The Washington herald., 1907-11-03
PASTOR ADVOCATES LICENSE
Maine Experience Prompted Him to
Oppose Prohibition.
Rev. Mr.. Davis Works in the shop
and Earns Day Pay TO Do Away
with Church Graft"

/ From the Boston Herald.
/ The Rev. Earl G. Davis. the working
pastor Of the Unity Church Of Pittsheld.
/ created a sensation in tn No-License
League and Berkshire Ministers Club by
announcing that he is in favor Of high
| license.
4 believe in the licensed city from
moral standpoint" said he 20 Herald
reporter. Il don't care a rap about the
/ financial benefit that would accrue TO
city the size Of Pittsheld from the liquor
element, but do believe that a dry city
would be greatly 10 PittsheId's disad-
vantage.
Il was born and brought Up in Maine.
I lived I'm Auburn and Lewiston. What
saw in Maine prompts me to my action
now, and that is the reason I have taken
this stand
From what I observed in Maine I be-
lieve that nc license in PittsHeId would
mean the establishment Of innumerabIe
kitchen dives that would be followed OF
run IN connection with houses Of i'll
repute, and morally the effect would be
/ infinitely worse than with the open sa-
loon under supervision Of authorities.
Auburn and Lewiston in Maine are
about the size Of Pittsfeld. In Auburn
alone there are 80 kitchen barrooms and
as many more in Lewiston under a So
called prohibition regime
Some Of the Piusfeld ministers asked
me to join the Ant-Saloon League, but
its views and mine do not coincide, and
refused to become a member. I may have
something further 10 say about this
later"
As Pittsfield went license by only forty
nine votes last year an aggressive cam
paign has already been started by the
No-License League under tho supervision
Of the other Pittsfeld ministers.
OF all ministers in Berkshire County,
the Rev, Earl G. Davis is the most pic
turesque. Last January he created a stir
in his church by setting forth this opin-
ion in regard TO church suppers:
Church suppers for revenue as they
have been conducted at some churches
are a light form of graft The sale of
tickets for such suppers 10 those who
really don't want them is sort Of black
mail"
At a special parish meeting called at
the suggestion of Mr.. Davis at that time
it was voted to abandon church suppers.
and the request Of the Rev. Mr. Davis
that he be allowed TO work in the plant
Of the Stanley Electric Company was
granted He then asked that $500 be
taken from his salary at Unity Church,
making that now $500.
Mr.. Davis arranged with the Stanley
company that he should have time off
for weddings and funerals, He has taken
one evening a week for parish calls, and
has thought out his sermons largely while
at his daily work. He has an hour for
dinner and quits at p. m.
While the Rev Mr.. Davis would not
state definitely, it is believed that ne will
preach one or more sermons at Unity
Church soon on the license question.
A native of Poland, Me, the Rev
Mr.. Davis graduated from Bowdoin Col
lege in the class Of 1897, and for five years
thereafter was principal of the high
school at Billerica, Mass. He was gradu-
ated from the Harvard Divinity School in
1904 and was one of the commencement
orators. He came 10 Pittsfeld in March
1905 Before entering college Mr. Davis
worked in a shoe factory in Maine, He
has wife and one child.