The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-19

fight for prohibition. Men say that pro hibition does not prohibit but this Is not so. The great question is, Are we readyP If so we can carry it through" The preceding words embody the stand which the Rev. Dr. James A. Duncan took last night, in his sermon on the question of a fight for prohibition.
 Dr. Duncan took as the text of his sermon the fifth and sixth verses of the thirty y-ffth chapter of Jeremiah And l set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups and I said unto them, drink ye wine. But they said, we will drink no wine; for Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying: Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons, forever"
 There Is no greater promise to a household" said the pastor, than the promise that there will always be a man; not simply a human but man. This was Gods promise to the house of Rechab. What we need today is men, and there would be no need for me to talk here tonight on temperance, if men had learned the lesson of Rachab.
 I've have before us at the present a great and important question in that of fight against the whisky traffic, and there are a few questions which I wish to ask frankly, honestly and dlspasson- ately.
 Do you know of a single instance where the habitual drinking of whisky was a blessing? Have you known a soil tary man whom 1t has benefited?
 1T think you will answer that ques- ton frankly, and your reply will be that there has never in the history of the past been a single instance whero such has been the case l need not ask whether or not you know of men who have been benefited by letting liquor alone.
 'Is 1t not our business as men, to save men?
 Our Business to Save Men.
 Whether we be an ordinary citizen or an officer of the law, 1t Is our duty to protect life. We may take as a good illustration the report some time ago of the prevalence of an epidemic of typhoid fever in certain district of the city. When this was mace known the city im- medlately went about to protect its peo- pie. An order was issued for everybody to clean up their yards, and when the cause was not located by this course, other investigations were made, and the milk being sold was tested. Fault was found in one of the dairy depots, and the place was closed up. The proprietor Instructed rla until there was an improvement in the milk, because he was endangering life. And still we permit and license the liquor traffic. Fever never caused a man to commit a crime but we trace a great per cent of the crime committed in this country to the very doors of the men who sell whisky.
 You know how 1t is in business The engineer who starts to get up into his locomotive in a drunken condition to run the train, would not be permitted to do so by a single passenger, If they knew his fix. And yet they will put forty bar rooms between his home and his engine the smell from each one calling him in side. And yet We talk of endangerine life.
 T wish to read to you part of a. letter which appeared in the paper on Saturday. Listen to this.
 Quotes HardIngs Statement.
 Dr. Duncan then read extracts from w. P. G. Hardfng's interview which ap- peared in Saturday mornings Age-Her- ald, calling attention to the following statement:
 "The arguments advanced by ppohi- bition advocates as to the evils of the liquor traffic are unanswerable, and I believe that ultimately this traffic will be entirely abolish ed or else regulated in some way so as to make 1t least harmful, but I think it will be con- ceded that prOhibition. to ha effecffva