The Forrest City times., 1908-08-21

the most TaulSa4 dA0Ak lAlc kANA4lb4- tnnists might join YOU in covering me with it. when l tell you that if the people generally used no more xhis- i key or other intoxicants than 1 d0.one pint bottle would supply the needs of the whole population of the United States for al least year and every saloon keeper would have 10 do what you want him to do, close out his basi- ness. Furthermore, let me say for the purpose Of showing how fully in sym pathy l am with the cause of tenn perance. that if l could do such a thing. l would persuade every man and woman to follow my example in the use not only of intoxicating drinks and drugs, but also of tobacco. tea and coffee.
 Thus you see that so far as my own personal habits and influence go l am nearly very near to being an extreme prohibitionist, for l am practically total abstainer from all intoxicants. l do not smoke, and of course, do not chew. l drink ''cambric" tea, and though honesty compels me to confess that like my coffee rather strong yet l may truthfully relieve the humilia- tion of the confession by saying that 1 drink only two cups Of it daily: and l am sure that all the members of the i league ana the more moderate among even prohibitionists will agree with me that a man who quite regularly takes his coffee at 3:30 Am and eats only one simple meal in the course of twenty-four hours is entitled to coffee of good strength.
 Now, gentlemen. l have told you all this that you may feel that so far as the example of my life is concerned, I am heart and soul with every temper ance movement The reason that 1 cannot take my stand with any adyo- cates of prohibition, not even with those of your excellent type, is found in the fact that while think 1 ought practically 10 love life of total absti- hence in the use of intoxicating drinks and drugs, and of extreme temperance in the use of ordinary drinks and food, yet, l consider it would be both un- scriptural and unwise for me to insist that my standard of living should be followed by other people. For 1 am fully persuaded that taking the Bible as whole, or the Gospel of the Lord Jesus alone, 1t does not require total abstinence from the Use of intoxicants or even the degree of temperance in using ordinary foods and drinks which 1 practice.
 If. therefore. lad the power to force my personal habits upon others, l should not feel that il would be right for me to make use of it, for 1 believe that from the Scriptural point of view, one may habitually take little ''toddy' and smoke cigar, and per haps even chew small quid, and if he is a wood chopper eat three square meals day and be every whit as good a man as one who has adopted my er- ratio practices.
 BISHOP BROWN AND BISHOP
 POTTER.
 In respect to our standard of living l suppose the distinguished bishop of New York and the obscure bishop of Arkansas are about as different as two men can be. know Bishop Potter pretty well, much better than the ma- jority of his critics, and yet. in spite of all that he does which l do not do, l cannot honestly have the consola- tion of believing that l am as good an all round man as he k; for he is nor nal while am eccentric. From the scriptural point of view il seems to me that Henry Goldman Potter of all great Americans who are known 10 me personally. comes the nearest of being the ideal Christian gentleman. citizen and bishop. In society, state and church, 1 regard him as being much more than myself the typical, exemplary Christian and American. He is in the best sense of the phrase a man of the world am too much of a monk.
 Gentlemen, you see now why it is that l can go hand in hand with you on the question of temperance, but l am obliged to part company with you at the point when We come to the pro- hibition part of il because my going further would mean disloyalty to my convictions and place me in the atti- tude of condemning, at least by impli- cation, that which 1 believe God and the Scriptures and the most highly developed and completetely exem- plary among our people do not con- demn.
 PERSUASION VS. CONFUSION
 Speaking generally, l have also this objection to revolutionary movements