The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-16
DECLARES ETERNAL VAR ON THE SALOON Dr, Dickinson Says Pastors
 Will Fight Forever DEVIL BEHIND THE BAR Says Will Alternate Dispensary and Prohibition Elections Until Liquor Men Are Bankrupt-Preaches
 at First Baptist.
DEVIL BEHIND THE BAR

The Rev. pr. A. J. Dickinson. at tn, First Baptist church. last night de clared eternal war on the saloons and whisky in the name of the pastors ot Jefferson county. Did you ever read that local option law we preachers drew up and had passed through the legislature? We fixed it so that we could bring on an election for prohi- bition this year, an election for dis pensary next year, prohibition next. dis pensary next, and thus fight on forever until, if they wont give up, we'll break themi9
 His argument was to the effect that il was the preach CTS fight because the devil is entrenched behind the bar and the preachers fight Is against the devil. He declared the saloon "the greatest hindrance to religious in fiuence on the face of the earth.e
 The sermon was In the interest of prdhibition, with the text taken from Ephesians 5, 17-19 "Wherefore be ye not unwise but understand what the will of the Lord is, and be not drunl, with wine. wherein is excess. but be filled with the spirit. speaking to your selves is psalms and hymns and spirit ual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord"
 pr. Dickinson began by ealing at tention to the setting in the apostles mind, view of the great feast ol Bacchus, of the wine sellers In the streets, very much like Hot Spring. and French Lick Springs, where the rich go to sweat out the whisky and gamble at the same time.
 Greek Regulation.
 All of these Greek cities had bal rooms, and drank liquor by the gallon suppose there were no more drunken people ever in the world than the Greeks and Anglo -Saxons. Since his tory began man has always been drink ing beverages and it has always beer problem confronting the race as tc how to get rid of the curse.
 Some people say regulate, but Ammi Rabbi tried that hundreds of years be- fore Christ, and it failed absolutely Now when Christianity came into tn,
 
 had to face this pagan vice. and til, Christian had to take his ch oice be i tween the feast of Bacchus and a Tiff, separate from the society of that day The struggle has since ever been go ing on between the pagan and tn, Christian on this subject.
 We have been trying all the time tc regulate the saloons and yet we heal 1 people saying that regulation is tho only proper thing, that the saloons ar, the moral and industrial stamina of q city Why, the next thing we will hay, them calling on us preachers to pat. ronize the saloon, and they will be sending down their children for an houi in the spiritual atmosphere.
 They talk about that which has beer outlawed for years, these Baptist dea cons and Meth odist stewards who | would not dare to go down to the places themselves.
 What do you mean by regulate? suppose it Is to use the saloon as g moral institution, to prevent men iron drinking too much. The man over tn, bar will hand out two glasses O. whisky, but If the drinker comes bacl and asks for another he will say, No no, let me give you a lecture on tenn perance, take your money back, w are sacredly appointed guardians tt regulate the sale of whisky
 And yet you know that all the vic' and immortality grows out of liquor and that every single law that ha 1. been passed Is definatly abused. DO you presume that hereafter saloons vii become places for teaching soca ethics, for teaching husbands to bvt their wives and take home money Why that would put us preachers ou of business. I say that every saloor has for it's end riotous living and de bauchery.
 Don't XIII Us.
 "They all say, Don't kill us, jus regulate us.' I never saw such a great outcry for reformation. The old sin ner cries out for salvation. The ques ton is will you continue to submit tC 1t, or will you put 1t down. You car never use it as q reform agency, anc you must do away with it.
 Some people think the preacher has got nothing to do with it, but it is the greatest hindrance to religious in luence under the sun. The devil is en-