The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-04

me as appalling. What are we to do
about it? If nothing else, we can cry.
unto God But our prayers with
organized work would be more becom-
ing and effective
While l am opposed to any kind of
gaming for prizes, social games, in my
mind, for a prize can hardly be class
ed with private game of pot poker
and private game of pot poker
can hardly be classed with the profess
slonal gambling den. While the result
of all is bad, the result of some is
worse. Even this cannot excuse the
least harmful, murder is worse than
stealing, but stealing is a crime.
sOcIaI DRINKING.
Woe to him that giveth his neigh
Dor drink"
"One of the very greatest evils thai
curses our community is the custom
OF social drinking a Wholesale whls-
Ky dealer in kentucky, some years ago,
told me that the great curse of Ine
country is this treating So it is. Less
than seven years l have been a resi-
dent of this city, but in that time an
army of young men have come TO their
ruin through social drinking. Some
are dead; some III prison, others are
eXiles, and still Others are wrecks
among us. The social drink led them
W vi ullhGlllltS0 anu bdu COIlDdllNt lIGll
to gambling, and then to theft or en-
bezzlement or inability for business.
I'VE pastors observe as the young
men frequent places of social drinking
they slack in their attend
ance at church and wane III
their Christian life. AS they
increase in spending money in these
places they decrease in paying their
debts, both to God and their fellow
Nl,la %, l.
Nothing has grieVed me more than to
see the flower of young manhood with
er under the blight of social drink.
Their impotency and ruin grieves my
heart sorely While a few may bear
up under it, the many fall or come
to grief. 49,
"One of the sad things about it is
the older and younger drink together.
A prominent business man from an
other city told me, just the other day,
how he had been amazed to see men,
! old. middle-aged and sboys. sitting to-
gether and drinking together, in both
bar and club and that on Sunday,
TOO. He was not a drinking man. but,
as visitor. he was being shown the
| hospitality of the community.
Beloved. for our own sake. for the
sake of the community and for the
| sake of our God ami His cause, is il
| not meet that we should stop. think
and pray2 If we preachers be over
4 Jealous 1t is for the good of the com
munity, while those who oppose us
| are jealous to the hurt of the com
munitv. choose We between us.
Drinking Hurts business.
1.-THE great business interests of tn
country demand sober minds to han
die them The drinking young man il
killing his opportunity and paralyzni
his power. The moral and intellectual
! development of a people demand sobe
and upright minds. Where there /
much social drinking you will find n
little immortality and mental stupidity
"The best religious interests of tn
community demand sober minds an
refined hearts. Many of these socia
drinkers complain that they c2nno
enjoy the religious services on Sunday
No wonder. a vuture that eats car
rion all week could hardly enjoy an
gels food On Sunday. Some gentle
mon take il as an insult TO be aske
to take a drink while others take
as an insult for one to decline {
drink with them when asked. Thes
are foolish extremes to be avoided. TIL
man who influences others to drin
with him does "a great wrong. He
liable to have the blood of others upo
his hands
zone Of the saddest features Of thi
custom is that older men and heads o