The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-03-18

ny censured the liquor trafiic as 1t Is
now carried on in this country.
This was exactly what I4meant by
holding to the via media
"A. BoUTLou.
Pastor st Peters Church.
tEairmont, w. Va. March 16.
In justice OF Father Boutlou the
portions. Of his address omitted yester-
day are reproduced below:
Now. Il may be allowed to say what
il think of prohibition. Prohibition,
of course, is not n virtue. nobody quail.
lies It as such. prohibition is merely
policy which some people consider
as the only or the main remedy
against the evil OF intemperance in
this country. Many other people deny
the effectiveness OF such, remedy;
not a few, even here in Monndsville.
have voted for the Prohibition ticket
because they are bar Keepers and
would rather. sell without paying IL
,cense and take their chance with the
police: of this fact we are all aware.
Prohibition is a policy and when IN
presence Of a mere policy the catholi,:
Church never deems that 1t is her
duty to interfere. She has never con-
demned it; she has never approved of
1t. AS a priest therefore have no
opinion about prohibitions; as free
citizen of the United states have.
however. my views on the subject.
Whilst respecting the good Intentions
Of sincere Prohbitionists. cannot en-
terrain the least hope that by their
radical methods they will ever sue.
coed in stamping out the curse OF in
temperance which befouls our fair
country. have now lived 10 years
in Moundsville in prohibition coun-
ty: no legal license has been issued to
any one in the county since am here.
and yet whisky has never ceased to
be sold aud all Of you present know
who sell it.. At the same time have
in these 10 years been the witness OF
more exhibition Of intemperance than
ever witnessed in the 81 years |
spent in France where the veryrname
Of prohibition is unknown. The fail.
lure of prohibition to prohibit is not
altogether the only reason why could
not join the movement. Whilst do
not wish to cast blame on the whole
Prohibitionist party, yet 1 have wait
ed in vain for an authoritative rebuke
issued from that party aginst too
many of its members who advocate
and publish the world views which a
consistent Christian is bound to re-
ject.
No Christian, for instance. can ac-
cept the view of those who claim that
any creature is bad in itself, or the
creature of the evil one. God alone
has made all things that are and with
out Him was made nothing that was
made. There are not two Creators:
there Is but one God. Not only are all
things made by God, but all things
made by God are good. viz: Good in
themselves and rejecting the good
ness of their Maker-good Of course
for the purpose for which He intenderi
them. Iron. for instance, is good in
Itself: We can hardly conceive civil
llzation without 1t, but criminals use
1t in wrong manner. All poisons,
from the venom of the asp to the sub
tie emanations Of the upas. were Gre
ated for good purpose. although said
purpose may not yet have been dis
covered by man; 1t is among those
poisons and that amongst the most
dangerous of them such as strych-
nine, aconite. mercury, that physicians
have found some of their most
eficacious remedies. Alcohols is no
doubt poison like morphine or chic
raj, but If those poisons are wrongly
used by the wicked man. they were in
tended by their Creator to be benifl-
cent 10 mankind Now to say that
whiskey or wine is creature of the
devil is rank heresay which the
church has condemned centuries ago
in the days of the Menlchees.
Another wrong idea advanced by
not few Prohibltionists, an idea to
be rejected by all Christians who
claim to practice charity-is the too
frequent assertion that whoever does
not choose to practice total abstinence
from intoxicants Is sinful and violates
the virtue of temperance 1t would be
Just as logical to declare that whoever
does not choose to practice celibacy
violates the virtue of chastity. The
proper use Of wine is not and cannot
be sinful our Divine Lord himself used
it and His apostle recommended it.
You will say that wine contains alco.
hol and that I admitted that alcohol
is poison. Yes, alcohol in its pure
form is a poison yet In its diluted
form a. hacones a heaIthf,,I md hone.