The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1905-02-20
A UNIQUE
TEMPERANCE
LECTURE

Al the Roger Williams Free Baptist
church last evening, Frederick Hall. a
business man OF the younger genera tion.
delivered an address under the title "A
View OF the Saloon from the Experience
OF one who Has Graduated from It"
The lecture was unique and was evidently
prompted by the address made on Wed
nesday last by Thomas F. Donahue at
the convention OF the r. l. Temperance
I eague
Some passages I'm Mr. Halls address
were especially interesting and worthy Of
reproduction. Such ones read as follows:
"The saloon keeper would have you be-
heve that violations Of the license law
are not countenanced by the majority OF
them i will venture that there isn't a llq-
uor dealer in the city of Providence who
does not violate the law that he asks and
expects TO protect him every day in the
year.
when ! read what was said about the
saloons i'm Provid snce, | concluded that
they must be vecy different from those in
Boston So last night l thought l would
investigate a little, and the result was /
found fully as much degradation and
misery right I'm Providence as / ever saw
IN Boston.
"You are told there is a legitimate de-
nand for liquor. I wonder how far the
liquor dealer who tells you that would
think he was Justified in going TO satisfy
that legitimate demand, az he calls IL. The
do mand for liquor is one that is never
satisfied: and. as the professor from
Brown University said. il Is the open sa
loon that creates the demand.
"He tells YOU II the man who seeks the
or misery. I have get 10 find the man who
enters the saloon for the first time from
this cause. The reason young men resort
TO such places At such times is because
tney have acquired the habit OF doing so
as a result OF having had the open saloon
under their noses wherever they went.
Has Il occurred to you how gloriously
the rumseller takes up your cause I'm the
interests OF personal liberty? 7 saw n
rumber Of men last night who had their
personal liberty and had been exercising
IT, n is strange that persons who have en-
ioyed this liberty unrestrained sometimes
pay money to have II cnrtailed. even in
generating themselves in an institution
where they are unable to exercise II.
.'You are told that better results would
come from appealing to mans better
nature wonder IL this liquor dealer ever
appeals to the better nature OF his pat
ronn in this manner. IT he does he is far
ahead Of the average liquor dealer.
You are told immortality thrives 70 a
created extent in the no-license dive than
IN places where license Is In effect The
man who made that statement didn't take
into consideration the conditions I'm Prov
idence today 7 maintained last evening
that T could md 100 fallen women in this
city In the course or two or three hours.
I took with me Christian gentleman.
ana. following the earmarks OF sin in
bic city. which arc easily recognized by
anyone who IL acquainted with them, soon
came 20 the side door OF a building where
there is a licensed saloon. whence four
Young women emerged, and two OF them
were intoxicated. ] did not need To go in
side 20 satisfy myself as To what I should
find there. or that this man is radically
wrong when he says immortality thrives
more in a no-liconse place than under H.
cense
1--WE can have Just as clean a city IN
Providence ss they have In Cambridge.
church. 10 see that you have ~ II you
want 10 know the reason, I am the reason.
Thousands OF young men in Providence.
with no worse environment than mine.
nav grow up drunksrds as a result Of the
omen saloons, and you IN a measure Will
he responsible for g. The man who has
acquired the drinking habit will get liquor
n he wants Il. license or no license. But
there Is another generation coming after
he present and whether or not they ac-
1uire the habit depends upon whether the
open saloon nourishes or not I never
met but one drinking man who did not
acquire the drinking habit directly
through the open saloon