Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1904-09-05
HANDLED WITHOUT aOVESI
Bishop Potter And The Subway
Tavern Discussed Yester-
day BY Local
Clergy.

OiergY.
Every seat in the congregation of
the College Avenue Baptist Church,
worshipping at the Assembly Rooms.
until the church edifice is built, was
filled last night and additional chairs
were required to accommodate the
large congregation which represented
every church in the city.
The pastor, the Rev. Thomas p.
Holloway. preached an able and for
chile sermon on the subject Bishop
Potter's Saloon VS.. the w. q. L. u. ("
The clergyman handled the subject
without gloves, and in most fearless
manner denounced the saloon and
drink habit Mr.. Holloway chose for
his text Psalm 80, 9th to 7th verses
inclusive. The minister said in part
1.-The consensus of healthful Christ
ian consciousness and the de,ision of
untrammeled Christian Judgment is
that the liquor saloon is an unmiti-
gated evil. foul blot on the escut-
cheon of Christian civilization, and
must be abolished. One after another
of the curses of humanity has been
sluughed off society as a healthful
body sloughs of dead tissues and alb
normalties. Under the power of the
Cross of Jesus Christ the banefuI sa-
loon, like all other evils, will be an
nihilated. Things that spring from
the ooze of sin must eventually die
when exposed TO the clear shining of
the Sun of Righteousness. The time
is not far distant when the historian
will look in ama2ement on the time
when sovereign citizens of the great
est Republic legalized an institution
whose influence could not be other
wise than unspeakably detrimental to
the body and soul of every individual
directly or indirectly victimized. l
say that this time is not far distant,
because a thousand evidences of the
rapid spread of temperance sentiment
are so clearly disting uishable.
lone of the most striking evidences
of this in the field of economics is the
warfare that great railway systems
and industrial establishments have
opened on the saloon. The industrial
world has sent forth its edict that the
saloon that befuddles the brain and
plays havoc with moral integrity must
he forever abolished. Then temper
ance legislation is so rapidly advanc-
ing that the field for the saloon to
spread its poison is becoming steadily
smaller. The best society has placed
it's ban upon those who deliberately
elect to engage in the nefarious traffic.
Now in view of all this, how does
Bishop Potter's attitude toward the
saloon evil appear? 1t shows that he
has made the colossal blunder of his
life. 1t has unfortunately brought re-
proach ON the denomination that has
so signally honored him. For its
right standing before the bar of the
enlightened Christian conscience this
church that has been blessed in having
it's ministry such eloquent temper
ance advocates as Wilbertorce and
Farrar must not be slow TO repudiate
the blunder of its New York bishop.
And as for the Bishop himself this at
tempt to whitewash that which is
full of dead mems bones and loathsome
corruption has put him out of sym
mthy with the most spiritual of his
own church and all of the churches.
His action reads him out of the list of
worthy statesmen and prophets. For
no man with the instincts of true
craftsmanship would deliberately
throw himself athwart the recognized
creed of the highest industrial legisla-
tive and social life of his own day
and generation as he has surely done.
His action reads him out of the fell
lowship of the prophets of the Most
High God, for the prophet hears no
divine call to throw the robe of &C.
clesiasuical respectability about the
recognized evils OF his day and try
to advance the cause of godliness by
compromise with ungodIiness. The
compromise policy is not the Christian
policy and never has been from this
present moment back to the time
when Abraham left Ur of the Chaldees,
Elijah stood uncompromisingl for
Jehovah on Carmel, and Jesus Christ
went to the cross rather than spare
his life by compromising with the
Pharisees and Seribes of His earthly
day.
f'Someone has said that Bishop
Potter was spunky in expressing his
views in spite of the general attitude
of Christendom on the saloon question.
The other day bull charged against
a locomotive moving at fifty miles an
hour The consequence WAS u dead
bull The bull may have been con-
sidered spunky, but he surely was
stupid. The New York prelate may
be spunky, but stupid assuredly in
this Subway Tavern affair. Over
against this unfortunate affair in what
clear light does the grand work ac-
complished by the Woman's Christian
Temperance Union stand forth before
God and mankind? 1t is the greatest
women's organization on earth and
has accomplished. vastly more along
thoroughly biblical, and, therefore,
sane and uncompromising lines, for
the abolition of the liquor traffic than
any one organized force. And how
typical of the work of this society is
the noble, might say, almost sub
lime life of it's famous leader, Fran
els Ridley Havergal. Let it not be
said that Annapolis is bringing up in
the rear of the forces making for thor
ough temperance reform. Let us be
ON the firing line. Let all our church
es enter into this campaign for God
and the best interests of immortal
souls. Let us translate words into ac-
tiOn and demonstrate to the world that
the Christian forces of this city are
the greatest