The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-08-20

VIII BG AS1IGlfL[A 80 $50
ness and progress. II one had plenty
OF negro slaves 10 work for him and an
overseer TO manage he might De as
oonviyiaI as he liked. without
ruin. but the man Of affairs III this
Industrial age who would initiate lAe
easy ways Of the men who are he!c
up-for emulation. would see his facto-
~ and his railroad and his store los
ing money, and himself a wreck along
the road Of business progress ana
personal cleanliness Of life. me
dread Of the South is not that i Ulll
embrace the ism OF temperance. pro-
hibition. total abstinence and refrain
ing from gambling. The danger Is
that II will think these Things are
compatible with the purest and clean
est life end with the highest social anu
business careers. A man may drink
and be truthful and honest. and there
are many such men. but the Ordinary
man who tries 1t viii in the long run
dnd that he has been injured in ms
character and that continued drinking
whiskey has stolen from him MS
brains. his character, his health. 2
extraordinary man may drink without
anparent loss of mental and moral
power but even In these rare cases the
proves the rule so clearly
stated by Mr.. Carnegie.
2. The second class Of men VINO
in the way of temperance pro-
gress are those who directly or indl-
rectly get money out of the liquor traf-
fc. They are influential in mass and
must be reckoned with. but they nave
no convictions and therefore could not
stay the movement u for the prestige
given their position by the men OF
standing who compose the first class
of opponents. The first class Is com
posed of men who have CONVICTIONS
and who would scorn to get a penny
out of the business they at heart de-
spise. They would not socially touch
with the liquor dealer and
those who oppose temperance meas
ures for gain, but they give to the
.lewd fellows of the baser sort" an
that gives standing to their
selfish position. Therefore the second
class of opponents are not the real
foes Of temperance legislation and en-
forcement, though they are the most
active and most insistent-
The temperance sentiment IN the
South is not to be stayed by calling 1t
.isms." a blue law or "a cru
SADIE of fanatics" and denounclng as
hypocrites and worse than men guilty
of the "~gentlemanly vices the tenn
- not nar.
feet. Abstinence from drinking liquor
is based upon solid foundations. 1t IS
the Bible doctrine expounded in every
book Of the New Testament. The bad
effect of continuing the "gentlemaniy
vice" is told in a dozen places IN the
Old Testament beginning with Moan.
In addition to the command OF the
Word of God, it is supported by the
observation of such men as Mr.. Car
negie, the experience of many men OF
education 'snatched as rands from
the vice they began to practice in the
drawing room, and that Common
Sense that is getting more common as
men get more Industrious. More than
that: The captains Of industry, the
men who have their hands on the
throttle of the business and manufac-
turing and transportation life of the
South see that whiskey drinking is
not compatible with the best service in
the office. on the road, in the factory,
in the field, in the digging and work
ing hat is opening up to the world
the profitable of the South.
They see hat the young mar of edu-
cation and position who thinks drink
ing and gambling in moderation are
"gentlemanly vices" is in most cases
less fit for the important work Of the
day than the young fellows who keep
their heads clear of intoxicants and
scorn to take money that comes from
the sin of gambling. They see that
men who drink mo be trusted at
the engines throttle, with the sur
veyor's chain, at the loom, in the
field, in the labor of railroad con-
Struction. The strongest of advocates
of prohibition are the owners and Of
ficers of cotton mills and other in
dustrial plants. Liquor canno be le-
gally sold in any mill village in North
Carolina. AS industries multiply, the
prohibition sentiment grows. The
ism" of prohibition is not only based
upon the biblical. common sense, and
health foundation but also upon the
industrial Foundation Factory mana
gers find that if there is a saloon near
they can rarely look for a full force of
employees on Monday, and the demon
a~lization Of whiskey reaches the in
dustrial success of the community, as
we'll as brings the sorrow and pov-
erty into the homes of those who in
dulge.
There is a peculiar phase of in
dustrial life of the South that makes
N advocates of prohibition who
otherwise might oppose it. The
fondness of the negro for liquor is pro-
verbal. 1t is equally proverbial that
he will rarely order it, or get it if
there is no place nearby where it is
old The open sale of liquor de-
moralizes negro labor worse than any
other sort, because the bulk OF the
negroes will drink to excess if it can