Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-24
WAR ON THE SALOON
Several Anti Liquor Sermons
Preached Yesterday.
FOR TOTAL ABSTINENCE
REPLY TO APPEAL MADE BY
ANTI-SALOON LEAGUE.
Revs. Devries, Van Schaick, Power
Butler, Parsons and Ward Discuss
the Drink Problem.

The Anti-Saloon League of the District
of Columbia sent a circular letter to the
pastors of the churches in the city, in
which it said:
"All licenses to sell intoxicating liquors
expire with the month of October and must
be renewed if the business is to continue.
"The league is doing what it can to lessen
the number of drinking places in the city
and to reduce the harmful effects of the
drink habit to the minimum, but without
the active support of public sentiment it
can do but little.
The church is and ought to be the prin-
cipal agency in the formation and crystal
lization of public sentiment on all moral
subjects, and experience teaches that the
frequent and united expressions of the sem
timents of the church greatly strengthens
the cause for which it speaks.
The league therefore appeals to you as
the leaders in the thought and activities of
the churches and the community to present
the subject of temperance to your people in
such way as you may deem best at one or
more of your public services on the day
ggested-October %
Extracts From Sermons.
This request was very generally complied
with by the pastors to whom the circular
was addressed. The following are extracts
from some OF lie sermons.
The Rev. W. l.. Devres. PHI. D.. rector of
st. Mark Episcopal Church. Capitol Hill
preached at IL am from st. Matthew
Xi:16-20. -. 20; | Corinthians. viii:13. He
said that meats and drinks and earthly
pleasures in themselves are not necessarily
evils and that Christ allows the normal
Christian freedom in their use. But II IN
Il community, or in an individual. freedom
becomes license and gives birth to disorder,
and the disorder brings forth sin, then
there is but one course open-abstentlon
from meats and drinks. Then is the time
for the asceticiSm of st. John the Baptist.
Then to remember our Lord S
teaching that a safe life is better than a
complete life, for we must be safe at the
center before we can be free at the circum-
ference. and must ruthlessly cast from us
all that tends to destroy the roots of our
life. to the end that our higher nature may
be free and in full control of our whole
being.
.'Entire freedom and complete mastery
are only possible where reason and will are
sovereign. and no sacrifice is too great If 1t
secure this end. 1t is better to live a
MANNED life than, with all our faculties
about us to be destined to destruction of
character and ultimate moral death.
Furthermore. the conduct of Christian
in regard to meats and drinks must be reg
ulated not merely by his mission in life.
as in the case of St. John the Baptist and
many messengers of God to self-fnduigent
genera tons; nor yet only for the preserva-
ton of his own moral health; but also by
his environment. If his actions cause his
brother TO stumble and fall he must deny
himself: otherwise 1T We're better for him
that a milestone were hanged about his
neck, and that he We're drowned in the
depths of the sea-.
Conditions, the minister said. are such in
our time that we must weigh thoughtfully
and act upon the demands of our brothers
welfare Such conditions lead the true
Christian to hold it as his bounden duty to
make for himself the VOW of st. Paul-:lf
meat or drink make my brother stumble
will eat no flesh and drink no drink while
the world standeth, lest l make my brother
to stumble"