The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-03-16

unfortunate victims of the demon of strong drink. As a sin upon the soul oI man, drunkenness is of the lowest order In itself it is hdeous beyond descrip- ton. It robs man of his intellect de strovs his will power, completely de- moralizes his whole character and leaves him only a shadow of what he was when he came from the hand of God. In word. it unmans man. And who shaii tell of the multitude of other evils that follow in it's wake? Impurities, blasphemy, murder and rapine; the specter of pau persm, gaunt hunger and desolate de. spair! These are only part
 Against the sin of drunkenness, there fore, which is deadly disease gnawins at the vitals Of the nation, which is -d scandal to the church and religion, which damns so many souls, l advocate with ali my heart and soul the cause of temper anee; nor do l stop here. but go further 10 plead for the virtue of total abstinence.
 With regard to the use of liquor, tenn perance means simply moderation, but total abstinence means a complete denial 10 ones self of the use of liquor, eVea in moderation This is virtue which, when prompted by some noble motive, Is more meritorious in the sight of God And there is a motive which l shall now present to all, even to the temperate, for going the full way to total abstinence, llbllNe WHICH | am sure Will appeal lO all. The motive is love.
 Let parents out of love for their child ren be total abstainers. He is the best type of Christian parent who gives to his children the highest. best and safest example. And 1t is beyond dispute that the safer. and. therefore the better. ex. ample for the parent to give is not merely temperance. which is good, but total ab- stinence. which is better.
 fc aIf h1f and wives are truor to their respective states in life, all things else being equal when total abstainers This is the plea of love, and who can turn deaf ear to il? Who can say he is free from fear of any danger? Let him that thinketh himself to stand take heed lest he fall That strong will power of which you boast may one day break beneath the stress of an unusually overpowering temptation. Giant oaks of tremendous girth and tow ering height veritable monarchs of the woods, that seemed to defy the decay of time and the force of tempest and tor rent, have at last fallen. And who is man, that he should boast of his strength?
 'There is yet one more apepal to make, and 1 am done. It is the dying form of Jesus Christ. hanging on the cross. Not the least of his terrible sufferings dur ing those dreadful hours on Calvary was a thirst so agonizing that it drew from Him the only complaint in those three hours of torture. l appeal to you as de- voted Christians in honor of the sacred thirst of Christ, to be total abstainers. Stand beneath the cross and hear that plaintive moan, scarcely audible, as it is spoken by a tongue swollen with parching thirst, and let your sympathetic response be that for love of your dying Christ you will be total abstainers.'
 As Father Healy spoke the closing words of his discourse, he held aloft a crucihx, and the breathless silence and the rapt attention of his hearers seemed to give unmlstakable evidence that he had made a profound impression.