The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1903-05-27
ARCHBls KEANE
Addresses His People Concern
ing Intemperance.
A VERY STRONG PLEA MADE
A Circular Letter to the Clergy and
Laity Of His Archdiocese, of Great
Mprit

Merit.
Archbishop keane of Dubuque, recent
ly issued circular letter to the clergy
and laity of his archdiocese, along the
temperance question. We quote extracts
from the letter as follows;
In very many localities l have been
grievcd by what Pastors and people have
told me concerning the ravages wrought
among young and old by the abuse of
drink. And in every case the evil has
been traced to the pernicious influence of
the saloons. Wherever they exist. they
are public temptations to drink, They
solicit, they allure to this dangerous indul-
gence, and it is not to be wondered at that
multitudes fall victims to the temptation.
Once young man has put his foot across
their Threshold he has taken the first step
in slippery and downward path. in
which thousands have found their ruin.
And what assurance has he that he will
be more fortunate than those others? Can
he hope that the grace of God will be with
him to strengthen and protect him? Alas
the Lord has warned US that he that low
eth the danger shall perish in it.. The
dear Savior, whom they receive into their
souls in the Holy Communion, will certain
ly not accompany them into the saloon;
and they ought to make it the rule of their
life to go nowhere that they could not ask
Our Lord to go with them.
But our experience, dear brethren, is
not new one. 1t has been generation
after generation, the experience OF Pastors
and people in every part of our country.
When the Bishops of the United States
were assembled Plenary Council in the
year 1866, they found it necessary to
warn Catholics against this great evil in
the following words:
Let Pastors frequently warn their flock
to shun the saloons, and let them repel
from the Sacraments liquor dealers who
encourage the abuses of drink. especially
on Sunday. And since the worst scandals
owe their origin to excess in drink we ex-
hort Pastors, and we implore them for the
love of Jesus Christ, to devote all their
energies to the extirpation of the vice of
intemperance. To the end we deem wor
thy of praise the zeal of those who. the
better to guard against excess, pledge
themselves to total abstinence.
And when, in 1884. the Bishops of the
United States were again assembled, they
deemed it necessary to dwell at Still great
er length on this evil which they saw
working sad havoc among
their flock. The degrees of this Plenary
Council. approved by the Holy See. are to
this day the law of the Church in our
whole country. Listen. then. dear breth-
eren. to what they enjoin upon US in re-
gard to this matter:
lone of the evils to be lamented in
this land is, without doubt, the abuse of
drinks This abuse is a con-
slant incentine to sin and the prolific
source CT much misery 1t acomplishes
the ruin of numberless individuals, brings
whole families to pitiable need, and drags
innumerable souls to eternal destruction.
And since the scandal given to those out
side of the fold, when this vice is found to
exist among Catholics, hinders to a great
extent the spread of the true religion
among our compatriots, the love of coun-
try as we'll as the love of religion should
stimulate the Catholics to use all lawful
means to uproot and to Danish from our
midst an evil so destructive"
There most solemn and impressive pro-
nouncements, addressed to MS by the SUI
preme ecclesiastical tribunal of our coun-
try, and approved by the apostolic author
ity of the Holy See have quoted to you.
venerable and beloved brethren. because
they express the doctrine by which am
inspired. and the rule which have en-
deavored to follow. in combating the evil
of intemperance.
give thanks to God. and to you. dear
brethren. for the response with which my
appeals have been everywhere met.
From my heart bless the multitudes of
men and women. young and old. who.
listening with tlial dooility to the voice of
the church, have stood up in protest a
gainst the course of intemperance and a
gainst the agencies which are upholding
and disseminating this great evil. es-
IL H. 4