The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-25
LIQUOR A CURSE
TO HUMANITY
TOO MANY SALOONS EXIST.
REV. A. NJ. WILLIAMS TAKES UP
THE WHISKEY EVIL.

In His Sermon at Trinity Church
Last Night MIR. williams Com
mented on the Heavy Sales OF
| Alcoholic Drinks-Said That a
Great Deal of whisky Is sold in
GrOceries-Urges That Saloons BE
Closed for Moral as Well ns Mate
rial GOOd-Points to Records OF
other Countries.
Intemperance and the saloon were
the themes discussed by Rev. A. NJ
Williams, pastor of Trinity Methodist
Church, in the prelude to his sermon
last night.
The prelude was the second of the
series of short talks which has been
inaugurated by Rev. Mr.. Williams
Last nights prelude was from the
topic, What Tends to Give Savannah
a Bad Name" The talk was based
on the text taken from Proverbs XXI,
l; "A good name is rather to be
chosen than great riches"
Every true patriot is jealous for
the reputation of his city" said Mr.
Williams. eve have a goodly city,
and take just pride in its history
location, beauty, enterprise and pros
poets. Savannah has many noble peo-
pie, liberal and generous. Neverthe-
less, some fear it is receiving a bad
name abroad for morals. The true
remedy is TO look at facts and seek to
nh
advantage.
Recently saloon was licensed to
do business in close proximity 20 a
church True, it was a negro churca,
but these people need encoura cement
in any effort to do good. This chu .ch.
however, belongs to the largest dero,n-
nation of Professionals in America. The
Northern Methodists have colored
churches, conferences and schools. 1t
owns two papers that have the largest
calculations of any UNCONVENTIONAL pc
riodicals in the world. Would the ac-
ton of our Council in placing this sa-
loon so near their church, over the pro-
tests of its official members written
up in these papers, help the good name
of Savannah?
Things Said of Savannah.
This very church receives an &C.
casional visit from some of the most
distinguished preachers in America
recall that the late Bishop Hurst,
scholar author, and orator, held a con-
ference there These men travel over
the entire nation. When Savannah is
discussed should you expect favora BILE
comment with the fact in mind of sa-
loon right under the caves of the place
where they preached!
The other day | read in a largely
circulated religious paper a comparison
of interest The editor, travelling, held
conversation with national officer
of the Retail Grocers' Association. He
asked if grocers selling liquor belonged
to the association in Atlanta. The re-
ply was no He then asked about
the other cities in Georgia and the re-
ply was yes, in Savannah The re-
ply justifies the answer. Savannah has
more saloons and sells liquor in con-
nection with groceries more than any
other city in Georgia.
Necessity for Checking Evil.
But the old fallacy is ready. Some
body will say, The more saloons the
less drunkenness. Let me give YOU
some facts. They are not taken from
temperance tract, or from religious
paper. / find them in Daily Consular
Reports issued by the Department of
Commerce and Labor and with the i'm
print Government Printing Office The
article is headed Alcoholism in
France
1T begins The necessity of check
ing the growth of alcoholism in France
is deeply felt in the republic Do my
eyes deceive me? For generations the
liquor people have lectured the tenn
perance cranks and held up France
and other drinking countries and Gus
toms of Europe as the model way to
promote temperance.
Il again read from DR.. Debrove
dean of the medical faculty, in an ad-
dress before the National Anti-AIco-
holic League of France: In the face
of the peril which menaces us, no one
has a right to refuse his support for
we have the disgrace of ranking first
among the alcoholic nations" This is
the result after trying the free liquor
theory for several hundred years. BE
not deceived: God is not Knocked:
whatsoever a man sows that shall he
also reap The use of alcohol calls
for more alcohol.
Saloon in other Countries.
''These further facts I gather from
this consular report. In ten years
Liverpool closed one-third of it's sa-
looms and so decreased her police force
as to save $4,000 annually When
0WeQeH ndu one Saloon LOT every lUU
inhabitants, the consumption of pure
spirits was a little more than six gall
Ions per capita. With one saloon for
every 5000, less than one and half
gallons was consumed per capita, and
with one for every 5000 it uses a frac-
ton over half a gallon. In order to
compete with Sweden and Finland
France will have to close ninth-tenths
of its saloons.
In closing the report says: The
general abstemiousness of the people is
now regarded as one of the principal
causes of the increasing commercial
supremacy of the United States
CLOSE every saloon you can and re-
duce the consumption of alcohol to the
lowest point possible for the moral as
well as the material good.''
Following the prelude. all of which
was closely followed by a large congre-
cation, Mr.. Williams preached on
The Wedding Garment