announced that they
were in for war. Not only as preachers
but as men have they entered actively
into the contest, to do their part for
the happiness and homes of Columbia.
With such men as these for leaders and
with such large constituency behind
them to say nothing of the lalge ele-
ment who are allied with the cause on
account of moral and humanitarian
grounds-something is bound to hap
pen, and it is quite evident that with
proper organization their armor will be
invincible.
The Herald would be glad to give
synOpses of all the sermons preached
Sunday, but as it is not able to do
that, 1t will confne its report to the
mass meeting at the First Methodist
church Sunday night, conducted by
Rev. John Royal Harris, of Lewisburg.
Mr. Harris is State Superintendent
of the AnuSaloon League, and he
made an earnest talk in the interest of
the great work now being carried on
by this League. He said that time was
when it seemed that the fight against
the liquor traffic was left to the good
men of the country and to few So
called Temperance cranks. But times
have changed; there is an uprising
right here in our State now against the
saloon, and the audience before him
was an evidence of the interest that is
being taken here in the matter He
counted himself happy to speak on such
a subject as there is no greater cause
Appearing UO us LudH UulS.
Mr.. Harris said he would take for
the subject of his address, THE Hang
ing of John Adkins a story that he had
picked up once while ON trip in the
mountains of East Tennessee. 1t was
the story of man who, crazed by
strong drink, had killed his wife with
a stick of stovewood. While in prsion
he wrote touching poem warning his
fellow men against the terrible effects
of liquor drinking Mr. Harris pic
tured vividly the scene of the hanging
as the doomed man was placed upon
the gallows and read the poem.
Strong drink robs man of his reason
it makes him powerless to control him
self. Whisky goes side by side with
morphine and cocaine, and it has been
demonstrated that when a man goes to
a certain extent in the drinking habit
he has no power to throw it off.
Liquor not only affects the physical
life, but it affects the moral life II
will make a man lie steal, neglect
and maltreat his family. 1t will kill
every noble impulse, and degrade him
to the level of a brute. The boy that
begins going home late at night with
the fumes of liquor on his breath, will
tell falsehood to his mother he will
go before the grand jury and tell lie
to protect the man who is helping hin
to perjure his soul.
Lord Wolsley S statement, that
"liquor kills more men than all oul
munitions of war combined, - is true
Gladstone said, 1T kills more people
than war, pestilence and famine com
bined Statistics have proved tina
three-fourths of the crime in this coun
try is caused by intemperance 100, OOO
people per annum are slain as result
of this business. This means thai
every day in the year more people ar
slain by liquor than were slain during
the entire Spanish war. Think on that
Liquor forces itself into every plac,
it can; it even follows in the path o
the missionary When a missionary
goes out he is met with the questions
why is it that you bring whisky witt
YOU when we have none here. II
yours is christian country, why don
you make laws to stop this traffic.
And to save his life the missionar.
can t explain the situation to the poo
heathen.
Referring to the temper 'nce work II
this State. Mr.. Harris said In town
where they have tried to have reform
the whiskey men would always rai-e
big noise and try to terrorize everyone
During his fight in his own town
Lewisburg, twenty i've residences
stores and offices were laid in ashes
lie had never brought himself TO sa
that the whiskey men had combined I
do the work, but it was remark kable tina
the miSchief all occurred during tn
fight. But that didn't terrorize any
body; all OF the houses were rebuilt, tn
saloon was beaten, and the law and OF
der people were now getting hold OF IN
blind tigers.
The argument that the abolition
the saloon will kill business, is an al
surdity. Take the dollars that
through the saloon tills ana turn thel
into the other chsnnels OF busines
and IL will be helped proportionaiel!
The records ~ Manchester. Tracy Git!
Mary vile. and other places in the ) at
where the saloon had been abolishe'