The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-08-19
The WARFARE AGAINST DRINK
TEMPERANCE BATTLE GATHERS
STRENGTH EVERY DAY.
The Public House and the Saloon
Singular Aspect of the New Cam.
paign Against Liquor Selling
Costs More Than II Comes To.

COSIS WlOTe AIluD IL COu1tS IT,
Temperance and the use of alco-
hol have passed through many phases
and fortunes. In China more than
a thousand years ago total abstinence
became the universal rule. The He
brews more than two thousand years
ago studied the subject and estab-
lished habits which have made them
a temperate, but not a total abstain
ing, race. The Western nations have
swung back and forth, sometimes
breaking out in ruinous excuses and
then, for a time, making Of temper
ance a moral issue and setting up
social and legal restraints which have
served a temporary purpose. In
1912 the Washingtonian temperance
revival, started by Mr.. Hawkins, of
Baltimore, swept Owe the country
with effects similar to those of the
great religious revival Of ST, which
affected the moral fortunes of two
continents. The moral and religious
arguments for temperance have al
ways abounded and have never yet
been thoroughly effective. The rea-
sol for this is evident enough. The
majority of the men, at least, and
probably we may safely say the wo-
men in any community, do not order
their common lives accordingly to the
highest ideals Of morality and relig-
ion. They are prone to accept the
syllogism devised by DR.. Crothers;
namely, II like to do right. I do
what I like. Therefore I do right"
Now total abstinence, the regulation
Of the liquor traffic, and prohibition
in any community must be measured
not by local statutes, by the stan.
dards Of the moral leaders of the
community, but by the average SEN
timents and purposes of the people.
What the people want to do and in
tend to do they will find a way to do
in spite Of scruples and laws. There
have been numerous crusades in the
name and interest of temperance.
Often for a winter whole communi-
ties have been greatly exercised and
keyed up to a point Of self-denial and
intense reprobation of tho use and
sale of alcohol. Something is left
after such periods of excitement, but
always the tendency is to sink back
again to the former level.
In England and America the cru
SADIE against the saloon, as W. call
it, and the public house al the Eng
lish call it, has now all at INC taken
on a lev form and is waged with
different arguments and motives.
1t has now been discovered by
hard-headed men of affairs that the
saloon, and the evil things that clus-
ter about it, costs more than, 1t comes
to. The waste of human life and
energy, the %lessening of the produc-
tive power of the people who patron
ize these places, and the expense
thrown upon the community in taxa
ton and the support of hospitals and
poorhouses, which can distinctly be
traced to the influence Of the public
house or the saloon, now cause bust
ness men to decide that on business
principles, and for the industrial
welfare Of the community, these
sources of extravaganza and waste
must be abolished.
The most singular aspect Of the
new campaign against the saloon Is
the entire absence Of all prejudice
against liquors, either fermented or
distilled, for their own sake. The
new ally Ol IuS- lSupSIdICS moNC-
ment is the belief of the business men
that the business of the world will
be more economically conducted, and
with better results, II the time, the
money, and the strength wasted in
the saloons can be put to use, and
the capital employed and wasted in
the traffic be invested in productive
enterprises.
In England, where the breweries
have been sources of vast wealth, as
DR.. Johnson said, of wealth beyond
the dreams of avarice," and the rich
brewers have always been successful
candidates for the honors Of knight
hood, and even higher rank, the sud
den 4evulsion of public feeling has
been something astonishing, and so
alarming that after the subject was
brought up for discussion in Parlia-
ment brewery stock shrank in value
at the rate of one hundred million
dollars a week.-Christian Register.