Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-09
OF HIGH LICENSE
FAILURE IN THE OPINION OF
DIR. WRIGHT.

Rev. Abner K. Wright, pastor of Cen
tennial Baptist Church. Sth and l streets
northeast. delivered sermon to the men,
bers of his congregation last evening in
which he paid an eloquent tribute to the
good work done by fraternal temperance
organizations in the city of Washington
The sermon was delivered at the request
of the members of Frances f. Willard
Templar and Jonadab organizations were
represented by their officers and men,
bers.
After extending the visitors cordial
welcome to his church DR.. Wright took
for his text some verses from the Old
Testament warning mankind against the
evils of intemperance. and then proceeded
with history of the International Order
of Good Templars. He reviewed the in
stitution of the American Temperance So
ciety formed in Boston in 1926 the Wash
inston movement inaugurated in Balti-
more in 1910. the Sons of Temperance. or
ganized in 1872 and the Knights of Jericho.
instituted in Oriskany Falls, n. Y. in
1880. The latter organization and Utica
Lodge agreed to change their name to
Good TemplarS, but in 1857 Mr.. Coon
disagreed with some members of the gov
erning body and formed the Independent
Order of Good Templars at Syracuse. n
Y. with the motto, Friendship. Hope and
Charity" Six ladies We're admitted at
Forest City. n. ~. in that year. and since
then the order has been strengthened by
their assistance and cooperation.
During the war, said Dr. Wright, there
was natural relaxation. but after that
the order advanced and has been organ
lied on every continent. having at pres
ent over 5000 lodges. with membership
exceeding 100000 members. In the United
States there are over 1000 lodges and
membership of over 10000. The objects
of the society We're explained by the pas
tor to be Ito secure personal abstinence
from all intoXicants as beverage and to
prohibit the manufacture. importation and
sale of Intoxicating drink.
But Two Methods.
There are two methods of dealing
with the liquor traffic" said Dr. Wright,
land they are to stop sales and to stop
drinking. 1t is simply the law of supply
and demand-if you stop one the other
must stop. Your order believes in stop
ping the demand. and if successful the
supply must necessarily stop. All at
tempts to regulate the liquor traffic have
failed. High license is Il failure. Here
in Washington the doubling of the license
did not reduce the number of saloons.
Ihere Is only one way 10 make n1Sn
license effective. and that is to put the
license at a prohibitory figure. The model
license league is a myth. 1t aims for
respectable saloon.
II do not intend tonight to discuss the
ways and means to prohibit liquor traffic.
Yours is work of training men in tenn
perance and of rescuing the drunkard.
This is large and important work.
Somebody must look after that vast army
that has been tainted and corrupted by
the saloon. Somebody must train the
youth of today in temperance. Look at
the product of the American saloon. 1t
Is turning out 100000 drunks 100 900 of
whom go to drunkards' graves, every year.
Men are not drunkards by choice. They
need a strong helping hand. and that is
what your order gives them.
The pastor ridiculed the idea of estab-
fishing a home for inebriates. which he
likened to purchasing a revolver for a
man with which to MAIN another. and
then building a hospital to care for the
wounded. He concluded by saying: your
greatest work is in training the young In
temperance. l do not believe in that
policy Of sowing wild oats A life that
has never been corrupted by the evils of
intoxication is worth infinitely more to
the world and to Cod
At the conclusion of the sermon. the
Good Templars and Jonadabs, gathered
around the pastor to express their appre-
citation of his sermon. On leaving the
church several members of the congrega-
ton handed In their names as applicants
for membership in the temperance orders.