The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1908-01-23
THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT

Z n ANOG WV " IN
The world morally is surely moving
upward, this is evinced in marked
degree in the trend of public opinion
regarding the adjustment of saloons.
The advancement in this direction is
almost universal. AS wives. mothers
and our hearts are no doubt entering
more lightly into this year on account
of this fresh endeavor in which SO
many states are enlisted. We can
see the day dawning for cleaner lives,
more righteous living and greater pros
perty in our homes in consequence Of
it, and no man can stop il for it Is of
God. and blessed be his name. The
seed sown so faithfully which seemed
SO hard to terminate is fast springing
up and maturing into a bountirul har
vest which is ministering to our prog
ress as a people. Poor, debauched
man is being raised thereby from
plane with the senseless beasts and
being stamped more clearly in the
likeness Of his Maker
The rising up against this tafiic be.
gan first in a feeble wall, which be-
came an abiding heart moan from
wives, mothers and children This
cry of protest has become a union of
voices from an increasing multitude
eousness and a heart brOtlerliness
has seized our nation and God in
Heaven has heard and is sending the
dawn of better times and holier lv-
ing.
1t is only a little more than a cen
fury ago that nearly every one made
use of the beverage which has become
az eating cancer on the body polite.
To DR.. Benjamin Rush, who lived in
1885, we owe a deep debt of gratitude
as he was the first who sounded the
warning. showing the effects of alco-
hOlic stimulants on both body and
mind. 1t came as a trumpet-blaSt and
the watchword thereafter became
Moderation. This, however, failed of
its purpose, because strong drink is
not like other foods and drinks which
give vigor to the body, but its use
saps the strength of the vital forces
and humans the victim, thereby max
ing him a slave of his abnormal appe-
tite.
When it was seen that temperate
drinking did not remove the curse of
drunkenness abstinence became the
cry. Under this. the reform so eagerly
sought for gained momentum, but
there was much to learn and many
years of sad experience followed. Up
to that time they thought it all right
for wine, cider and beer to be used,
but many fell by the practice and
afterward filled drunkard's graves. 1t
was the final conviction that all fer
mented drinks must be cut out, and
total abstinence or "teetotalism" as it
was called became the next rung in
the ladder upward.
Many temperance orders were
formed which did grand work, but
men would lapse into their former in
temperate habits. This was certain
ly discouraging to the faithful workers
but they only took hold the firmer,
for give up they never would and
more light was thrown upon their
work. After another quest was made
for help in their perplexity and deep
delving undertaken to find the source
of their failures their attention was
turned from the drinker TO the one
who sold; but restriction on the dram
shop failed to regulate as was hoped:
license only giving legal status to
the wrong. SO a higher climb had to
be made till State Prohibition was
reached, but our government-andw we
blush to speak of it-became partner
In the business, by laying upon the
accused stuff an internal revenue tax.
and a special license upon the liquor
maker and the liquor dealer. So it
became financially interested in the
growth of the damnable business
which robs men of their subsistence
and souls and brings misery to those
who should be dearer to them than
their lives.
Our lamented Chief Magistrate, the
martyred Lincoln's dream of country
without drunkard shall yet come true
when the time is ripe, by the help of
Him who holds our union of states in
his hand. An effort is now being
made to save our grand common
wealths. of which there are forty-six,
by sections. This, as We understand
1t is what the Anti-Saloon League is