The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-06-28

ards and Bible Abstinence being The
subject matters of letter in your is.
sue of the It'll inst. signed "Anti-Fa-
matte" let me add my mite of thought
suggestion to the work of those Who
in words OF Pliny. have sought ''vetus-
obsoletis nitorem, obscuris lucem, fas-
tiditis gratium, dubiis ffdem,' TO give
freshness to what is old, authority tC
what is new, brightness to what has be
come furnished. light to what is OBJ
scure. acceptabiIity to what is sighted,
and credibility to what is doubtful.
| During the many years have receiv-
ed the hospitality of your columns
have refrained from animadversions
upon saloons and drunkards. Para
doxica} as it may seem it most certain
~ appears that the one unquestiOnably
and the other unwittingly are helping
to en!ighten mankind touching the true
mature of alcoholic beverages and TO the
desira bility or otherwise of their COM
mon use as accessories to the comfort,
health, and well being of mankind.
Anti-Fanatic says, wise Christians
leave the Bible out of the total alb
stinence discussion and put their argu-
ments on other grounds which are I'M
assailatle," and yet, he further adds,
the example of the Savior and OF His
great Apostle cast on the side of wine
both for making the heart glad, and
curing thine often infirmities, settles
the matter for most people," 1t being
true that total abstinence is a distinct.
moral. physical and economic issue.
with science, fiscal calculation and COM
mon sense on its side" then Christ had
to ignore these facts before He could
consistently set the example OF His
transcendent and unexampled person.
ality of making and furnishing intoX-
icating wine, of which the great Paul
wrote, 1t is good neither to drink wine
nor anything whereby brother Stun
bleth or is made weak. Let me, Sir,
show the impossibility of this incOn-
gruous situation, the outcome of the
argument limned by the too facile pen
! of Anti-Fanatic, and of so many
churchmen.
For the purposes of this letter let
me not look upon the Bible as of any
greater value than that inhering to it
as the most valuable compilation of
the human mind and containing in it
self wisdom unequaled and counsel sur
passingly excellent. Should it appear
that this compilation of writings faVors
beyond question total abstinence from
intoxicating beverages, and should it
further appear from it's general context
that substances called wine in the
vulgate were most certainly of several
kinds Intoxicating and otherwise, and
that the wine said to have been made
by Christ at marriage feast in Cana
of Galilee may, as far as any descrip-
ton of it goes, have been either alco-
holic or not: then, it will be possible to
arrive at a definite understanding of
this momentous question without ar
guments that wise theolog:ans" would
do well to shun, and without assertions
that the direct and inspired word of |
God sets forth in the example of Jesus
Christ, not only the permissibility, but
the propriety. on all counts, of making |
and using intoxicating drink, and this, |
without apparently endeavoring to |
wrest to ones own use, in support of |
ones own opinions, the words that |
many believe to be the absolute and /
not to be questioned revelation of Him !
who holds the universe in the palm of
His hand.
Is it at all probable that Christ who !
taught mankind to pray that they
might not be led into temptation, ,
would, at a public marriage feast, after
the provided supply of wine was ex-
hausted and men had already well
drunk" is it at all probable that He
would have miracuIously added a large
and fresh quantity of intoxicating
wine" wine of which the religious
writings of the nation be was born of
said that at last it would bite like
serpent and sting like an adder and
that those who were deceived thereby
were not wise? Is it probable, [ again
ask. that He deliberately chose to fur
Their provide intoxicating drink. the
first supply of the master of the feast
having become exhausted? Would such
procedure have been the work of one
who went about doing good one who
came ITO succor them that are tempt =
ed - Would not the furnishing of new
supply of intoxicating wine TO men and
women who had already well DRUM q
have been rather the work of mis-
chievous demon than that OF a beneh-
cent God? Would any well minded
man have been guilty of such reckless
want of thought? Much less could the
owing and incompa rable character of
Christ have lent itself to SO grave a
preach of the spirit of the teaching OF
His great follower and apostle who de-