The Hawaiian gazette., 1902-02-04
PRACTICAL TEMPERANCE WORK.

Governor Doie's address on the liluoi
question. steuorraphic abstract oi
which was printed yesterday. has ga,
ring ~ sturdy common sense.
rhc Governor does not see how
voting minority that u op-
posed to the liquor traihc can
compel n voting majority that h In ia
vor Of H. To- accept any form Of prohi-
bltlon. The majority may be educated
to take wiser view OF things. but
there Is no law present or probable un-
der our form OF government to compel
IL 70 forego its rights. II a Legislature
by iaadvertence or deception. passes
liquor law in favor OF the minority, the
next majority Legislature will hasten
to repeal it and in the meantime the
law will be more or less evaded or ig-
nored. Hence the absolute need, as a
FIRST step towards reform, Of educating
the public.
But the main work OF education
should be among the young. Governor
Dole wishes. as we do, that the old
washingtonians had gone to work for
temperance among the American youth
and kept it up. Too many temperance
movements begin in cant and end in
results; those which succeed are the ones
that do practical work and get a ma
jority public sentiment behind them
To achieve majority support it is bet
ter to appeal to the coming rather than
the going generation. The older folks
are hard to change. Their views and
habits are set. But the younE are sens
tive to Impressions and their views
and habits are waiting to be formed.
Nobody knows this better than the
Roman Catholic church, a body whose
power is derived, speaking in the earth
ly sense, from men and women whose
opinions the church has shaped from
childhood The fact that temperance
reform should begin early is admitted
by Congress in the laws requiring the
public schools of Territories to teach
the effects of alcohol upon the human
| system.
But all this involves hard, united,
| continuous tiresome and spectac-
ular work. 1t does not suit those who
! want to wave AarOn's rod and see a
miracle come, or who think a blizzard
| of reform does more good than gentle,
| fructifying rains of moral influence. The
miracle idea has held temperance re-
Il
needed in its place is the educational
process which is building up Christian
| ity. The religion of Christ does not
move forward now by special dispen-
sation. Its growth is the result OF
| patient teaching, beginning with the
child and continuing with the youth
| and the man. If religion which saves
| the soul is given this long foreground
| of effort is 1t too much to ask for tenn
, perance which saves the morals?
! Gov. Dole believes with the Adverts-
er that great good might be done by
| substitutes for saloons. We have been
over this ground several times and find
ourselves in perfect agreement with the
| executive. The social instinct brings
| more men into the saloon than thirst
| strangers. especially those who have
no family ties, go to the saloon for
| company, knowing that they will be
welcome and will find men of theiI
| own sort. In the poor mans club" ne
one can be blackballed, there is no ad-
| mittance fee there are no women OF
clergymen about to cause restraint
and everything IS free and easy. Mer
! go there to break the mOnotony of life
in strange town. Many of them drink
merely to pay for the social pleasur,
they get; and if these could be diverted
into temperance saloons, where tht
surroundings, minus alcohol, are the
same as in the other kind, the custom o.
the rumshops would be so curtaileC
that many of them would so out OF
trade.