Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-10-27

at our tables. Let us consider the pro-
priety Of what Is called the family
pledge" I heard Of a touching In
stance of the kind recently, where
there hangs in one Of our Christian
father, mother and every child, the
youngest putting her name In badly
formed capitals. the best the little
childish hands could do. Some Of that
circle are dead now. but this eloquent
memorial stands. DR.. Cuyler says the
social drink customs are coming back
again and fresh education OF sthe
American people asi to the deadly drink
evil Is the necessity Of the hour" The
drink customs coming back again.
say. may God forbid! may God forbid! !
For it Is this same social drinking IN
the homes, moderate, elegant, refined,
that Is the fountainhead Of beer-gar.
den, barroom and dispensary! The
drink customs coming back again
shall we not, then, with dearly bought
wisdom, seek to stop the beginnings OF
this fearful inundation?
OF course it may be objected that IT
Is the abuse, not the use, OF a good
thing that is to be deprecated. But we
have seen how far back, even In the
most moderate use, the deadly mis-
chief begins: and above all, 1t needs to
be insisted upon that the abuse OF
drink is the chronic condition today.
1t Is indeed, "a condition, not thing,
that confronts u.s." However, plausi-
bly, we may argue the theory OF mod
Grafton. every earnest soul knows that
moderation Is unsafe for him PERSONAL
ly, and insufficient as a rescue rem
edy," in the present conditions Of our
social life, Saws Joseph Cook: "On
all the physical vices God Is throwing
the progress Of the sciences, as we
throw spadesful Of earth on coffin.
Apples Of Sodom,' 'Circe's Enchant-
ment,' was the ancient language about
all the physical vices; but the micro
scopes and the scalpel are revealing to
us in characters Of fire, the depth OF
those old metaphors. Physical vices
are overrated, and, II exact science had
her way, would be outgrown by all but
the dissipated, who are always the diz-
zypated."
n. The Reasons For Prohibition.
l. The enormous mischief of the
traffic in ardent spirits must be
bill of the nation Is now far past
the billion dollar line, which Is
more than we pay for all our bread and
meat, and at least ten times as much
as we expend for public education!
1t Is alluring to destruction the very
flower of our youth. 1t Is corrupting
politics, and menacing society and the
church. Said the New York Indepen-
dent some years ago: 10 the rejoic-
ings in Texas over the defeat OF pro-
hibition one of the leaders Of the sa-
loon party Is reported to have said:
Let the preachers go back to the pull
l-.!k &L,o fa hnf
will take care Of the country How
'we'-the saloonists would take care or
the country, adds the Independent, IF
they were given free rein, Is shown by
hundreds of paragraphs like the follow
ing from the New York Tribune: "A
family, consisting Of Michael Downey,
his wife and five young children, were
dispossessed from No. 572 West Twen-
ty- fifth street on Monday. On Wednes-
day an officer Of the sanitary squad
visited the house. and in the yard he
filthy, and two Of the youngest were
naked. They were crying for some
thing to eat. The husband was lying
on a pile of rubbish intoxicated. and
the wife was bleeding from blows she
had received at his hands. Let the
preachers" continues the Independent,
'go back to their pulpits and the wo-
men to their habits, but let them go as
the sworn enemies Of the saloon. and
with the determination never to rest
until the curse is blotted out"
2. Our second reason Is, the failure
Of the license system. 1t was, Of
course-we freely grant that-intend-
ed as a regulative, repressive measure.
But the above shows it's utter failure
to accomplish in any adequate sense
it's end.
8. Our third reason Is, the inherent
evil the essential immortality Of the
system. 1t was honestly and we'll in
tended. 1t meant to repress and con-
troll: but it proceeded on a vicious
principle. 1t meant to restrict, but this
could not be effected without legalizing
the traffic under the restriction. Here
the vicious principle was touched. No
wrong can ever be legalized. The traf-
fic In strong drink as a beverage Is
moral wrong. So the enlightened
Christian sentiment Of the day de-
clares. The system. then, that legal
ICES. or attempts to legalize-even
though at the same time restricting
the liquor traffic, Is essentially i'm
moral.
We say this, indeed, with due defer
ence to those who differ with us on
this point We know that good and
true men have held otherwise. We